Tuesday 28 April 2015

A VIEW FROM A SCOTTISH SOCIALIST...

AS YE SEW...

SO SHALL YE REAP...


Also seen on Twitter:


To argue that the SNP can have no legitimate role in the government of the UK is to concede that Scotland is a foreign country.

Monday 27 April 2015

TOM RELIES ON YOU TO PAY TO READ HIS DRIVEL


It seems that Tom Harris thinks that YOU should pay for his leaflets,
seeing that he can't get any volunteers to deliver them, and Labour has no money for postage.
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Seems like it would be a waste of money anyway, whoever paid for it... given the somewhat unbelievable figures this morning.

Apparently the 2 non-SNP seats would be, wait for it...

Alistair Carmichael and

Willie Bain. YES, YOU'RE READING THAT RIGHT.

Just imagine, Willie Bain a minister ...?  'Struth!

TNS Scottish poll: 
SNP 54% (+2)
Labour 22% (-2)
Con 13% (-)
LD 6% (-)


Seat projection: 
SNP 57 (+51) 
Lab 1 (-40) 
LD 1 (-10) 
Con 0 (-1)


Who will try to get the best deal for Scotland at Westminster?

 Sturgeon 42%
 Murphy 8%
 Cameron 7%
 Salmond 6%

 Miliband 3%

Don't get too excited though. It won't happen like that. I'd be aiming for 30 seats, which in itself would be a fabulous achievement. Five times what they have at the moment.

But even Jim, so I am told, seems to be aware of his own vulnerability. According to a comment on Wings, he said that he will lead Labour into the General Election here next year, even if he loses his seat.

Wonder how Neil Findlay feels about that...

Sunday 26 April 2015

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND A NEW FRIEND

Earlier today, on the previous post, Anon suggested this blog post, and a response to it. I read the link and felt moved to offer a comment of my own. But as I started writing and the comment got longer and longer, I though it would make a reasonable post on Munguin's Republic. It drifted away from the topic a little perhaps, but, hey, that's how my mind works. For what it's worth, here it is. You might find it a little less disjointed if you read what inspired it first.

Gordon Brown apparently fails to see that if you have a finally balanced referendum result in the offing; and if you then conspire with a Tory prime minister, with only 1/59th of the representation of the country, to deliver a 'vow', a package of measures previously specifically ruled out by that very Tory prime minister, if that ‘vow’ changes enough people's minds that they vote for the new "most devolved powers in the entire world" otherwise described as "as near federalism as you can get when one country in the state holds 85% of the population", and if, on the day after the referendum, people find out that they have been duped by that poorly represented Tory prime minister,  and the most trusted Scottish ex prime minister (EVEL, with which I totally agree, but the Labour party doesn't, indeed electorally CANNOT), and if in the following months a rfarce of a consultation takes place and delivers almost none of what was promised… and that even those powers which looked like coming,  are watered down to the point that they are all but  invisible, it is hardly surprising that there will be a distrust and dislike of the party which guaranteed all of the above.

I realise that the British public is a deal less volatile than some other, but at some point a desire for some sort of new politics, something promised over and again at each general election and never delivered, is bound to take a hold.

There comes a time when there is a desire for a cessation of rule by a never changing  elite, shown over and over to be corrupt to the core in almost all aspects of its daily doings from the relatively trivial attempts to line their pockets, and in doing so work against democracy (Straw, when touting for future employment, as one recent example, admitted influencing EU discussions on behalf of a client, when he was being paid by us to work for the UK) , to the infinitely more serious matters of murder of children.

In Scotland, the somewhat distant London-based parties and their "elder statesmen" should try to remember that it is not the SNP (nor the Greens, the Scottish Socialists or Radical Independence) who are behind this movement.

It is, in reality, the ordinary people of Scotland. It is, as Jim Murphy called them, "Glasgow Man".

A demographic which was previous attached at the hip to Labour, has seen, at long last, that Labour has no real interest in them, save for using them to ensure the ongoing income and rise to the top of people like Maggie Curran, Dougie Alexander, Jim Murphy, Iain Davidson and their likes.

Glasgow man has latterly come to the conclusion that for all he has voted Labour for all these years, because as one guy said to me "It's the party of the working man", he, Glasgow man, seems to have become comparatively poorer, and conditions in which he lives, still produce areas where life expectancy is well under 60 years, poorer than many parts of the developing world, or war zones like Gaza.

Labour deserted Glasgow man because he was expendable. (Where else was he to go? The Tartan Tories, a reputation they liked to foster, but based on something from the dim and distant past?) 

For power, as Mandelson said, you had to get the vote of the Home Counties and the South East, and you weren't going to get that spending their taxes on poor people in social housing in inner-city Glasgow or Dundee.

What actually has happened is that Labour has moved farther and farther to the right. Would Keir Hardie recognise Labour now?


Possibly the final insult (and one predicted  as a disaster by many on the left of Labour) was the election for some weird reason, of a right wing, Blairite, Henry Jacksonite, war enthusiast, Scottish branch leader. Loathed by the left, almost as much as Blair himself is, his election marked the real end of Labour in Scotland. We told you we wanted to move to the left, and you elected a right winger for the leader... What?

It happened more or less at the same time as the most left leaning, anti war, pro equality, leader of the SNP ever, came to power. In Scotland the Tories being nowhere; the Liberals now a part of history; UKIP having managed a brief success in the EU elections, only to have themselves represented by an ignorant racist who doesn't even live in Scotland, and has a particularly virulent strain of foot in mouth disease, the new real politic, as Curran would call it, is Labour on the right,  SNP on the left.

The grandees of the Labour party need to look to themselves for their failures, rather than blame the SNP for their success. Labour ceased to be the party of the working man a long time ago. If you don’t represent your constituency, there comes a time when they will go vote for people who will...people whose agenda is not dictated by the need to win Tory seats in the South East of England.

And frankly it doesn't help if your top people from both the main English parties having begged us to stay with them, are now saying pretty much the same things about Scotland not having the right to send SNP members to London. Exercise your right to vote for whom you want, under our FPTP system, and you will cause a crisis.

Seriously, if they haven’t worked out how damaging that is to their cause, no wonder they are in the tanks. 
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Yesterday Munguin and I made a new friend. We had a great afternoon talking politics with one of our family of readers. AH, Abu Haimi, came all the way from Malaysia to see Scotland and, obviously, Munguin. Thanks for coming to Dundee and spending the afternoon in what I know was a really hectic schedule. It was a great afternoon, and I hope we'll have more time together next time you're here. Safe journey home for you and your lovely family, AH.
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I'm not much of an historian, but I seem to recall reading that the Daily Mail was relatively supportive, at least for a time, of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. 

Neither am I much of a royalist, but I also seem to recall reading that one very spoilt and unpleasant prince they had in the 1930s, a man who appeared to be incapable of keeping his clothes on for any length of time if there were married women available to bed, when he found he couldn't have his own way about marrying his bit on the side, who had a history of "trading up" her partners for something better, a certain Mrs Simpson, decided to reject the crown of England and his destiny as king, in favour of aforesaid woman.

It seems that they too as were pleased to be received as a royal duke (and ex-King) and his not so royal wife, to meet with Adolf Hitler. 

It might well then, have suited the Daily Mail for Edward VIII, an apparent Nazi sympathiser, and his pushy wife, to stay on the throne. So for them the abdication was, indeed, a real crisis. They lost their man and got George VI and his formidable wife instead.

Whilst we are on the subject, don't you think some people should probably take more water with it:

Now Kezia, you really can't say you weren't warned, when the First Minister herself told you. So presumably, like a good manager, you have been monitoring his tweets. What do you think if this doozie?
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Finally, let's spare a thought, and maybe some money, for the terrible disaster of the Nepalese Earthquake.

Saturday 25 April 2015

SUNDAY IS NATURE DAY

Il n'y a rien d'aussi beau
Qu’une vallée à l’abri du temps,
Où les oiseaux font leurs nids
Dans les cœurs des arbres géants,
Et coule la rivière, 
Dans l’ombre et la lumière.
Doux vallée,
Sweet Swiss valley
Il fait bon vivre chez toi. (Pétula Clark)

There is nothing as beautiful
As a valley in the shadow of time
Where birds nest in the heart of giant trees
And the river flows, in the shade and the sun.
Sweet Valley
Sweet Swiss valley
It's good to live within you. (Petula Clark)

Sweet Valley. I'm not even sure that this is Switzerland
But the minute I saw it I thought of the beautiful song Pet Clark wrote about
her Swiss home.

Friday 24 April 2015

THE MUNGUIN LETTERS



Munguin Towers Penthouse


April 25, 2015


Dear Food Banks


I'm sure that you will delighted to know that, as a result of yet another intervention from that ex-politician (although to be fair I suppose we should call him a double ex politician now), there is good news for people who are in danger of starving to death in what they tell us is the world's 8th largest economy.


Gordon Brown has promised that, should Labour be in a position of power after the General Election, he will personally ensure that each and every food bank in Scotland will receive the sum of £5,000. 


This will be rather like, I suspect, he ensured devolution super max, home rule and the best devolved settlement of any country in the world last September. (Note to Tris. Find out how that went, will you?)


Mr Brown also says that if he or Jim Murphy had been in power (ah, if only) he would have dealt with the situation right away. He cannot understand why the SNP and the Conservatives haven't.


Gordon rides to the rescue, as ever. Having saved the world, from the ham fisted efforts of Darling; then having saved Better Together from the ham fisted efforts of... oh dear, Darling again, he will save the hungry of Scotland. At least that cannot be laid at the feet of Darling, can it?


Anyhow, your problems are over, Food Banks. Tell your normal donors that they can stand down for the foreseeable future... well, for a couple of days anyway.


Hunger, we can announce, is a thing of the past in this oil rich nation of ours. Just as it is in Norway.


Rejoice at that news.


Yours sincerely




Munguin.


(Note to Tris: Extend invitation to Brown to come and take tea with you  to show our gratitude. I'm busy that day. Munguin.)

**********

Dear Ruth Davidson,


I understand that the London Tories have come up with this poster which depicts Scots as thieves of British cash. The idea may have come when the English Tory leader suggested that he wouldn't trust Alex Salmond not to pinch his wallet.


Can you confirm to us at Munguin's Republic that you will not allow these distasteful posters to appear in our country and that you will speak to Mr Cameron about having them banned in his country too.


Can you please address your response to my PA, Tris.


Yours sincerely,



Munguin.

Thursday 23 April 2015

Friday's Fotos

Yep, that's a good question.
Oh look. That's so sweet. The colour co-ordinated his tie
and her straight jacket.
This is made from the waste on our plates over the last few weeks.
I hope you like truffles, foie gras and chocolate chip ice cream.
Just who is that going to help in the election then?
They are doping brisk business with balloons...
You can always trust the Sun to tell you the erm...truth...
Bless him, I bet he wishes he'd avoided pressing that   flesh.
Nigel wrote it when he was pissed. Only explanation.
Either that or they really are dim as 1/2w lightbulbs.
One can't help but assume that their policy is to bring down the costs
of sickness benefit by any measure available, including killing off the sick.
Oooops, Ed. How embarrassing.
Erm, let's see. Oh yeah. Richard Benyon?
Look like they are all bursting with enthusiasm.
You musta fired them up good there Jim.
How's that working out then?
Anything rather than vote on horrible left wing socialist policies...
eh Jim?

Keep him there Nicola. He can't cause too much more hardship
and misery when he's
wetting his pants standing on the kitchen chair.
I'm betting that's done your campaign a power of good, Alex, petal.
Certainly weren't heard by you, you heartless old bitch.
Tom, sweetie, has it ever occurred to you that there is a reason that the SNP are doing so well? Has it occurred to you that maybe your feet have been under that particular table for a bit too long?
There won't be any SNP ministers. Nicola and even your own boss David Cam... no sorry Ed, have ruled that out, as you say, so why mention it?
Oh yes, of course, in case any of the Tories reading it haven't heard and are driven to a panic by the thought of someone doing something for Scotland.
Silly me.
Someone once wrote of you that you were to the right of Mrs Thatcher so I'm sure you will have no difficulty appealing to the Tories in your constituency.
You'd probably not appeal to any socialists.