I’m angry, Readers. Anyone who isn’t angry is hiding in a giant fridge and closing their ears to what is happening. Perhaps such a person is also lacking any shred of concern for their fellow citizens. Enter stage left Boris Johnson the man who would be PM and then proceeded to make an abysmal failure of this task at every faltering step.
As the UK yesterday announced a devastating death toll in excess of One Hundred Thousand lost souls I watched in disbelief as the non Prime Minister addressed the Nation.
Never in the history of TV broadcasting have I witnessed a more despicable performance. I never judge a book by its cover and we should not use personal appearance to criticise our political opponents or anyone else for that matter.
However on this one occasion I will make an exception. The non PM of the disunited Kingdom looked like he had stepped out of a dustbin. If this had been Jeremy Corbyn we would have heard no amount of wailing from the Murdoch controlled press, however the unkempt and lackadaisical PM yet again escapes scrutiny. It’s not his appearance per se that makes me angry. His total lack of ability to show empathy or leadership or any kind of normal human trait is what fills me with rage and extreme anxiety.
At every step on the road that’s led us to this somber milestone there has been dithering delays, u turns and serial incompetence that we are all aware of and are far too numerous to expand on in this piece. Even yesterday when a better human being would have genuinely apologised for the tragic loss of life he made a half hearted meaningless apology that wouldn’t have been out of place at his public school if he had been caught smoking behind the bike shed. Of course we don’t know if he ever did get caught smoking behind the bike shed. However what we do know is that this self entitled excuse of a person was a member of the Bullingdon Club. One of their many vile activities included burning large denomination banknotes in front of homeless people.
If you’re not angry yet Readers you should be. The icing on the cake happens tomorrow. Despite strict laws preventing unnecessary travel, Boris Johnson has essential work in Scotland. Yes that’s right the man described as lazy by numerous ex employers is coming up to Scotland for essential work. I think he would be better tasked doing essential work in London and at least attempting to undo some of the damage his incompetent government have inflicted on the people of the UK.
We all know the real reason for the visit. The fat controller is breaking covid travel law restrictions in a futile attempt to save the Union. It’s too late for that. The Union is broken smashed to smithereens and no amount of PR is going to save it. Every time Scotland has one of his useless visitations, support for Independence increases and I’m sure that on this occasion a similar outcome will occur.
Now that I’ve discussed my anger issues I move onto happier feelings.
It is no exaggeration to state that in Scotland we have a leader in Nicola Sturgeon that we can all be extremely proud of and grateful to. Her measured steadfast and emphathic approach to this global pandemic contrasts sharply with the Pretender in No 10.
Day in day out this Beacon of Hope and inspiration stands up and tells our country vital and useful information concerning the pandemic and how this is being used to formulate the Scottish Governments plans and rational decision making. When I listen to some of the journalist questions, which I do on a daily basis, I can only surmise that our Nicola must possess the patience of a Saint. Whilst journalistic scrutiny must always be encouraged in a free democratic country like ours, I cringe inwardly at some of the stupid and inane questions. Each question is met with a measured and professional answer and full explanation. If further clarification is required, this is advised to the journalist concerned. All this is done with good grace and honesty that those listening to PM Boris Johnson can only dream of.
In Scotland there are no clandestine briefings to favoured journalists.
Yesterday’s briefing was particularly poignant as we were all asked to take a moment to silently reflect on those we had lost throughout the course of the pandemic. This, my fellow readers, is how a real leader reacts to loss and tragedy in every day life. I’m sure I wasn’t the only person watching with a lump in my throat.
Our First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to tackling the Pandemic is evident for all to see in her every decision and action. She is supported by an efficient and well functioning government of Members of the Scottish Parliament, all striving to do the best for their constituents and country. Preservation of life and wellbeing is the number one priority of Nicola Sturgeon and her government. Of this I have no doubt.
All of us have an opportunity in May to show our thanks and appreciation for the steadfast leader and First Minister guiding us through this crisis.
How can we do this?
Firstly it is vitally important that each and everyone of us registers for a Postal Vote. There’s an excellent presentation on Postal Voting which can be viewed on our website almondandearnsnp.org available to branch members only.
By registering for a postal vote and getting our postal ballots returned in good time we ensure that our voices are counted. How unfortunate would an ardent supporter be if they couldn’t attend to vote in person on election day because they had been told to isolate by the covid track and trace. That’s not a chance I’m prepared to take and neither should any one of us.
Secondly If you are an SNP member or anyone that wants a competent government in our country I believe that we must promote the Both Votes SNP message.
In the constituency vote we will vote for our elected representative. Jim Fairlie is the candidate in our area. Jim is an excellent candidate and I know when elected he will represent each and every one of us in his constituency.
Our second vote the list vote will be equally crucial in determining who is in charge of running our country.
In this vital election we need to ensure that a maximum number of Regional and List vote SNP MSPs are returned to Holyrood.
Anyone who has listened to or watched our First Minister can be in no doubt that she and the SNP Government are the correct people to lead our country out of this pandemic and on to a better future.
That better future will only be possible with full independence and I firmly believe that Nicola Sturgeon is the person that will deliver this for our country.
This is the stark choice facing our country in May 2021. Who will best represent us and our interests?
A self serving PM in Boris Johnson or our own First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
Image by Wilson Joseph from Pixabay
That was a very sharp assessment of leadership and probably reflects public opinion in Scotland on who the public trusts.
This of course is reflected in the last 19 polls where support for independence remains at over 50%.
However a note of caution on polls, they are not votes and recent history has shown they can give a false reflection on what is actually happening on the ground.
Support for the union even with this government teetering on the edge of an abyss remains surprisingly high and it wouldn’t take much to swing back into their favour.
This of course brings as back to the issue of the part the media plays. I’m sure we have all witnessed the ramping up of the number of items in the media and from former leaders of the other unionist parties, of course they all have vested interests in remaining firmly entrenched within it.
The next few months will see sustained attacks from all quarters and with the leader of the once proud labour party now firmly in support of conservative policy on any number of issues we will require strong armour and a steely determination to fight them off.
For myself as a former labour person and trade unionist I am saddened to see the direction labour have taken and even more saddened for the way they have appeared to abandoned working class and under privileged families.
With that said we will require to hold on to those labour voters who have made the journey to releasing Scotland from the client state status labour of old held Scotland in and convince a few more.
Being a history buff I was reading some comment on how in this union the name of Scotland and Scottish culture laws and institutions were being entered and consumed into a greater England these writings were from 1882 so not much has changed over the centuries. But the writer made the point that if we are to place blame for this the that blame should be placed firmly at our own door for allowing it to happen, there in lies a problem convincing our own people to have the confidence and pride to step up and step out of the union.
I note that conservatives are now circulating their leaflets and I think we should start to use what resources we have to begin circulating ours.
For me the time is now for us failure to act over the next period of time will see Scotland for ever trapped in the belly if the beast.
It will require a big effort from everyone to escape and I just do not trust these polls suggesting the election will be a skoosh.
I will put my own down now and for those social media buffs the Irish Times and in particular Fintan O’toole have written some good assessments of the political situation in Scotland.
Bryan, you are so right. Polls are one thing, votes are what counts. I have several friends and family members whose hearts are torn. They believe in what the labour party used to stand for, and might do again, in a truly independent Scotland. Lets hope many labour supporters will lend us their vote and improve the chance of a freer, caring, more equal society here in Scotland.