No right in Scotland?

I read an article the other day which I thought made some interesting reading. It suggested that the SNP, and the independence movement in general, should make much more use of the 'No right in Scotland' claim.

This is the claim that the British Government has no right in Scotland, never has had any right in Scotland, and never will have any right in Scotland. It is the claim which asks why a British government, currently a Conservative administration which was elected without the support of the Scottish people, should have the right to rule Scotland!

Personally, I believe there is much credibility to this claim. In effect, we are actually in a situation where our country is being ruled by not only what many Scots regard as a foreign government, but one which has been elected without the electoral support of the Scottish people. Therefore, is it not right that much more of the no right claim should be made in order to convince more Scots of the necessity for independence? I believe it is.

It has always been my firm belief that the British government has not right to govern Scotland, simply because of the corrupt and, I believe, illegal way in which this Act of Union 1707 was made.

Any of you who have read Scottish History will know that the treaty of union, which followed the Acts of Union, were brought about after an extensive period of bribing of Scottish politicians by English parliamentarians. Bribes included the likes of gold and even estates in England. The Scottish politicians of the time we corrupt also, and gave in to the bribing, and so doing sold out Scotland's sovereignty in the process. It's were the famous sayings, "Bought and sold for English gold" and "Such a parcel of rogues in a nation", were both based upon.

Now, of course, there were other factors at play, not least the Darien scheme, which, as we keep getting informed of, did not go to plan. But in the cold light of day, it was the corrupt way in which the treaty of union was handled, with the independence of our country being given up for the sake of some gold and land, and with the approval of the acts being made without the approval of the Scottish people even being sought, that makes my believe that the union is an invalid one, and the claim that the British government has no right in Scotland, being a credible claim.

There were some politicians who viewed events correctly and attempted stop the union taking place. One example is Andrew Fletcher, who was a leading opponent of union with England, and on his deathbed said, 'Lord have mercy on my poor country that is so barbarously oppressed'. And, of course, Robert Burns, although a poet, is well renowned for his political views, and spoke of what he believed would become of Scotland after union - a country which lost it's own sense of identity, culture, and self-confidence. Now, while I believe Scotland has managed to regain it's own culture and, to some extent, regained it's full identity, you can begin to see where Burns was right in terms of a loss of self-confidence, when there are people living in this country today who do not believe Scotland is capable of being independent.

So there were those who opposed the union. Indeed, in the days following the signing of the treaty, rioting broke out in the streets, and church bells rang in anger at what they perceived as being a sell-out, which it was. In the end, however, it was those who could wield power who had the final say and made union take place. So here is a reason why the union is not legitimate, since it was made without the Scottish people, who were sovereign not the monarch, giving it their approval.

As for today, with the Tories back in government, now is the ideal time to bring back the no right claim, and use it to it's full advantage!

Just as the article I read the other day said, the Labour party has no official response to give to this. After all, how can they possibly prove the British government has any right in Scotland when that government does not have the electoral support of Scotland?

With Salmond now promising to make Independence the forefront of the election campaign, hopefully the no right claim will take prominence, and hopefully more Scots will realise that Independence is the only right and proper way forward to a modern Scotland, which acts not as part of an out-of-date union past it's sell by date, but acts like a good citizen of the world and looks after itself rather than allowing someone else to look after us.

The petty Glasgow Vs Edinburgh fight must end now

Do not get me wrong, there always has been a traditional "rivalry" of sorts between Scotland's two biggest cities. But these have always been light-hearted and nothing more a than a wee joke! What I'm talking about is something which has recently emerged with a vengeance! As you may have noticed, the Labour party used the slogan "anti-Glasgow" during the Glasgow North East by-election campaign, saying that Edinburgh was "ripping off Glasgow" and that the SNP Scottish Government did not like Glasgow! Well, for one thing, I don't see how the Glasgow rail link cancellation is the fault of the good folk of the city of Edinburgh! And to claim that Glasgow is being "ripped off" is completely unfounded, since Glasgow receives more government funding than any other place in the whole of Scotland!

Of course, the reason for Labour's "ripping off" claim is based on simply the fact that the Scottish Government is located in Edinburgh and that some how, because of this, they are "biased" towards Scotland's east coast and will do nothing for the West! So how true is this? Well, let's compare the two cities. Firstly, where does the money go:

Glasgow City Council :- £1,544,70 million

Edinburgh City Council :- £873.00 million

What about other East and West coast areas:

East Lothian Council :- £190.12 million

East Dunbartonshire Council :- £202.92 million

As these figures clearly show, the West of Scotland receives far more funding than the East, especially Glasgow!

But getting away from the facts and figures now, my main point is this: of course making statements to the deprived areas of Glasgow that the other big city, Edinburgh, is "ripping Glasgow off" is going to make people in these areas feel angry and build up resentment towards Edinburgh! What Labour is doing here is merely just making up excuses, and also a distraction, for the decades of neglect to these areas from the Labour party, something which, sadly, people are falling for!

All this is wrong. Playing the blame game between these cities is, and never will be, the right thing to do! We should all be proud that Scotland has two such great cities! Edinburgh - Scotland's wonderful and historic capital city, and Glasgow - the nations largest city and soon to be the proud host to the Commonwealth games!

What we need is for both the cities to work together, to ensure that the best possible outcome is reached for both Glaswegians and Edinburggers! Both cities are intensely proud, and there is nothing wrong with a little healthy competition, but the way things are going, and the way the Labour cronies continue to encourage this, we will soon end up with a situation were all we have is constant sniping and accusations being thrown at each other! Scotland should not become divided like this, and Labour should stop it's campaign of east coast resentment now!

London's offerings will not dampen demands for Independence!

Labour's real leader in Scotland, Jim Murphy, today unveiled the London government's plans to devolve more power to the Scottish Parliament. Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, at first glance aye! Powers over taxation, stamp duty, speed limits, drink driving limits, and most importantly, airguns, all being given to Scotland to legislate on! So, all is well then in the world of Scottish politics! London allows the Scots to add a few more powers to our collection of devolved matters, and now everyone is happy and the question of constitutional reform has now been settled? No chance!

You see, all this is just simply a reaction to the SNP government bringing forward its Independence referendum white paper on Monday next week. London Labour doesn't really wish to give the Scots Parliament more powers, but at the same time they do not wish to appear opposed to change, and so they believe that by doing this they will appease those who want change for Scotland!

So while it's good news that Scotland is getting more powers, it should not be forgotten that for London, it's a two way process, with some powers being given to Scotland, and some being taken back in return!! This includes the regulation of health care professionals, regulations on insolvency practitioners and regulation of the charity sector. Why do we allow this to happen? Why do we allow the government in London to take away powers from us? We shouldn't! But for as long as we remain in the union, this is the sort of disastrous process where London still holds all the power strings will continue to happen!

Giving Scotland a few more extra powers may be a step in the right direction, but until Scotland has the real powers of Independence, the problems that Scotland suffers can not and will not be properly dealt with, and taking powers back will not help either!

The real winner is apathy!

So Labour have won the Glasgow North East by-election, continuing Labour's 74 year rule over this area! Despite all the problems that make this the most socially deprived area in Western Europe, voters have stubbornly decided to stick with more of the same failed politics that has held Glasgow back! But on a turnout of less than 35%, it is fair to say that the real winner of this election is not Labour, but rather voter apathy! The fact that so few people turned out to cast their votes shows that people have lost faith in politics and, I feel, that is a disaster for democracy, as it shows that people believe that nothing will change and so feel it is not worth them voting! This is something which needs to change and that will only happen when we convince voters that to get change, you need to vote for change!

So I'll say well done to Willie Bain, I hope he'll work hard for the area, but I wouldn't read too much into this result as a feeling of the national mood!

GOOD LUCK DAVID!!!

Just a quick post tonight to say good luck to David Kerr and the SNP in tomorrows by-election in Glasgow North East! This will be a major election, and most likely the last one before next years general election! In David, the SNP has the best candidate to represent this seat and wont take his orders from the London Labour establishment either! He will be true voice for Glasgow and for Scotland! Despite the significance of this election however, it does look as if turnout will be low, but let me make it clear, no matter what folk might say about being disaffected with politics or politicians being only in it for themselves, there is never any excuse for not voting! It is your democratic right, which our ancestors fought hard to achieve, and to not vote is not only a betrayal to those who fought and died for the vote, but is an insult to themselves and to democracy, as they are not letting their voice be heard and calling for change! So I urge the people of Glasgow North East to not waste their vote by not voting, get off your backside and get out and vote! Wouldn't you feel better knowing you had actually voted than knowing you hadn't!

Too close to call!

With less than 48 hours to go now until the Glasgow North East by-election, you would perhaps expect me to give an indication of who i think will win, but I'm not going to! My reason? Well, to be honest, it's because I don't know who is going to win. While it looks as if Labour is probably still ahead, the SNP has actually closed the gap significantly over the past few weeks and, no matter what the media or the Labour party say, the SNP does still have a good chance of winning this seat!

A poll for the Telegraph a few weeks ago in the constituency showed that the gap between Labour and the SNP was indeed narrowing, and chances are that gap has narrowed even further since then. This is why I think that it is too close to call! Saying that, however, I would not be surprised if Labour manages to hold on to the seat, simply because their scare tactics and negativity throughout the entire campaign appears to have made an effect on the voters! Saying things like the SNP are "ripping off Glasgow" has scared voters into thinking that only by sticking with Labour will protect them, despite that fact that it is Glasgow City Council which is doing the damage by closing down schools and community centres! And it is the London Labour Government which has just announced the scrapping of the Glasgow to London rail link, despite them continuously attacking us for not building the airport rail link because of funding shortages!

So at this time I'm not going to call it, but a warning that Thursday could be a victory for fear over hope, should Labour hold on to this seat once again even after 74 years of domination!

McLeish: Labour is "in denial"!

Henry McLeish may already be well known for speaking out against his, apparent, own party, but this latest one is one which Labour ought to closely listen too! McLeish, writing in Holyrood Magazine, has said that the Labour party has fallen into a "culture of Denial" and that the party is failing to offer any real alternatives to Independence for Scotland! Whilst saying this, McLeish has also said that Labour could be out of power for a generation!

Referring to the recent highly successful and optimistic SNP conference in Inverness, McLeish stated that it showed "the political distance the SNP has travelled in the past decade and, in sharp contrast, how little political progress Labour has made since the election defeat in 2007"! Now if Iain Gray doesn't think this undermines his leadership and the Labour party in general then, frankly, it ought too! McLeish also writes "Seeking to transform the sovereignty and authority of Westminster, the SNP has used nationality and identity as a new focus for political and social cohesion and promotes new aspirations of nationhood which transcend traditional social and economic issues and problems. Scottish Labour's combination of a culture of denial and a failure to understand the ethos of nationality and identity could prove disastrous and keep Labour out of power for a generation if left unchecked".

Now of course Labours response to all this was to be expected, stating that the referendum is just an "obsession" of the SNP, despite the fact that a recent poll showed that more than 60% want a referendum! So Labour ought to take heed from Henry McLeish, or they might just lose Scotland for ever! (but thank god for that, eh!)

Lib Dems back referendum!! (well, most of them at least)

Several Liberal Democrat Westminster candidates are to break party ranks and call out in favour of holding a referendum on Scottish Independence! This comes after Senior elected Lib Dems have called for a referendum to be held, such as John Farquar Munro (MSP for Caithness) and George Lyon (the Lib Dems sole Scottish MEP). Former leader Paddy Ashdown has also spoken out and said, quit rightly, that it is wrong for the Lib dems to oppose holding a referendum!

Now, if a few of his own elected members isn't enough to make Tavish think again, then perhaps today's opinion poll on the very subject will make him! A YouGov poll of 1, 556 people has found that 63% want a referendum on Independence for Scotland, compared to just 26% opposed! And the figure for Lib Dem voters wanting a referendum was a massive 65%, compared to only 28% opposed! So even the majority of Liberal Democrat voters disagree with their leader and want a referendum!

All this is piling more and more pressure on Tavish Scott to change his tune about letting the people of Scotland decide their constitutional future! So will Tavish change his mind? Well at their upcoming one day conference they will hold a meeting to discuss wether to change their policy. If they do, then we can expect the referendum, as planned, to be held on St Andrews Day next year!!
The next few weeks should be very interesting indeed!

Do not be fooled by Labour's election spin!

Today we witnessed the Labour party launch its campaign for the Glasgow North East by-election. Now, obviously you would expect me to criticize the lies and the misinformation that has been put out by Labour today, but allow me to focus particularly on the New Labour spin machine, something which I am certain will be out in full force throughout this by-election! Spin is something which Labour has always done at elections, and this one will be no different! I am in no doubt that Labour will try to present themselves as the "local champion" and the only party which will "make a difference to this constituency", despite the fact that its Labour which has represented this seat for the past 70 years! But this is what Labour will still do, they will present themselves as the party which will give this seat a "new chance" that will "transform the area", even though they've had 70 years to do so and have failed miserably! Labour will say they have a credible track record, well lets have a wee look at their track record in Glasgow North East, a seat which ranks as being the worst for Poverty, worst for deprivation, worst for poor health, worst for education standards, and worst for unemployment! In fact, a staggering 75% of children live below the poverty line! If Labour thinks that this is a good track record then it is definitely not the party to be given the job of continuing to represent this seat! Never before has the saying "Its time for change" been so relevant than this by-election! So please don't believe any of the spin being put out by Labour, its false and the people of Glasgow deserve better than this!!

John Smeaton to stand in Glasgow North-East

John Smeaton, the baggage handler who rose to fame after the Glasgow airport terrorist attack, has decided to stand as an independent candidate who is being sponsored by the Jury Team! He says that hes fed up with the "political elite" and is fed up with the way the MPs have fiddled with their expenses. Personally speaking, while he seams like an honest person, I don't think he is really up to the job of being an MP! He is certainly well known and liked, especially in the constituency, but could he really stand up in Parliament and take on the "big beasts" of Westminster? Glasgow north-east desperately needs an MP who is able to stand up and win the arguments and, sadly, I just don't think John Smeaton could do that! As for the by-election itself, it would be nice to have a date!

You can read more about this story here

Why 16 and 17 year old young adults deserve to vote on Independence!

For all those who don't know, the certain 16 year old constituent who contacted the MSP about lowering the voting age for next years Independence referendum just happens to be this blogger! Yes, I am Euan Purchase! I have to say, when i contacted Aileen Campbell I did not expect as much media and press coverage as has happened, but, now that the story is now making national headlines, I feel I should spell out the reasons for why I think 16 & 17 year olds deserve the vote and why, by speaking out against it, Labour and the rest of the unionist rabble have exposed their true undemocratic side!

Firstly, in a future Independent Scotland, it will be the 16 and 17 year olds who will be living the longest in it and deserve to decide what kind of Scotland they wish to live in, whether that be independent or not. It will be the 16 & 17 year olds who, in the future, could be running the government of an independent Scotland, so shouldn't they deserve to say what kind of government they wish to be running! But all those things aside, the most important argument, I feel, is that we can be trusted to pay taxes, to get married, and even to join the army, then surely it is right that we should be trusted to make a choice about who we elect to make these decisions on how much tax we have to pay and which wars we get sent in to fight!

It is said that the majority of 16 and 17 year olds support Independence. This may or may not be true, but either way, does this not prove that we are able to make that choice if we are able to hold a view on such an important issue? Yes, it does! To say that we are not old or mature enough to make these decisions is just nonsense! It is undermining to the intelligence of all 16 and 17 year olds and should stop now!

Of course, the folk who make these outrageous accusations happen to come from the ranks of none other than the Labour party! I guess I was not surprised to hear them speak out against lowering the voting age, after all, their probably shaking in the boots like hell and just the very thought of giving us the vote! I wonder how many Labour MSP's would lose their majorities if we had the ability to vote them out? Or I wonder by how much the chances of a yes vote in the referendum would increase?

But what this has all exposed is how blatantly undemocratic the views of the Labour monkeys are! They are happy to take our money and send us to fight in wars nobody wanted, yet when its comes to us expressing our views through the power of the ballot paper, their answer is an absolute and resolute NO, NO, NO!!! How can they possibly claim to be the champion of the ordinary person and yet deny us the very freedom which so many fought and died to achieve? The Labour party, years ago, used to campaign for every man and women to have the vote, why won't it continue what its forefathers campaigned so hard for and continue the democratic process by allowing 16 and 17 years old to vote, like everyone else over the age of 18!

We do have views about Scottish independence and our countries place in the world and we deserve the right to express those views through the ballot!

I'M BACK!!!

Hi all, long time to see! My computer is now back in action after a summer of being broke! Loads of things happening over the summer which I have been unable to blog about - not least the release of the Lockerbie bomber!

But I am now back and will be giving my usual rants about the goings on of politics in Scotland and why Scotland should regain its Independence, not to mention the run up to next years general election (if were lucky enough to have one)!

Should be good!

Temporarily away

Hi all, I know it's been a while since I last posted a blog, but it's not because I haven't wanted to or couldn't be bothered but rather my laptop has broken down and I still won't have it back for at least a couple more weeks yet, hence the reason why I'm posting this from someone else's computer. The problem appears to be with the main circuit board, at least according to the guy who's fixing it, and a new part needs to be ordered which apparently can only be ordered from the US, so it will take some time. I will be back as soon as possible and posting my latest ranting about the latest of what's going on in Scottish politics.

Until then, see you all soon!

Labour on course for oblivion!

After doing campaigning and working at the polling places today, it is clear that Labour are on course for the most devastating election defeat of all time! Very few, if any, actually voted for Labour today and I now strongly believe that the SNP will win the 3 seats and will win the popular vote!

With James Purnell now turning on Brown and the public now so furious with Labour that no one will ever vote for them again, it is now so obvious what the solution is and it is this - GORDON BROWN MUST RESIGN NOW & CALL AN ELECTION!!

His time is up. Our reputation to the rest of the world is now being damaged and the longer Scotland remains in the union with London and their corrupt politicians, the worse Scotland's situation will be.

Election will prove to be beginning of the end for Brown

It now seems there are literally cabinet ministers resigning every hour! And indeed there are! This has, without a doubt, been Gordon Brown's worst day ever as Prime Minister! Now there is a letter going about the Labour backbenchers calling for Brown to go and is believed to have been signed by as much as 100 Labour MPs! If this is true, and it's looking increasingly like it is, then this is truly the beginning of the end for the PM!



Tomorrows Euro election will nail the final nail in the coffin for Brown! Why? Because Labour is going to lose big, and I mean BIG!!! The latest opinion poll for the Euro vote put the SNP a massive 19 points ahead of Labour! SNP are now above 40%, for both Europe and Westminster! So what about the seats. Scotland has six euro seats (one less than last time) and the result is based on Proportional Representation. My prediction is this:

• SNP - Wins 3 seats and wins popular vote


• Labour - Will hold on to 2 seats but do very badly in popular vote


• Conservatives - Wins 1 seat and better and improved showing in popular vote


• Lib Dems - Loses their sole seat and are squeezed in popular vote

This prediction is actually quite a good one for Labour as it is perfectly possible Labour will only win one seat! And what about after the election? Well, we won't know the full result of the vote until Sunday evening as it will take days to count all the votes, but here is how things will likely appear to happen - An email is due to be sent on Friday around the Labour backbenchers calling on Brown to resign. Brown will resist this at first, but pressure will really intensify. On Monday, the Euro result will pile even more pressure on Brown. On Tuesday, I think we will begin to wonder if cabinet ministers are now willing to serve under Brown and I have a feeling that rumours of discontent among the cabinet will emerge. Wednesday will be a big day at Westminster as a vote is due to take place on whether there should be an immediate general election. The motion is being tabled by the SNP and Plaid Cymru and has the backing of the Tories and the Lib Dems and possibly several Labour MPs! It will probably not pass, but the vote will be very close so it will be seen as a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister!

My guess is that Brown now only has about two weeks left as PM! The public are outstandingly angry, the government's own backbenchers are angry and a Tory government now looks certain after the next election! The SNP looks set to win its targeted 2o seats at Westminster, possibly even making it a bigger party than the Lib Dems! Surely things cannot get any worse for Gordon Brown? But they can, and they will! We are looking at a dead PM walking! Not since Margaret Thatcher have we seen anything like this! The people of this country do not deserve a PM who has lost control and authority and a PM who, some, people feel sorry for! A strong Prime Minster is needed! But what this whole thing has revealed is that Westminster has no authority or control over Scotland and Independence is needed more than ever before! The case for independence makes sense. The only way Scotland can get away from all the London sleaze and corruption is by having an independent Scottish Parliament!

Voters tomorrow have a chance to vote for change, let's hope they do that by voting SNP! I'll have all the latest about the election tomorrow and the feeling from the polling places as well! So to everyone out there, good luck crushing Labour tomorrow!

IT'S ON!

Michael Martin has confirmed that he will indeed stand down as an MP. Not that this news is of any surprise, we all knew that he was going to do it, but now he has confirmed it, which now effectively means that the by-election is now 'officially' on!

He will step down as the MP on the same day as he resigns as Speaker - 21st June. This will give too options for Labour: Hold a quick, election in August OR slug it out and wait until September!

This is going to be a very interesting summer!

Labour chief whip spills the beans on early election!

Apparently it's been revealed that the Labour chief whip has stated that the new speaker will "only be in the position for a few weeks before the election is called"! So does this mean that we are now looking at an early autumn election then? Of course, he could have been referring to the Glasgow North East by-election, but who knows, he may well be talking about a general election!

Talking about the by-election, latest info about the likely candidates. SNP candidate looks likely to be Councillor Grant Thoms, which would make sense seeing as he represents a wide area of the constituency in the council. Labour candidate looks likely not to be Paul Martin (Michael's son) so looks as if it's going to be Willie Bain, Michael Martins election agent.

Whoever the candidates are and no matter how good it looks for the SNP, I'm not taking anything for granted! At the moment, I think the SNP is probably ahead, but we won't know for sure until the campaign is properly underway and the voting actually takes place. The state of Labour, both locally and nationally, being in such a dire state certainly helps us, as does the fact that a lot of the Labour council school closures are in the area!

Labour sources have admitted that they don't believe they will win this one, but they said that before Glenrothes! Saying that, however, the situation has changed dramatically since Glenrothes and things are more favourable towards the SNP this time!

SPEAKER WILL RESIGN ON 21st JUNE

Latest update: Michael Martin will resign on the 21st June and a new speaker will be elected on the 22nd June.

Talk of an interim speaker to serve until the next general election is being made. Possibilities for a replacement are Ann Widecombe (Conservative) and Vince Cable (Liberal Democrats).

It was a bit of an anti-climax to what has been one of the most historic days in politics and democracy! His speech was billed to be one of the great events, but instead it was all over in about 35 seconds!

His resignation will be at the start of the summer holidays which will mean that the Glasgow North East by-election will be held during the summer months.

BREAKING NEWS: LABOUR PARTY CONSTITUENCY OFFICE TOLD TO PREPARE FOR BY-ELECTION!

Latest update: The Labour party constituency office in Glasgow North East has been told to prepare for a by-election during the summer months!

This effectively confirms that there will be a by-election during the summer in Glasgow North East!

He was a decent man but it is about time Michael Martin stood down and allow someone new to take over. Now it will be up to the people of Glasgow North East to have their say what they think of this out of date and out of touch Labour government! It will be a very interesting summer!

BREAKING NEWS: SPEAKER TO RESIGN!

Just hearing that that the Speaker Maichael Martin is now going to resign this afternoon!

Sky News says that he will make a statement toParliament this afternoon where he will announce that is is to stand down!

Still not heard if wether he will stand down as an MP as well, but will report back with further information and comment later!