Mike Vickers' Blog

October 27, 2019

Unthink the Britishness

Filed under: Brexit, Lesley Riddoch, Radical Independence Campaign Scotland, Scotland, Scottish Independence, Westminster — derryvickers @ 5:50 pm

Radical Independence Campaign Scotland [RICS] Event in Glasgow: 26/10/19 – a few comments
‘Unthink the Britishness’

From today’s Guardian

“I came to fusion because I passionately believe that it is needed – that it can change the world,” says Chapman. “I’m convinced that not only is fusion important: it’s going to happen.” We’re not on the verge, but it’s just about in sight.”

It could equally have been

“I came to Scottish Independence because I passionately believe that it is needed – that it can change the world,” says Lesley Riddoch. “I’m convinced that not only is Independence important: it’s going to happen.” We’re not on the verge, but it’s just about in sight.”

Is Independence an attitude of mind?

Getting the Referendum through, looks to be target of a lot of the people at the meeting yesterday.

It’s a little like the Leader poem by Roger McGough.  To ‘Wanna be Independent – I am Independent – What shall we do now’.

OK I stretch the point

Yesterday was a good event

Even though the hearing loop was not on – I continually hammer this with the organisers of the event I attend, and they all apologise and promise to better, I heard quite a lot.

I am now used to Aamer Anwar having been to his Jimmy Reid lecture and read his address on becoming Rector of Glasgow University, but his speech is still good with Hope at the end

Lesley Riddoch was good in the final wind up session even though we got a touch of the Nordics.

And I did like ‘Unthink the Britishness’

Get rid of the feudal society once and for all.  I could add: Eradicate David 1 who I am studying at a course given by Edinburgh University.

But it is not that easy.

“Unthink the Britishness”; but its more than that – its unthink Western Europeanism.  You will reply that Norway has successed and I hope they keep to it.  But Sweden is backsliding, and Denmark?

Are we fighting ‘Human Nature’?  John Gray take a very pessimistic view.  Dawkins- The Selfish Gene.  I much prefer the late Stephen Jay Gould.

But to closer at home; I note that for all the good intents of the SNP Government to move Scotland towards the constitution of the RICS it is failing, and this is NOT wholly Westminster’s fault.  It is more that the SNP are at best hitting their heads against Democracy and all its legal trappings as we know them.

It is unclear to me that Full Independence will resolve all the history of European Civilisation and reach the promised land of the RICS Constitution.  It’s the people who love to be in power; ‘power corrupts’.

As a small aside it could be that the small comings together of the townships such as Eigg and Knoydart are the nucleus of a new human society.  Gould put forward the concept of Punctuated Equilibrium that change takes place in small groups away from the centre but once these small groups become strong enough, they move back and take over the centre.

In my experience the small townships are as much populated from across the UK as a whole, as from just Scotland.

BTW Cat Boyd was one of last persons proselyting the original RICS Constitution.
Realism and Passion are uncomfortable bedfellows.

Find the RICS Constitution at:
http://radical.scot/about-ric/ric-constitution/

 

October 25, 2019

Immigration

Filed under: Immigration, Mary Dejevsky, Politics — derryvickers @ 8:52 am
Mary Dejevsky

A View on Immigration

 

 

 

 

 

 

A seminal clip

What role does the UK have in taking in immigrants?

Mary Dejevsky argues there is a limit. Any country has a right to decide, up to a point.

I remember at a Nordic Horizons, the Swedish official responsible for handling immigrant refugees from the Middle East said that Sweden takes a limited number of immigrants from Africa but it is limited, and at some point he has to say ‘enough is enough’ and he recalled the heart-breaking task if saying No to a desperate mother and child who if accepted would exceed his Government’s quota.

I dislike Priti Patel ‘of the smirking face’ and I certainly do not like the implications of stopping the free movement to and from the EU to the UK, but I do recognise that controls and documentation are necessary if only to know who resides in the country.
And providing an effective system which was honoured fully would remove cash arising from the smuggling in backs of refrigerated lorries.
And should eliminate the need for forces repatriation.
I would not be against an Identity Card scheme, but this would have to be universal and applied to All including UK existing residents.

But a blanket points system is abhorrent; for instance, it should be bypassed where unaccompanied children are involved who should be given automatic right of entry.

 

 

October 21, 2019

Italia Viva

Filed under: Anna Soubry, Italy, Politics — derryvickers @ 9:27 pm

Renzi launches Italia Viva

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsUZy80B1WE

Perhaps the Independent Group for Change needed to start this way

October 18, 2019

Johnson in a Rush – To minimise the Opportunity for MPs to read the Small Print

Filed under: Bankruptcy, Brexit, Europe, Jeremy Corbyn, Johnson, Northern Ireland, Scottish Independence, UK Parliament, Westminster — derryvickers @ 2:52 pm

From Today’s Financial Times

The deal that Boris Johnson signed with the EU yesterday has immense economic and constitutional implications for the UK.

In any normally functioning democracy, a treaty of this magnitude would be subject to extensive parliamentary scrutiny — if not a confirmatory vote by the British public.

The reality is that neither of these things is happening, or indeed likely to happen. MPs are being given little time to scrutinise the text before being asked to hold a landmark Commons vote tomorrow.

As for the confirmatory referendum, there will be numerous attempts by MPs to secure one in the days ahead if the Johnson deal is passed. But MPs on all sides are now so fatigued by Brexit that their efforts are unlikely to end in success.

The absurdity of the situation is not difficult to see. As Martin Wolf argues in the FT, the Johnson deal damages the UK economy. As he writes: “It is going to make the country substantially poorer than it would otherwise be. It is going to reduce the resources available to any future government to deliver on domestic policy promises.”

The constitutional implications are possibly worse. The Johnson deal means Northern Ireland will be in a completely different trading relationship from the rest of the UK. This will inevitably fan the flames of militant unionism for the first time since the Good Friday Agreement.

Note, for example, this story that the Democratic Unionist party met loyalist paramilitaries — including the Ulster Volunteer Force — to discuss the implications of a mooted Brexit deal this week. This is troubling.

Meanwhile, Scotland, which voted Remain, will want the same preferential trading terms with the EU as Northern Ireland. Instead, the Scots are being subjected to the hard Brexit that Mr Johnson is imposing on the whole of Great Britain. 

As the commentator Ian Dunt writes: “It is as if Westminster were trying to write the SNP’s independence campaign for it.”

One other aspect of this deal should not be ignored. Many MPs will vote for the Johnson package tomorrow because they think they are avoiding no deal.

But this simply isn’t the case. Under this treaty, the UK will enter a standstill transition period until December 2020. If there is no fully-fledged trade deal agreed with the EU by then, the UK will crash out anyway.

In other words, if the Johnson deal passes tomorrow, Britain will spend the first half of 2020 having the same argument it has had for the past three years. Do we accept the tough trade terms the EU wants to inflict on us? Do we ask for an extension? Or do we crash out?

MPs campaigning for a confirmatory referendum will not give up hope. If Mr Johnson succeeds tomorrow, they will try to pass an amendment demanding one in the time left before the UK’s departure on October 31.

But the numbers probably aren’t there because MPs and the British public believe that passage of the Johnson deal will mark the crossing of a Rubicon. They want the UK to move on to other things.

Of all the illusions about Brexit, this is probably the greatest of all.

 

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot

Filed under: Brexit, Europe, Johnson, Northern Ireland, Scottish Independence, UK Parliament — derryvickers @ 11:22 am

Tim Farron – Belfast Telegraph

“Those factors added together mean that the border in the Irish Sea would be absolutely permanent – that, in my opinion, is a racing certainty.”

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/farron-fears-latest-accord-will-rip-the-uk-apart-and-lead-to-a-united-ireland-38606378.html.

Johnson chose the wrong  date for leaving the EU:  He should have chosen the 5th of November not the 31st October

October 14, 2019

Johnson Double Talk:

Filed under: Brexit, Europe, Immigration, Johnson — derryvickers @ 9:47 pm

The Queen’s Speech

My Government remains committed to ensuring that

resident European citizens, who have built their lives in, and contributed so much to,

the United Kingdom, have the right to remain. The bill will include measures that

reinforce this commitment.”

 

But the caveat:

 

‘Confirming our commitment to the EU Settlement Scheme and giving EU

citizens and their family members who apply a right of appeal against

decisions under the Scheme.’

October 6, 2019

WB Yeats

Filed under: Ireland, Yeats — derryvickers @ 9:10 pm

If you are passionate about Yeats like me:

Then watch Bob Geldof while he is still on BBC4 Iplayer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b076qphj/bob-geldof-on-wb-yeats-a-fanatic-heart

Broadcast last Wednesday 2 October 2019.  Only a few days left.

But he will be back again in around 6 months.

BTW have you seen the paintings by Yeats’s brother Jack?

And a great review by the Spectator at
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2016/04/bbc4s-bob-geldof-on-wb-yeats-was-one-of-the-best-literary-documentaries-ive-seen/

October 3, 2019

Theresa May less than convinced by Johnson

Filed under: Brexit, Johnson, Theresa May, UK Parliament — derryvickers @ 9:19 pm
On hearing Johnson in full Flight

The Waugh Zone:  On hearing Johnson in full flight

 

 

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