In 1940 Winston Churchill deposed Neville Chamberlain.
Who will depose Boris Johnson as Parliament returns today
I certainly hope none of any of the present Cabinet.
But Depose THERE MUST BE: A name Please and Now.
I accept it has to be a Tory
April 21, 2020
April 13, 2020
Government throws away opportunity to get PPE for Nurse and Doctors
Yet again the Tory obstinacy to joining with the EU procurement of PPE is costing Doctors and Nurses lives in the NHS.
No doubt Johnson’s own nurses were fully kitted out.
December 28, 2019
The Observer View
A short summary of the year ahead by the Observer.
It would be nice to follow Antony Newley’s ‘Stop the World I want to get off’
But that’s not in our gift.
We all have to do what we can to work towards a more democratic and tolerant world.
December 25, 2019
The Trail of Charles 1
A three-part series on BBC 4 on the Trial of Charles 1.
The Trial comes to a climax on the decision as to whether Charles 1 raised an army and a bloody civil war against the people of the UK (well mainly England) and against his oath on his Coronation to protect the people.
He is found guilty, as we know, by what were in effect a chosen selection of the Proletarians. Charles 1 had ignored the will of Parliament and had ultimately gone to War to prove that he was King by Divine Right and was therefore omnipotent.
Charles was ultimately defeated by Cromwell and Fairfax, captured and had to be put on trial – the series makes no attempt to show that the trial was a show trial; rather it makes the case that the King is Not Above the Law and as such it set the precedent for the numerous examples across the World since. We shall see whether, as claimed by the lawyers interviewed, the Trail affected UK Parliamentary Democracy ever since. A bold claim and one that looks dubious in the light of the recent UK Election where the Executive has assumed the mantle of the Devine Right of Kings .
As at 25th December the Series is still available on BBC4
December 22, 2019
An Independent Scotland or 10 years under the Control of Boris Johnson
Two articles in today’s Scotsman on Sunday (22/12/2019) by Euan McColm and Dani Garavelli
McColm berates Nicola Sturgeon on yet again pressing for a 2nd Independence vote. McColm makes the point that the votes of SNP together with the Greens in last week’s general election didn’t make the 50% mark ie taken together they wouldn’t win the vote for Scottish Independence. In any case he stresses the point that even with the matters derogated to Scotland the SNP has made a mess of them eg Education and the NHS
Read Euan McColm here:
Dani Garavelli comes from another direction. We have Johnson for 5 years at at least and probably 10 years. During that time, he is likely to move the UK drastically to the Right. Already he has gone back on allowing child refugees entry into the UK to meet up with their parents. He is also considering making appointments to the judiciary on a political basis (as in the US). And Heaven knows what will happen to working conditions.
Read Dani Garavelli here:
Comment
In my view McColm is correct in that the SNP Government has not made a good job of the opportunities afforded to it over the last 10 years. But his article dwells on the SNP continually pressing for a 2nd referendum which is unlikely to succeed and, in the meantime, the SNP failing to tackle the outstanding Scottish problems; rather than the devastation that a Johnson Government could make to the UK Social Fabric as a whole. Surely it is better for Scotland to go its own way, free from the Social destruction under Johnson. As the expression goes, Scotland ‘to take back control’.
Johnson’s Vacuity
Ken Clarke on Johnson’s Vacuity
Clarke said Johnson’s policy vagueness was particularly acute on Brexit: “I could never get out of Boris – and nobody so far could get out of Boris – what he has in mind for the eventual deal. To say they’re generalities is an understatement
Remember: Roger McGough
I wanna be the Prime Minister
I wanna be the Prime Minister
Can I be the Prime Minister?
Can I? I can?
Promise? Promise?
Yippee I’m the Prime Minister
I’m the Prime Minister
OK what shall we do?
November 17, 2019
Looking for a Democratic Leader
The Leader in today’s Scotsman
“On the Remain side of the argument, the likes of Labour’s Keir Starmer, Anna Soubry, the ex-Tory who now leads The Independent Group for Change, and Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, who had the Conservative whip removed and is now an independent, have stepped up to the plate.
But Starmer has to cope with his boss’s obfuscation on Brexit, Soubry’s profile has slipped since she quit Johnson’s party and a single independent will always struggle on the national stage.
However, when Grieve says Johnson is an “extremely troubling” individual and that he has “never experienced a politician in modern British history who is so elastic with truth”, there are lots of Conservatives who will take that seriously and be worried.”
Happy to go with Starmer, Soubry or Grieve. OK, these are all Remainers.
But there is no one on the Leave side that inspires anyway.
November 16, 2019
Scotland declaring UDI
I refer to my recent blog
https://derryvickers.com/2019/11/15/1461/
and I wonder, should Scotland declare UDI, whether the UK government would charge the SNP ringleaders with Sedition and issue long prison sentences on each?
November 6, 2019
October 27, 2019
Unthink the Britishness
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/
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