None of the Above, All of Us Below The results of Scotland’s latest election are in and no-one got what they wanted. Same as last time. And the time before that. Scotland’s local elections have yet again been used as a consumer poll on our nation’s continued occupation and exploitation by England’s Conservative establishment… Read More »None of the Above, All of Us Below
The Compass and the Pit Most people know what a compass is for and could find north. Fewer are those who know how to navigate using a compass. Fewer still can confidently find their way when reference points are obscured. Elections are supposed to return those individuals to public office who we believe… Read More »The Compass and the Pit
Sail Away It does not cost £200m to build a ferry but then the government minister who is reported to have said, “I didn’t say, ‘don’t go-ahead’…” has clearly never negotiated a commercial contract before entering politics. Incidentally, it makes no more sense to tell a stranger that you’ve only got a couple of… Read More »Sail Away
The Declaration of Arbroath is 702 years old. This is one of the main documents asserting Scotland’s rights as a nation. Great. Now, let me ask you another question. Who cares what a bunch of long dead landowners decided seven centuries ago? Offended? Good. Now read that historical document again and imagine it had… Read More »A New Declaration
The invasion of Ukraine was not a surprise if you live in eastern Europe, nor was it a surprise if you’d studied the history of these nations. In the UK especially but perhaps also in other western European nations, we’re used to thinking of Europe’s history beginning and being focused on Paris, Rome, and London… Read More »Fundamentals of Geopolitics
We are all anti-war. No-one enjoys burying those we love or worse, knowing that beloved sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, will never return from foreign fields. Unfortunately, we do not live in a world that respects our wishes and preferences, our hopes and our dreams. The people of Russia are as much victims… Read More »Statement on Invasion of Ukraine
The story of how a photo came to be taken of a Hawker Hurricane Mk1 being readied for combat in the midst of winter, while bearing the sigil of what appears to be a swastika can tell us much about the recent history of Russia’s neighbours. We can nowadays easily do searches online to read… Read More »The Heart of Old Europe – The Ukrainian Crisis
Language is power. It’s not a new concept. Historically, it’s why illegal and occupying powers have tended to ban the speaking of native languages, whether, among the indigenous peoples of Africa, the Americas, or Asia, thegovernment of the day in London has good form on this practice. It’s so successful in fact that most… Read More »Language in a world of rebellion
During the week, I noticed another rash of pro-independence supporters worrying that by cheering Shell announcing they would not be continuing their support for the development of the Cambo oil field, we may be undermining the case for independence. “Will no-one think of the jobs?” or words to that effect. It also felt as… Read More »Cloudbursting or, why Cambo should not go ahead
“The polls undoubtedly help to decide what people think, but their most important long-term influence may be on how people think. The interrogative process is very distinctly weighted against the asking of an intelligent question or the recording of a thoughtful answer.” ― Christopher Hitchens, Voting in the Passive Voice (1992) If the recent… Read More »Left Hand, Right Hand, Rinse, Repeat
