The latest instalment in Phantom Power’s fantastic Journey to Yes series. Clive Ponting is the original British whistleblower. Long before Assange and Snowden, Ponting leaked details of a cover-up that shook the British political establishment. Working as a senior civil servant at the heart of power, Clive Ponting grew increasingly disgusted by what he saw. The Belgrano affair was the final straw and Ponting’s leaking of documents to MPs sparked a scandal that would lead to his arrest, trial and eventual aquittal. Clive went on to pen books on the affair, an insider’s view of Whitehall and is the acclaimed author of works on the green history of the world and deconstructing the myth of Churchill.
In a live event and interview Clive reflects on his time at Whitehall and offers an insight into the murky and often chaotic world of British state which he sees as essentially corrupt. Clive has had a long standing admiration for Scotland and its values since his youth and moved from France to Kelso in 2016. Clive considers independence as the obvious choice for Scots as well as a way to escape the amoral British system. Brexit is both an opportunity and a danger for Scotland as Westminster may well use emergency measures to centralise power and dissolve the Scottish Parliament. The battle for independence may get nasty but it can and must be won.
Wee Ginger Dug 
Welcome aboard Clive! One of the most startling Yes conversions I have ever witnessed, but very very welcome. His honesty in warning of the difficult times ahead should be a wake up call to us all.
Excellent, from a man who knows the score.
So glad to see so many silver separatists in the audience, as witnessed at the Edinburgh march too. These are historic times, hope we can find the self belief, at long last
Westminster will undoubtedly enforce ’emergency powers’ immediately after the Brexit date of the 29th March 2019 and that means that the Scottish Government will be dissolved forthwith. Scotland if it wishes to remain as a country with any possibility of self-governing itself, must act immediately to ensure that outcome. Procrastination is not the name of the game and is in effect the ‘thief of time’.
[…] Wee Ginger Dug Journey to Yes #22 : Clive Ponting The latest instalment in Phantom Power’s fantastic Journey to Yes series. Clive […]
Excellent. Thanks.
The SNP should broadcast this in full as a party political broadcast, with the agreement of Clive Ponting, of course. Searing in its simplicity and credibility of the person delivering it.
If that doesn’t leave a lasting impression, nothing will. A powerful piece by Phantom Power and Mr Ponting.
That’s a whole QED and who knew moment, wrapped in a big bow of ‘ah bliddy telt ye’.
From the horse’s mouth, Sam.
If we are mug enough to ‘wait and see’ from 30th March 2019, The Brit Nats will impose martial law by creating artificial crises like food and medicine shortages, and in Northern Ireland energy blackouts.
Well done, Mr Ponting.
Thatcher shot 300 mariners in the back as the Belgrano steamed away from the conflict.
This man exposed the lies and paid dearly for it.
Proud to welcome him as a fellow Scot.
@Jack collatin
Wow…what a video. So good to see another voice who is concerned about the frightening potential of the Brexit powers.
I know you have been sounding this warning for ages, as has Peter Bell. However, I dispare at how calm most people are…its almost as if they are resigned to it…or putting their fingers in their ears while singing “La..La..LA”.
Tol, this brave man risked spending the rest of his life in prison during Thatcher’s totalitarian grip on the UK, to get the truth out there.
The jury in its wisdom found that his actions were in the public interest.
Thatcher changed the law to read that the sitting government’s strategy, policy, and actions constituted ‘the public interest’.
Blair took us to war, ‘in the public interest’?
I am an elder statesman on this forum.
I often challenge myself; how far am I prepared to go, how much would I sacrifice to free Scotland from this corrupt Union with England?
Would I risk life in prison?
Would I ‘lay down my life’ for my country, so that future generations of Scots to follow could live and prosper in their own internationally recognised and respected nation, and not ‘vassals’ imprisoned in a militarily occupied colony of our larger neighbour to the South?
In the warmish comfort of my dining room, this cold November morning, with no immediate threat to my or my family’s well being or safety, I can be a fiery Old Ageheart.
But if push came to shove, would I revolt, and turn to armed rebellion?
Discuss.
And a cursory glance at the online versions of three Lowland Dead Tree Scrolls demonstrates how coordinated the Brit Nat Fourth Estate Fifth Column Project Scotland Shite We Control You is.
Alex Salmond is being hunted down by the News Pigs yet again, now a ‘probe’ at Edinburgh airport which the Hootsman, Herald Britland and the Daily Police gazette feature as their independently arrived at ‘headline’, and Gordon Brown (it must be a ‘masonic’ thing,surely) is resurrected as The Saviour Of Scotland, sorry North Britain, in all three rags.
We are on to you, guys.
Woe betide any of you caught with your metaphoric or literal pants down.
Salem witch hunts will come back and bite you on the arse.
You no longer hold or wield the power you once had.
Just saying.
If only the English where more like him then things wouldn’t be half as bad unlike him most in England are still hanging on to the days of empire like its there best days ever yet if the southerners really studied there empire days probably there minds would be blown as records show they where no different than terrorists that’s a history that should sicken them not be glorified like it is.
Robert, many millions of ‘the English’ are like Ponting.
The Hoi Polloi in England are as much under the Iron Heel of the Brit Establishment Oligarchy as we.
However they are conditioned from birth to believe that England (not ‘Britain’, not the ‘UK’, but ‘England’) is unique among the nations of the world, the gold standard in Fair Play, Parliamentary Democracy, Justice, and Basic Human Decency; hence the accusation of blind faith exceptionalism which we regularly level at them as a nation. and in political terms, at all three main ‘English’ WM parties and their pet poodles Up Here.
The evidence to the contrary far outweighs this commonly held belief that Life is a Game of Cricket on an English village green on a hot July Sunday afternoon.
The Brit Empire was and still is, an abomination, a merciless rampage throughout the world, looting, raping, pillaging, and slaughtering the innocents.
They know the history Down There: they choose to ignore it.
‘Rule Britannia’ was belted out at the Cenotaph on Sunday, tot he delight of the poppy bedecked Great and Good.
‘The British People’ decided to leave the EU is churned out time and again on the TV outlets and in the columns of the Dead Tree Scrolls.
No they didn’t. 17.1 million Brits did, the rest of us didn’t.
Yet we are being forced to live behind barbed wire from next april by English Overlords, under eternal House Arrest by our colonial masters, their authority reinforced in the military stockades billeted Up Here, and administered by the Unionist Puppets in charge of all aspects of Scottish Civic Cultural and Economic Life, from Banks to Universities, MSM, to Hospital Boards.
Like a pernicious cancer the Brit Nat influence permeates every organ of Scottish Society. Come Independence, we may require major surgery to ‘take back control’ from the insurgents.
I have many friends, ex colleagues, and family who live Down There.
They feel as frustrated and helpless as many Up Here.
No more Mr and Mrs Nice Guy.
Our first target is the Red Blue and Yellow Tories Up Here lolling about on the benches at Holyrood.
They have blood on their hands.
They backed starving the poor.
Every man (union) jack one of them.
On the British empire the English don’t know the truth of the British empire they don’t even know the number of territory they conquered as thacther had bad bits of English history removed fromy the education system when she was prime minster your a lier there as I was educated in England during the 90s and not once did the British empire ever come up in history class down I didn’t know how bad the British empire was untill I went into a library and read books on it myself I felt sick reading it.
‘Zulu’, ‘Zulu Dawn’, ‘A Passage to India’, ‘The Four Feathers’, ‘Ghandi’, the works of Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham, George Orwell, and so on.
I’d venture that was plenty of information on the empire outwith the history classes, Robert.
You had heard about the Black Hole of Calcutta?
As a child I was told that the incident named “The Black Hole of Calcutta” did not take place. Simply a story concocted by the British so that they could crush the native people with impunity.
Strangely we are England’s best hope.
The example of an outward looking and positive Scotland is something that scares the establishment.
It undermines the ‘we can’t afford it, there is no alternative’ narrative.
They fear that hope might be contagious.
Indeed, Douglas.
Hope springs eternal.
No discussion by me. No arming of citizens required. You cannot change hearts and minds with a gun.
Yet England never let one of their conquests go without bloodshed and London engineered division, Heartsupwards.
Ireland, India, Cyprus, Palestine, and on and on and on.
I dislike ‘discussing’ any issue with a nom de plume, incidentally.
No more Mr and Mrs Nice Guy.
There is a fictional book by Mike Herd about such a scary scenario. Only make believe but thought provoking
Good to hear, from an inside source, what we are all intuitively feeling and thinking the tories are going to try and enforce upon Scotland.
Says it all they are not to be trusted at all down there britnats won’t like this they probably call this fake news like always as anything painting there England overlords as bad is instantly fake in there eyes.
Ceud mìle fàilte
Not having been aware of any English Regiment being stationed in Scotland at any time that I could remember I was suspicious when it was announced prior to Indy1 ( I can’t remember the date) that The Rifles were to be stationed at Edinburgh’s Redford Barracks.
I wonder why and are they still stationed there?.
Faslane, gus.
Other than Faslane – I’m talking about army units.
13000 submariners and marines based at the beefed up Faslane seems a big enough ‘expeditionary force’ to me, gus.
They have quite literally stationed their gunboats permanently in the Clyde.
I know nothing of army units, or RAF deployment for that matter.
Others into this sort of Military Might facts may enlighten us.
If you want to watch the Law of Diminishing returns in action, tune in to Joanna Cherry eviscerating Lucy Frazer Tory Leftover at the Despatch Box today .(Lunchtime, WM)
A Scottish barrister versus a Blue Tory Placemat on constitutional law.
This bumbling Blue Tory woman is at the heart of May’s Government now that Davis, and Johnson, and Gove have run for the bushes.
Like Dominic Raab who announced the other day that he didn’t realise how vital the Dover Calais route was for trade between the EU and the UK, yes, THAT Dominic, who is now Chief Brexit negotiator, Lucy Frazer’s hilarious speech warmly recalling Cromwell’s crushing of the Scots at Dunbar and mass deportations as the best way to deal with the Sweaties, is now on the Front Bench, floundering and obviously ‘way out of her depth, which would normally the kids’ paddling pool at the shallow end. Raab and Frazer: The Tory Young Team?
We are indeed at the End Days, Big T.
It is just about to come crashing down about your ears.
Well done, Cherry the Blue Tory Slayer!
Aye Jack Collatin, and said person Lucy Frazer is just the suitable Tory fodder to agree marshall law.As soon as the Brexit terms are known – we’re out of the UK, is the imperative.
Deal or no deal, we’re already fully aware Brexit is an economic and constitutional catastrophe. At least one faction within UK gov are aware of this too. The other one really doesn’t give a shit about the fallout for the population so long as they achieve their aim of the Singapore of the north. Both are looking for the main constitutional and political advantage. Both are looking for scapegoats to slide economic calamity upon.
Now more than ever, I’d say cool heads are required. Measured responses from our government and measured responses from their support. Panic and frustrated rage will not help anyone.
The public gave them a popular vote and a job of work to do. Let them do it. This was never going to be easy and it was always going to come down to the last breathe of legal and constitutional process.
And yeah, you’d be insane not to be on your last nerve. That’s being human for you.
‘Til we can see the whites of their eyes, Sam.
It’s all going much as we anticipated 28 months ago.
The Brit Nats are the best recruiting sergeants to Yes.
Regarding recruiting new Yes voters I have found the leveĺ of ignorance in much of our population scary. To convert many it is going to take longer than a six month Indy campaign.
Andy, I think you’ll find that all hell is about to break loose Down There, as early as this afternoon.
The Campaign will not be six months, but will overarch Engwaland leaving the EU in March 2019.
Polling Day in June 2019? Scotland ‘Out’ and immediately back into the EU should be the aim.
Derek McKay’s Michelin Task Force should posit the Tyre Maker staying on Tayside when Scotland replaces EngWaland as EU 28.
I’m positive Brexit influenced the French giant’s decision to close in Dundee.
Mmmmm, I’d hang fire on the need for long campaigns Andy. 🙂
Spidey sense is tingling.
Not at all, Andy. If the Highlands are anything to go by, we’re well over 50% already.
Fantastic to see Clive Pontin’s contribution. A really brave man and someone whose advice is well worth following.
Don’t know if anyone remembers the Channel4 series a few years’ back called ‘ Indian Summers ‘? It was very good at encapsulating the colonial attitudes prevalent in the Raj which seemed resonant to me of attitudes I have encountered in Scotland, although not ostensibly a colony.
You had the jumped-up wannabes from Blighty who relished being able to lord it over the natives, the colonial servants who identified more with their masters than their own people, as well as those from the Indian population who revered British institutions. Oh, and not forgetting the Eton educated rajah/sultan who spoke with impeccably cultured English and talked of cricket with the British nabobs, who was suffered at last to enter the hallowed precincts of the local colonial club while ordinary Indians could only enter as servants. Didn’t bother him in the least that his fellow countrymen were firmly kept out.
The British colonial types were as insufferable as you might expect with their class and race prejudices but one of the few decent characters was a Scot, recently arrived from the home country and initially out of his depth, who came to side with the Indians and to despise his fellow colonials. I don’t know if the fact that he was Scottish was meant to be significant because it was never overtly mentioned but I did wonder because of the many points of relevance.
I agree with Andy Anderson, by the way, about the appalling apathy and lack of knowledge out there and also feel that there is a long way to go in convincing enough people – and we are fast running out of time with events perhaps overwhelming us.