On Wednesday Dominic Cummings, the former senior advisor to the non-performance artiste whose stage name is Boris Johnson and one time motoring auto-optician, gave evidence to MPs sitting on the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee about the British government’s (mis)handling of the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic last year. He painted a picture of a chaotic and dysfunctional government which was not only utterly unprepared for the gravity and magnitude of the situation, but which was headed by a deeply unserious Prime Minister who refused to accept that the virus represented a grave threat and that the lives of thousands were at risk. Worse than that, he described a Prime Minister who enjoyed and thrived on the chaos he created, because that chaos meant that his own power and importance could not be threatened. Johnson not only refused to accept that the pandemic was a serious threat, but according to Cummings even wanted to get injected with the virus on live TV to show that it wasn’t such a big deal.
Cummings made the worst allegation that it’s possible to make about a government, claiming that due to the incompetence, negligence and inaction of Boris Johnson and other senior cabinet members, tens of thousands of people died who might otherwise still be alive. The primary duty of any government is to keep people safe, Dominic Cummings, who was at the centre of British government decision making during a crucial period of the pandemic, tells us that it failed to do so. He said that Johnson is unfit for office, which is possibly the most obvious observation since the Judaean child protection service noted that King Herod might not have had the interests of the first born at heart. It does however beg the question of how the self-proclaimed “super- predictor” Dominic Cummings wasn’t able to predict what a disaster Johnson was going to be when he was plotting to get him into Number 10.
Of course Dominic Cummings shares with Boris Johnson and that Michael Gove who was mysteriously absent from Cummings’ account of governmental dysfunction the title of least trustworthy man in British politics, but nevertheless what he said rang true. It is not at all difficult to believe that Johnson behaved in a manner that was all bravado and show but which lacked any understanding or care for the wider consequences on the public because that is exactly how Cummings and Johnson tackled Brexit as well. It’s how this Conservative administration has behaved at every turn.
Cummings tried to call out Nicola Sturgeon for giving public briefings after Cobra meetings like that was a bad thing. Meanwhile, the Tories at Westminster were selectively briefing papers to their friends in the right wing press with the result that vital public health information was left behind paywalls.
Cummings was very careful not to throw any mud at his pal Michael Gove, in fact from his evidence you’d almost believe that one of the most powerful and influential figures in the Conservative government was actually working as a county councillor in one of the more remote regions of Mongolia during the entire period of time in question. You’d almost imagine that Dominic wasn’t so much interested in getting to the truth but in score settling and making sure that he didn’t damage his mate Mikey’s chances of sliding into the top seat one day, an eventuality which would be very convenient for Dominic’s career prospects.
It was health secretary Matt Hancock who received the full blast of his ire. Matt Hancock always gives the air of a man who would be over-promoted as the deputy manager of a Little Chef off the A1 somewhere near Barnard Castle where he had served Dominic a burnt and greasy all-English breakfast. Cummings accused Hancock of repeatedly lying and said that he should have been sacked on numerous occasions. His fury about Hancock was so intense that you almost expected the committee to ask Cummings to show them on the dolly where Hancock had hurt him. That fury was as intense as any mention of Michael Gove was absent.
In the Commons today Matt Hancock faced questions from opposition MPs about the devastating allegations made against him the previous day. He didn’t just fail to answer the question, he simply refused to acknowledge that the question had even been asked.
The UK is a state whose parliamentary arrangements allow an urgent question from the opposition about serious allegations about the behaviour of a secretary of state, which the secretary of state can simply fail to recognise, let alone address, never mind answer. Hancock’s performance was the perfect illustration of how the British government cannot be held to account. Hancock, Johnson, Gove and Cummings all know that too, which is why they could behave the way that they did. Conservative MPs, whose contempt and hatred for Dominic Cummings is equal only to his contempt and hatred for them, were perfectly happy for Hancock to pretend there were no questions to answer.
Today Johnson also brushed off the accusations Cummings had made, and like his minion Hancock refused to respond to any of the details of the allegations.
The UK has no functioning mechanisms which enable those in power to be effectively held to account. It has a partisan and heavily right wing media which won’t ask the obvious questions. According to Cummings,just ten days before England finally went into lockdown far too late to prevent many thousands of deaths, a senior government official waltzed into No 10 to declare: “I think we are absolutely f****d. I think this country is heading for a disaster, I think we’re going to kill thousands of people.”
If the UK was a properly functioning democracy you might have expected those well paid journalists who let us know what their “sources in government” tell them to have questioned the danger that was so obvious. Instead we got the BBC and others amplifying and broadcasting the self-serving lies and propaganda of of government of chancers and opportunists who were hopelessly out of their depth – but who at least went to the “right” schools and had the “right” contacts. Meanwhile the media in Scotland eagerly sought to use the failings of Johnson and the Tories as a means to manufacture another attack on the Scottish government. The very same press which slated the Scottish government for “undermining the four nation response is now demanding to know why the Scottish Government didn’t undermine it earlier.
Today Labour leader Keir Starmer repeated calls for an immediate public inquiry, calls which the government with the aid of Tory backbenchers will continue to resist. Yet when that enquiry finally does take place, it will only report back long after those responsible for the failings have moved on. It will make some anodyne recommendations, blame some minor civil servants and advisors, and the entire corrupt and chaotic British governmental performance piece will sail on regardless. If no one can ever be held to account there can never be reform. Scotland certainly can’t reform the UK. You can’t reform a car wreck write-off, you can only abandon it and find a new vehicle.
NEW MODERATION POLICY
In the wake of recent events I am determined that this site will not become a home for bigots and conspiracy theorists. They will not be welcome here. Moderation is the most stressful part of running a blog, but this site is going to continue to make the positive case for independence. With this in mind as of today a new moderation policy is in force.
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Wee Ginger Dug 
“He said that Johnson is unfit for office, which is possibly the most obvious observation since the Judaean child protection service noted that King Herod might not have had the interests of the first born at heart.” — A cracker 😀
That King Herod bit certainly was a cracker, as was the one about Hancock and the dolly, and the little Chef. Despite the fact that the article was an accurate and well stated comment on the continual failings of the English government and their system, it gave me the best laugh I’ve had all week.
Paul you are a genius and we really need you around not only to give us a laugh but to enlighten the Scottish people about the farcical and incompetent colonial government that insists on dragging Scotland down along with themselves.
Excellent again Paul.
Thankyou Paul.2 hearty guffaws from that blog.Outer Mongolia Gove and Hancock, deputy manager of a Little Chef
You may be feeling less than 100% but you sure have that witty humour intact.xx
Stunning revelations from Dominic Cummings about life at the centre of the empire. There appears to be nobody at home. The Tories (and New Labour) have so fragmented the public services that there is no longer any way of co-ordinating a rational response to a public health crisis in England. All they do is throw another pile of money at yet another set of consultants who haven’t the faintest idea where to start to begin.
I can’t see how they can put the civil service and the emergency services and the National Health Service England back together again.
“I can’t see how they can put the civil service and the emergency services and the National Health Service England back together again”
Appropriately Humpty Numpty
Great that you are back in the battle. Some great points and humour. Bring on indy Ref news the time.
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
Good to see you back Paul.
Perhaps Charges of Corporate manslaughter could be brought against individuals, of course that would take a prosecution service that didn’t think Jimmy Saville didn’t have a case to answer.
”The Thick of It ” was meant to be a comedy based on the political goings on at Westminster , showing the Labour/Tory parties as incompetent and self-serving chancers .
If shown again today how on earth could it hold up against this most corrupt, incompetent and utterly useless bunch of sociopaths .
Satire is truly dead when one listens to Cummings ( a now self-confessed liar re. his opticians appointment ‘up North ‘ ) and his ‘Kiss and Tell ‘ about the life behind the curtains of No 10 .
But the appalling truth is that WE are stuck with this crew , regardless of the reactions of our thoughts on these monstrous , but incredibly unsurprising revelations .
Nothing will happen – except , I am convinced , that the poll rating of Johnson and the Tories will continue to RISE in England !
This way lies madness ! Unless WE can escape it !
James,
It is not just the ‘Thick of it’s. Over the last few weeks I have been watching ‘Yes Minister’. Some of the episodes would pass for hard hitting documentaries in the context of what is happening now. The content is so close to the mark when it comes to Johnson and co.
If the great English media did their job over the amount of horrendous behaviours in the one party state of foul smelling politics our four countries are being subjected to Johnson and his entire crew would be gone, but the media aren’t doing their job, far from it unless anyone considers protecting this crew of charlatans is their job
Night after night the media reports that other people are using the words liars and cheats to describe this debacle taking place in the corridors of the English state but are they investigating any of it, no they’re not, why? because they know it’s all true but they won’t report that part, so why not?
Could there be some other more important reason as to why the so called mother of democracies, the whiter than white great British parliament, the bastion of truth and Imperialism is not to be scrutinised or questioned properly, what’s more important than informing the great British public that their leaders in number 10 Downing street are corrupt liars and fraudsters
If the media tells the truth could it be that any last lingering doubts over Scottish Independence might melt like sna aff a dyke within the hold out voters of Scotland, and like Mark Carney Bank of England governor said, Scotland’s north of £ 1 trillion assets will disappear with that sna
Wales situation would be up for question too at 39% for Independence , and goodness knows what could happen in Northern Ireland
The voters know what’s happening they’re just waiting for the great English media to do their job and confirm they’re right by reporting it to their faces
Meanwhile in our Scottish parliament we must tolerate the poodle branch managers and their stooges of three English political parties trying to prevent Scotland from being Scotland
Marks and Spencers democracy from England with a wee aisle set aside for Scottish products
This is worth watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAk-KrZgfM0
Aye
That was a hard listen Macart and we’re talking of just one individual.
They all add up though and nobody is being held accountable. It’s as if all these unbelievably stupid decisions were never made and that 10’s of thousands died needlessly because of government incompetence and lack of leadership.
The media are complicit in their ignoring of these stories and are equally as guilty in covering up for the abomination the UK has to suffer as Prime Minister.
“That was a hard listen Macart and we’re talking of just one individual. They all add up though and nobody is being held accountable”
And never will, THAT is the ultimate tragedy.
The caller isn’t alone. Not by any means.
It was difficult to sit through without feeling/sharing the man’s grief and rage in equal measure. Whether you’ve lost friends, family or both. This is the true cost of politics as it is practised.
It’s not a game. It’s peoples’ lives. Heartbreaking.
To some it WAS just a game, that is the greater tragedy.
[…] Wee Ginger Dug The car wreck of British government On Wednesday Dominic Cummings, the former senior advisor to the non-performance […]
“He didn’t just fail to answer the question, he simply refused to acknowledge that the question had even been asked.”
Love it Paul, brilliant writing.
Nail hit and hammered home, the elephant in the room from Cummings is total absence of mention of the weasel Gove. Has Cummings become the mysterious benefactor of a Queen Anne dining set with matching chairs I wonder ?
This curious “Gove sized” hole in Cummings testimony has been picked up on multiple channels as the most glaring aspect of his evidence outside the UQ, yet of course HMS Sarah Smith PQ blazes it’s own particular trail into an alternate realitties much as Nick Robinson’s “He said nothing”.
The problem is that the entire ensemble in #10 including Cummings have committed the most heinous crimes against the peoples of the UQ in living memory, yet it’s “read the small print” to quote a Broonerism, you’re the fools….
Trump claimed that even if he shot someone,his supporters would still vote for him.
Johnson appears to be in a similar situation,
The voters in England think he is wonderful because of the great success of the vaccination program (so far) and all the food banks his administration has facilitated.
At least most of us Scots don’t button up the back and can see him and his cronies for what they are.
Cummings said that in times of crisis the BBC has a special role to play. He provided information to Laura Kuensberg of the BBC who assisted by NOT running a story about London.
Who reported on Cummings on the BBC yesterday?
Yip one Laura Kuenssberg who didn’t declare an interest nor referred to her involvement.
The first scientist to clearly point out the coming catastrophe if “herd immunity” was pursued was Prof Neil Ferguson, for that he was hounded by the likes of the Daily Fail and Torygraph who branded him “Prof Lockdown”. Left to their own devices I have no doubt that the Tory policies would have seen deaths at least double the terrible toll they have reached already.
Prof Ferguson was also asked how influential Sage was in changing the policy from one of herd immunity to one of lockdown.
“As we saw the data build up, and it was matching the modelling, even worse than the modelling, let’s say it focused minds within the Government.”
He said he “wasn’t privy to what officials were thinking within Government”, but added: “I would say from the scientific side there was increasing concern in the week leading up to the 13th of March about the lack of clear, let’s say, (a) resolved plan of what would happen in the next few days in terms of implementing social distancing.”
He said locking down a week earlier would have saved “20,000 to 30,000 lives” adding: “I think that’s unarguable.” He said: “I mean the epidemic was doubling every three to four days in weeks 13th to 23rd of March, and so, had we moved the interventions back a week, we would have curtailed that and saved many lives.”
“As we saw the data build up, and it was matching the modelling, even worse than the modelling, let’s say it focused minds within the Government.”
https://archive.ph/aLsuo
I think that we were lucky somebody had the balls to speak up against Johnson and the rest of them.
O/T
Saw this on Twitter. Gordon Brown met Duke of Cambridge today but so sensitive CH4 news not allowed to film it
Quelle surprise… One does not support a publicised campaign to save one’s union does one, but doing so by inference is acceptable by leaking it to C4… Yet another banana boat passes HMS Sarah Smith on the port snide…
Here’s the video, apparently C4 was asked to leave the grounds of Holyrood Palace on “privacy grounds”.
https://www.channel4.com/news/revealed-duke-of-cambridges-unpublicised-meeting-with-gordon-brown
According to CH4 news they were not in the grounds but on public ground. Interesting. This item followed by the interview with Lesley Riddoch puts the cat among the pigeons.
Nice to see LR on the TV by the way.
Looks like we need to look out for a ‘by appointment to HM’ vow emerging soon. To be delivered by an irrelevant old has been and an irrelevant young defender of the realm ‘God for Harry, England and St George’, on second thought they may want to strike the Harry.
Here’s Lesley Riddoch’s take on the meeting between Brown and Prince William.
https://www.channel4.com/news/people-would-be-horrified-if-royals-were-used-in-independence-campaign-says-columnist-lesley-riddoch
O/T but relevant.
I wonder how many who came on here and read the last article 25/5 on reasons for independence MADE A POINT of emailing it to anyone and everyone they know who is “undecided”, or copied it as text doc. and passed it on to them, even posting it through the mail if necessary?
I didn’t do that, since such forcefulness in pushing the Independence message might result in my soft No friends or relatives taking fright, I’d rather talk to them face to face if I’m aiming to convince anyone to change from a No to Yes.
I’d rather they heard my argument first from me personally before I drop them into the blogosphere which is not always the friendliest of places.
You’ve got me wondering though if you did?
Do we really expect anything else from the Royals and Unionists, of course they’ll be having meetings of the secret kind planning and plotting Scotland’s downfall, even during the clip a female reporters voice used the term *the Scottish Nationalist party*
I expect very soon the beginnings of the Nicola Sturgeon secret ambition to be Queen of Scots with Peter as coffee maker in chief with an entourage of page boys and chamber maids trailing around after them, her links with Nationalist organisations around the world hell bent on the destruction of England, maybe the Taliban’ll get a mention in there too
The question is will the media have the guts to start shouting out to the Royals *are you here for secret Union talks sir* *do you not recognise democracy sir* *do you believe Scotland is a colony of England sir*
The Royals will interfere in our politics and democracy because they’re told too but if we call it out for what it is let’s see how they cope with the embarrassment of being caught supporting Boris Johnson
It was precisely this revelation that finally tipped me into the full-indy camp. We all know that the Tories have no interest in making any kind of necessary UK reform, because the ramshackle nature of the exercise of power in England gives them an artificial grasp of power which they otherwise would lack. But it’s puzzling to me, and a matter of some regret, that anyone in Scotland who finds the current sham democracy and contemptuous abuse of power utterly intolerable can still cling to the fond hope that it can all be rectified by well-meaning wishful thinking, and who apparently hasn’t the insight or moral courage to break from stifling tribal allegiance and recognise that it can realistically be accomplished by a total break and start-over afresh for ourselves.
As for Wee Willie and his lame pretence that he can “persuade” our southern brethern to mend their ways, that degree of reality denial is simply risible. A third-rate comedy act for which one wishes the old Glasgow Empire Theatre still existed.
Wee Willie and Sarwar as a double act , second house on a Saturday at The Empire . It would revive the old story about Mike and Bernie Winters .
For those not of a certain vintage , Mike + Bernie were ”allegedly” English comedians .
The story goes that Mike would wander on stage first and attempt to woo the audience – then Bernie would appear . As Mike performed to a stony silence , Bernie entered – and some wag in the crowd declared ” Oh F*ck , there’s two them !”
Bernie replaced his brother wi’ a dug (Schnorbitz), still wisnae funny; his brother wasn’t missed.
HM the Queen sat in Balmoral throughout the Indy 1 campaign. The Union flag fluttered over Rutherglen town hall throughout Indy 1…..it still does …no one including a SNP administration in South Lanarkshire can have it taken down for even a day. It flutters over Rutherglen much more often than it flutters over Belfast. The question of why this is so, has yet to be answered.
When Scotland becomes Independent you’ll likely see more of them as the hold outs stick them on their hooses
Are flags a reserved power?
“He said that Johnson is unfit for office, which is possibly the most obvious observation since the Judaean child protection service noted that King Herod might not have had the interests of the first born at heart.”
Nice! : ))
Re the Royals interfering in the constitution – Queen Elizabeth is the Queen of Scots. The Declaration of Arbroath states that it is the duty of the monarch to protect the rights of the Scottish people, the community of the realm – something she has signally failed to do.
Furthermore, if the monarch does not protect our rights then we have the right to get rid of them and appoint another leader who will.
If Prince William interferes then he will disqualify himself as a potential monarch in Scotland.
Well , ‘secret meetings ‘ with Gordon Brown is not a good sign of someone who is neutral on this issue .
Especially as Brown has stated this week that his ”Think Tank” is being converted to a campaigning organisation AGAINST independence .
Or perhaps they were just sharing thoughts on succession . Brown was ”crowned ” as he was next in line to Bliar , while Willie is next in line to Charlie ! ( Mind you , Brenda may take some shifting ! )
Indeed James.
Brown has stated in unequivocal terms that he and his organisation are now in ‘campaigning’ mode – campaigning against Scotland’s self-determination and arguably more significantly in the present context, campaigning against the democratic mandate the Scottish electorate has just given to the Scottish Government/Parliament, namely to hold a second referendum.
And royal William engages with a self proclaimed campaigner on such a politically important issue at this time when he is here in Scotland officially representing the monarch at the General Assembly.
I’ve listened to extracts from William’s speech to the General Assembly. Lots of references to how personally he likes/admires/enjoys Scotland. But nothing of what was said would change post independence – unless his positive views of Scotland are conditional on our democratic, constitutional choice. What about his views of independent Canada, of his father’s views of independent Australia etc.?
His status here might change of course. And candidly, if he and his family are seen to engage in any way with a pro-Union political campaign and campaigners like Brown then the resilience of the older of the two Unions between Scotland and England – the only one he and his family should have an interest in – will become much less resilient!
Spot on, Capella.
I am no monarchist but wouldn’t we all have a modicum of respect for Her Majesty if she was able pelt willing to hold Boris to account since he is so unwilling to even acknowledge his failures? And I realise she’s not supposed to interfere in politics but since so many of her subjects have died needlessly surely to God nobody would question her right to?
Subjects? She and her brood attend private hospitals and healthcare so are alright thank you.
Let’s plant another tree in celebration. Some poor mug will be told to dig a hole, put down a bit of carpet so they don’t get their feet dirty and help them place in a hole. Off they go feeling pleased as punch for saving the environment by jumping in a helicopter then private jet for the next tree planting ceremony.
The royals need to be held to account not just Johnson and the rest of the britnats.
Would you buy a second hand Bulletproof Range Rover from these people:
My understanding is the Royals don’t vote because of constitutional issues to do with being unelected, if that’s correct then we have ultra over privileged non elected hereditary benefit recipients instructing working tax paying Scots who live in Scotland how they should vote in our democracy, and the only people who can instruct them to do that is the actual Sovereign House of Commons leader in England Boris Johnson, and if that’s the case then he’s lying about not *allowing* a referendum on Scottish Independence and involving the Royal family in his deceptive tactics in order to keep England owning Scotland, and what makes it worse is the Royal family must know that he’s lying and are prepared to go right along with it
Everybody in Scotland knows Boris Johnson is an inveterate liar, and they also know that former Labour leader Gordon Brown was caught out many times lying his backside off to the people of Scotland around the 2014 referendum
The Royal family are prepared to follow the instructions of proven liars which makes them what now?
There is no hope for Little England without a revolution and don’t hold ya breath. However, there is acres of hope for Scotland if a grown up (not age related) population rejects the madness of the kingdom south of the border and dares to believe in its bright independent future. I’m smiling 😊
There isn’t a border that you can defend. What do you think will happen if England descends into anarchy and social & economic collapse? Even if Scotland somehow manages to claim independence, set up a central bank and issue its own currency – or joins the Euro, what do you suppose might happen in that “bright independent future” you’re dreaming about?
I suspect we’ll see a large uncontrolled migration of people seeking respite and shelter all over Scotland. What will you do then?
The FM should follow Moray’s move from lockdown for Glasgow.
Patronising Ross doesn’t actually say the increase was in part due Lossiemouth.
Still easier to deal with a wide expansive county than Glasgow south. Population Moray, 95000, South Glasgow 250000. You can see how easier it is in rural Scotland to deal with.
If you were head of a family of immigrants who :
had zero experience of actually working at a 9-5 job ,
had few skills that would help them obtain a job ( cutting ribbons does NOT qualify as a skill),
had various palatial residences handed to them rent free ,
were provided with unlimited numbers of brown-nosing servants ,
were provided with a SUBSTANTIAL tax-free annual stipend ,
were allowed to circumvent the tax laws which impact on the general population and this was kept from the public ,
were given the power to give themselves as many meaningless titles as they could invent ,
were made the titular head of a whole religion ,
were kowtowed to by the media who reported every little mundane thing you did as NEWS ,
whose views were accepted as equivalent to the tablets of rules given to Moses ,
were allowed to cause serious injury to innocent road users and avoid prosecution AND receive totally inappropriate sympathy from the media ,
were given the power to appoint the GOVERNMENT of a whole ‘country’ AND approve all new LAWS ( which is useful if you want to evade/avoid those which impact on your wealth/power ) ,
Given all of the above , would you not be open to ‘persuasion’ by YOUR Government to ensure that none of these perks are lost through some ungrateful Northern Britons wanting to upset a system that has worked so well for YOU ?
So getting the jobless grandkids to tell a few porkies while they travel around the northern wastes , smiling inanely at the poor wretches lined up to meet you , bringing a little light into their grey , drab , joyless lives is the least you could do to protect the GOOD LIFE !
Even if you don’t watch the Alex Salmond innuendo show you might find his latest offering interesting where they describe SNP MP Angus Brendan McNeil as a *rebel* then after Salmond interviewed him Tasmina Amed Sheik completely mischaracterises and misrepresents the actual words he spoke in a conclusion to the programme
It appears the Salmond party are finding it difficult to disrespect the First Minister in the hope of garnering support from SNP voters while at the same time attempting to undermine her
Scotland has gotten cleverer at handling politics and misinformation now and if I saw what they did, so will others
In other news following the Covid briefing, well I say following but of course it wasn’t it was the usual BBC cut away to Tories Douglas Ross and pretendy Labour Tory Jackie Baillie who basically are of the opinion that there’s only a few dying so open up the economy and we’ll just have to get used to it, and if folk don’t turn up for their jags then it’s Nicola Sturgeons fault anyway even if cases rise as a result
If the 2014 failed referendum taught us anything it’s that you really have to be on your toes to catch out the liars and disassemblers of the truth, because they never stop
We must open up hospitality businesses say opposition politicians, they’re safe say those same politicians and pub owners except that they fail to tell anybody that an outbreak of Covid just happened in Fort William and every case, which was in excess of twenty, was contact traced to the same pub, that’s twenty families, extended families, just start counting as to what kind of damage that would do to a town like Fort William and surrounding area if all of these folk had not been caught by the NHS
It’s not safe
The P&J on the outbreak.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highlands/3182341/nhs-highland-team-investigating-covid-outbreak-centred-on-fort-william-sports-bar/
As tragic as it is, what’s happening in Westminster is a mere side-show; an unnecessary distraction to the main event. We don’t need a post-mortem of Johnson’s government – we’ve witnessed everything in real-time with all the consequences that followed.
But that is of nothing to what’s coming down the line now. It was only a matter of time.
Click to access 2021.05.26.445838v1.full.pdf
If we are to have a chance of recovering with a functioning society by the end of this year, all of our focus and attention should be on avoiding infection and preventing transmission – but that’s not on the agenda because of Johnson’s complacency and the reliance on vaccines as a means to end the pandemic. Pubs and venues are back open and a weekend of live football and music beckons. Glasgow is supposed be be in restricted measures, but two groups of four have arrived this afternoon from Cathcart, booked into an Air B&B and are now enjoying a pint in the pub along the road in Lytham.
It’s just a numbers game now. The nightingale ‘hospitals’ have been dismantled in England – is the one in Glasgow still functional?
20.000 Zulu’s are heading this way and Boris Johnson is depending on a Welsh regiment to do something about it, or is there a different film in his head
I Just heard the joke of the century. Labour and Sawar are coming out for home rule for Scotland. The Vow Mark 2 ,I think that horse bolted in the 1930s .However the UK will still be in control of the Economy and Defence he informs us. Great so what’s changed. We will still be ripped off subsdising Greater Englands fantasy Brexit and their dellisions of there place in the world.The Torys are current sailling a fleet of Navel ships arould the South China Sea looking for trouble. Its time to get out of this rotten to the core UK and heir corupt slezy Westminster and their dead end Brexit. Before they start another war and tell us now in not the time. It’s never been a better time to go.
You’ve gotta laugh, so Scotland would still be paying for England’s defence capability which actually is and offensive capability still tied to WMDs in our country that wouldn’t by population if Independent be paying anything remotely near the figure the English government removes from our economy to play pretendy big war stance in the world
If we get totally rid of England then the nasties in the world can point their nukes at them instead of central Scotland, Labour must be hitting the panic button right enough to come out with this drivel
Interesting that defence and the economy would continue under British control! What a sick joke Labour really are. Who could it have been who sent British forces to the middle east to create bedlam for innocent people? Oh yes, the bloody Labour Party. International socialism they call it. And who abstained on austerity measures time and again, when they didn’t outright support them? Oh yes, the bloody Labour Party. That’s socialism that is.
Brown epitomises what is inherently wrong with the Labour Party. Cynically, he has used it as his vehicle of choice to elevate him to the public acclaim that his delusions tell him are his birthright. In return he has delivered the status quo and his ever so important place in it. He is no more than than the Presbyterian equivalent of Johnson and no less despicable in my eyes.
Sarwar is less complicated, he is just an eighteen carat spiv.
Neither of them give a toss for Scotland – or for anyone except their unsavoury selves. I can only hope that sooner rather than later the majority of Scots can see them and their ideas for what they are.
Labour’s idea of Home Rule :
You allow another country to control YOUR economy and you allow another country to have control of YOUR Armed Forces ? That’ll work !
Tell Sarwar that control of his family’s businesses are to be in the hands of a competitor and that they’ll also have the keys to his house . That’ll work !
Spot on Arthur.
My Mrs came up with a good idea for getting rid of unwanted paint. [Not accepted at any tips or recycling centers]
She started thinking Dragons Den until I told her she had invented a process not a product and that anyone could copy it.
Undeterred she was thinking about ‘selling’ it’.
Folk are not that stupid….. says I.
Look who England voted as PM…. says she.
Perhaps she has a point.
We could post the paint to England seeing as how they dump their waste in Scotland
I see Gorgeous George is standing in the West Yorkshire, Bately & Spen by-election. Looks like it truly is Last Of The Summer Wine for him!
He must have given up on his unshakable desire to keep Scotland in the Union then, or mibbees Boris stopped his money
Is it George standing or just The Hat ?
Connor Matchett at The Scotsman is still pursuing Leslie Evans and the Scottish Government.
https://archive.is/wI255
Still trying to use Salmond to bring the FM down but they’ve backed the wrong horse again, it won’t be Nicola Sturgeon going down
I think some are in denial. We had an election. The SNP won, independence parties won, The FM has won the vote to be the next FM.
I imagine most of the public looks on this as another malicious act by unionist papers bankrolled by mega millionaires who live abroad.
Map showing the shockingly huge costs of generating renewable energy charged to Scotland by OFGEM compared to everywhere else in Europe.
https://www.businessforscotland.com/scotlands-green-revolution-threatened-by-huge-charges-levied-by-uks-ofgem/
So imagine the system taking energy from Scotland to England, and disproportionally charging Scots for the costs of it, then selling the surplus to Norway, keeping English bills low, who then sell their surplus to Scotland, who really don’t need it, but because the lion’s share heads South they do.
Or maybe I have the wrong end of the stick.
Only in Scotland does oil make you poorer, and free energy cost more than generated energy.
I’m convinced that is one of the primary reason behind WM doing all it can to avert Independence, it’s not just power, it’s oil, gas, whisky, food product, etc., and that’s before their looming crisis over water.
The rebalance independence would demand will absoltely hammer the Exchequer, and England would be up in arms as WM sought to maintain their profligate ways by taxation and higher bills.
#10’s pandemic response was typical, they don’t do long term strategic planning for the public good until disaster strikes, currently led by the buffoon who savaged London Fire Brigade to make it “more efficient”.
I note with interest the pat backing by the bbc Scotland luvvies about racism in football programme and in particular the terrible behaviour against Mark Walters of Rangers by so called supporters of other clubs.
I must have missed the bbc Scotland programme about sectarianism in football and the discrimination against players , managers and back room staff over the years
An update by any programme maker would be welcomed.
Singapore protected its citizens much better from Covid 19 than UK because it followed the British plan for dealing with a pandemic which Britain under Boris Johnston ignored. The Telegraph asked under FOI for copies of the Cygnus plan but was denied them:
https://archive.fo/kKzOE
Cygnus was actually the second such “desktop” exercise which proved the “powers that be” had learned ZERO from the previous.
The Singapore wholesale adoption of the UK plan is correct, the divergence of the UK from the original plan was pointed out relentlessly early on in the pandemic by a Professor John Ashton as he was closely involved in the Singapore adoption process. After several very public challenges over what HMG were doing wrong he was quietly “sidelined” by the media as embarrassing HMG.
It is not just the perverse “herd immunity” issue which went awry, but the cumulative effect of years where Tories ran down the national stockpile of basics such as PPE because THEIR view of risk revolved around expenditure for an event which might never arise, until it did.
That’s why the Tories have gone to such great lengths to get the media pointing relentlessly at SG performance, Vaccinations, Care-Home decants, anything which deflects from the reality the population of England has been decimated by a succession of Tory failures.
Sky News is reporting that Boris Johnson has been secretly married today – one presumes to his current ‘bidie-in ‘ , but with him you never know !
The big story yet to break will be who has been billed for the nuptials , then which Tory donor will provide the honeymoon , which the PM will declare in his Parliamentary’interests’ in about two years time .
An Inquiry will find that he has not abided by the rules but was found to be not guilty of any wrong-doing ???
Down the rabbit hole !
Probably honeymoon in India to visit the Taj Mahal for the selfies. Then home and not quarantine and have a big party with lots of champagne which someone spills on the flock wallpaper causing the entire flat to need redecorating at a donor’s expense etc etc
Ot/ I see the fantadtic Viking horde found in Scotland is according to the bbc is going on a national tour .. It will be at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh from 29 May until 12 September, before going to Kirkcudbright Galleries from 9 October to 10 July 2022 and Aberdeen Art Gallery from 30 July to 23 October 2022.
There are too many Edinburgh centric views of Scotland and possible anti-west bias. I had always wished the Scots Parliament would have been at the crossroads of Scotland at Stirling.
Edinburgh shouldn’t be allowed to do to Scotland what London has done for the U.K. Take all.