politics

The Likely News – One – 5th May 2017

5th May 2017 –

Glasgow City Chambers and the surrounding area has been cordoned off for reasons of public safety.

The drama began early this morning. After emerging victorious in the Council elections and winning control of Glasgow City Council, new SNP councillors entered the City Chambers and began to look at files previously unavailable to them relating to decisions and deals made by the city council over the last 60 years.

After the container which held the files was opened, a loud bang was heard, followed by otherwordly screams. Jim Murphy, 50, unemployed, was in George Square at the time and described the scene.

It was as if all the demons of hell* had been let loose and all the terrors of the past had come out to get us.

People fled the scene as cars swerved and there were collisions in the confusion.

As yet there is no footage from inside the City Chambers as the police are denying access, however, local artist Clip Part has provided a pair of sketches based on eyewitness accounts..

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David Torrance was available for comment.

*(Hell does not actually exist)

The Hounds Unleashed

Faced with the complexities of it all, and so many possible ways that it could play itself out, it is easy to forget one or two of the potential outcomes of the Brexit situation.

One of them hit me tonight.

Before we get to the big one though, here are some of the policies a group within the conservative party pushed for in 2013…

Control of Offshore Wind Turbines – Bill to restrict the height, number, location and subsidies of wind turbines situated offshore within 20 miles of the coast.
Legislation to abolish the Department of Energy and Climate Change
Benefit Entitlement (Restriction) – Bill to make provision to restrict the entitlement of non-UK Citizens from the European Union and the European Economic Area to taxpayer-funded benefits.
Privatise the BBC
Withdrawal from the European Convention of Human Rights
Wind Farm Subsidies (Abolition) – Bill to make provision for the cessation of subsidies for the development of wind farms.
Leave the EU

These suggestions were made by a group of 40 Tory MPs in 2013, and they had 40 of them in total. The pretendy-left magazine The New Statesman, described it as “beyond satire”, however, I think you’ll have noticed that a number of them have already come to pass and plenty more are on the way.

camus-capital-punishment So they are having some success it would seem, and if you read them all, you’ll see that there are more than those I listed above that are already here or on the way.

The one I am saving for last however, is one that, now that they are going to get their wish that the UK leaves the EU, will not have anything to block it.

10) Capital Punishment – Bill to allow for capital punishment for certain offences.

UKOK? Really?

The Scottish Independence Podcast 138 – Unified Mandates

outsourcing-united-people This new special short episode is either going to make you laugh or make you feel you’ve been dragged into a strange otherworld.

That’s all I’m saying.

Hope you enjoy.

You can download here if you click THIS LINK .

You can listen online viathe spreaker webpage, or you can subscribe with itunes. We can also be found on youtube and on facebook.

The Scottish Independence Podcast 137 – You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It

For the 137th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I didn’t speak to anyone.

rock-and-a-hard-place-resized-600 It is instead one of those episodes where I am bringing you a bit of an interview by and with someone else because I think it is of importance and should be heard.

That someone else happens to be Manfred Weber, head of the largest group in the European Parliament. When pressed on Brexit by BBC Hardtalk, he took a fairly strong line, best summed up by the title of this episode.

Whether you voted to leave or to remain, I think his comments are important to hear.

He also had a few words about Scotland and the levels of (dis)organisation and (lack of) direction being shown the UK government.

Hope you enjoy.

You can download here if you click THIS LINK .

You can listen online on the spreaker webpage, or you can subscribe with itunes. We can also be found on youtube and on facebook.

Who’s On First (Minister)?

There seems to be a weird tendency at the moment to portay Ruth Davidson as if she actually were the First Minister.

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In case you missed that story, that was the leader of the 2nd largest party, which does not form part of a pro-independence majority in the parliament,”ORDERING” the First Minister, who leads a pro-independence majority, to forget about something that the parties most people voted for support.

It doesn’t stop with the Daily Express though. Other outlets seem to go with the same tone, that being that Davidson is somehow capable of ordering anyone to be doing anything.

mustreveal

Therefore, I think it is important in the interests of clarity to lay out some of the rules…

Ruth Davidson is currently not in a position where she is able to order the First Minister around.
Her policy pronouncements do not need to be followed by anyone.
The recommendations of any “teams”or “expert groups” that she puts together do not need to be followed.

The electorate said no to Davidson’s party at the last (and well, every) Scottish Parliament election. However, they will get another chance the next time around, that is called democracy.

In fact, that is very much like the referendum question. Scotland said no to independence in 2014, but things have changed, and we will get another chance.

angrytomkins So Adam Tomkins perhaps should realise that the electorate said No to having Ruth Davidson make any decisions or give any orders to anyone. But just like the Independence referendum, things will change for better or worse in the next few years and the Tories will get another chance.

Adam Tomkins was, of course, speaking (freely) in his capacity as an elected (not directly) member of the second largest party of the non-governing group in a democratically elected parliament in which no one party has an overall majority.

dare

The Scottish Independence Podcast 135 – Richard Walker of The National

ogsit1ad For the 135th episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Richard Walker.

Richard is now the consulting editor of The National, but was also involved in the formation of that paper and the decision made at the Sunday Herald to begin openly supporting Scottish independence.

We talked about those decisions and why they were made,and how The National has been getting on.

As well as that, we tried to get our heads around some of the unusual media appointments that have been made recently, and what could or should be done about the media in Scotland more generally.

4876083b471ff8eb10ab244e3a237015-1136946557 And of course, I asked Richard why he supports Independence for Scotland.

Hope you enjoy.

You can download here if you right click THIS LINK and “save as”.

You can listen on the spreaker page, or you can subscribe with itunes. We can also be found on youtube and on facebook.

The Scottish Independence Podcast 133 – Tommy Sheppard MP

The next referendum will be won in the years from now forward, rather than the months running up to it.

For the 133rd episode of The Scottish Independence Podcast, I spoke with Tommy Sheppard, MP for Edinburgh East.

Tommy has been involved in politics in Scotland and the UK for a number of years in a number of different ways and as I’m sure you all know, is now standing to become the Deputy Leader of the SNP.

We talked about Tommy’s earlier political activities and how he arrived at where he is now. We also got on to what, if elected (or even if not), he would like to see change within the SNP.

Finally, as ever with a first-time guest, I asked Tommy why he personally supports Scottish Independence.

Hope you enjoy.

You can download here if you right click THIS LINK and “save as”

You can listen online at the spreaker site or you can subscribe with itunes. We can alse be found on youtube and on facebook too.