Once our minds go on a journey it’s not easy to change track, so you can imagine how difficult it is at times to change the train of thought in others.

The question I find myself asking today is, who controls the thoughts in our heads?

For generations, Scots have been told ‘Scotland is too wee and too poor’. Indeed only as far back as 2014 Johan Lamont said this, ‘Scots are not genetically programmed to make decisions.’

We have been programmed over the years to believe we need to depend on others, and that train of thought is so deeply embedded in the thoughts of so many Scots it’s going to be difficult to change.

So, how do we go about ‘switching the light on’ in the minds of others. Maybe the answer to that question is to look at ourselves first. What was said or done that brought about our moment of revelation? Of course what works for one might not work for others, but it might give us a clue!

Was it something dramatic, or personal?

For me personally, it was the fact I had been lied to all my life. My hate for lies comes from a living experience, hence my reaction!

If we listen first, we will find the trigger to change the thought.

The longer people think they are dependent on Westminster for all the handouts then the longer they will remain so.

We need to help people change trains!

So, Mr Sunak is refusing to say whether or not he will include the Triple Lock system to pensions at the next GE.

This is a choice, not a necessity. I say that because other things that are happening in the background show how lopsided their reasoning is.

It was also reported today that a judge has decided the government can’t be forced in law to chase the PPE money lost during COVID-19. Apparently “it’s not in the people’s interest” to make such a ruling! Don’t you just love that phrase!! I think The Good Law people are going to contest the decision.

Billions were lost with no redress, and billions are being given to Foreign countries under various guises, but they can’t afford to pay pensioners a decent pension. The GE will be interesting given most of their membership are of that age!

Then here in Glasgow, another crazy policy was made under the guise of Climate Change. LEZ!

They sure are pocketing the money there whilst emissions rise.….yes rise by 10%

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/03/glasgow-lez-low-emission-zone-nitrogen-dioxide-pollution/

Now I know it’s the Telegraph but local reports bear it out!

Choices are very seldom made in the public interest because we live in a capitalist world, in Britain there is no such thing as a circular economy. All work to the same model and we pay the price!

We really do need to get out of this farcical Union. We need to be bold and change direction.

‘Bold’ can be uncomfortable for a short while, but continuity will be far harder to stomach.

The more of us who are prepared to press the eject button the quicker we will get out.

https://www.gov.scot/news/fracking-incompatible-with-climate-policy/#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Government%20has%20set,including%20environmental%20and%20business%20assessments.

When the Scottish Government hailed the two future Freeports as a win-win, were they doing a U-turn or were they ignorant of the possibility that Fracking could be back on the agenda? And where are the Greens in all this?

I suppose the next question is, were they even in on the conversation?

What secret deals were made, some of which may never have been recorded…..will we ever know?

Everyone knows Ineos wants to Frack and now that door has opened again. Has the SNP/Green partnership taken their eye off the ball whilst being firmly fixed on their Trans agenda?

The big question now is, can they fix it? I somehow doubt it, egos will go into denial of the facts.

This dilemma would never have happened if Scotland had been governed in a proper democratic way which should have included consultation with the real stakeholders, the people!

We may be too late to stop it from starting but we can take steps to stop it from continuing, by adding this to our long list of wrongs going forward to the ECJ.

Maybe what could happen in the Falkirk area will jolt people into action. Salvo have an opportunity here to step into the breach and we can all play our part!

I don’t often write about English parties but today I felt that somebody has to say something, as this affects Scots to.

The once proud party of the working class people has become so right wing it is surpassing the Tories!

But then what else can you expect with a Knighted Leader at the helm?

What now for the working class people of Britain?

Another party needs to emerge, one rooted in Left Wing Politics. My mind goes back to the weeks following the day Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader, their membership soared! So there is a gap to fill.

Today Labour like other parties will be out canvassing in Rutherglen & Hamilton, I wonder if those doing so for Labour know these words have been spoken? Talk about shooting oneself in the foot.

Fortunately, here in Scotland we have the opportunity to change the whole system to one specially designed to meet the needs of all. No more top down but a level-playing field.

Top-down has proved to be disastrous for those at the bottom of the financial ladder and on benefits. No one in any country, let alone one that is ranked the 6th most wealthy should have to rely on benefits, and it’s not just the unemployed, we now have working poor!

Time to press the eject button, go it alone and start again with a blank sheet to fill with policies that benefit Scotland. We have the talent, we have the brains and we have the vision!

To see what we can be follow the Salvo trail.

There is always at least one person who is determined to turn a positive into a negative! It appears that if a party declares a policy that has been used elsewhere in the world of politics, that party gets accused of supporting everything the original party did, good and bad!

Take for instance the policy of Abstentionism, still used today by the Irish Republican Party in NI. By adopting this policy in Scotland as the ISP has done, does not mean they agree with other methods or policies used by the Republicans in the past.

There are many opinions about this stance, one writer recently gave their opinion and in doing so said it is the right of every voter to be represented in Parliament. This is absolutely true. It is, however, also the right of every voter to waver that right should they wish to do so! Abstention just gives the voter another choice as opposed to destroying their ballot paper. What is essential is to explain the policy and why it is being adopted.

Democracy is about putting all options on the table!

The Westminster Project is coming to an end. Up until now the Referendum route appeared to be the only one, well that project has also run its race, unless, of course, you are one of those people who believe you can get blood out of a stone!

Most of us have moved on, we eye the prize from a different viewpoint. The road ahead is definitive, even with a few hurdles to jump….but hey, who wants easy? Nothing worth having is ever easy!

Don’t let anybody rob you of your vision.

Keep following the story!

I am often asked why I call my blog ‘Joansjigsaw’, the answer is quite simple really, I believe our lives paint a picture, but the picture like a jigsaw is not complete until we leave this earth!

We are always evolving or if you like developing and countries are no different! Each generation adds to the picture that history books record. However, the picture recorded by historians isn’t always the true picture, bits of the jigsaw can be left out, that is why it is so important at this juncture in Scotland’s history that we record the truth, both individually and officially.

The ‘Cloud’ is a wonderful place where the future can look back at our present!!

The only place of safety where we can officially record anything now is within the ECHR, and that is precisely what Salvo is doing. Our part is to encourage others to sign up and be part of that history, where signatures will be kept on file forever, not lost in the vaults of Westminster!

Historians tend to record the bigger events, within their own political agenda, not necessarily what is happening at ground level.

Scotland’s picture is a bit colourful at the moment, in some areas of policy the colour is black! We must act now for democracy in case we get a complete blackout!

Dreaming is not the answer……doing is!

Some big days ahead for Salvo, Democracy Day and another Freeport public meeting.

Today we see Birmingham City Council effectively declaring bankruptcy with at least three other English Councils due to follow suit, Woking, Croydon and Thurrock. One of the reasons is ‘bothched investment projects’.

In July we saw the government of Victoria [Australia] cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games, they rightly said to spend £7bn on such a vanity project when the world is suffering a cost of living crisis was just plain wrong! I agree.

These big projects do bring certain benefits as the eyes of the world descend upon them for a short period, but do the long-term benefits justify the expense?

So how much money was spent and lost when Birmingham hosted last year’s Commonwealth Games?

When Glasgow balances their books after the prestigious Cyclying event what will they show? Praise and adoration is one thing and yes it was quite spectacular but what was the personal cost to businesses?

Surely it is time to rethink big events in one place?

Do we invest in vanity or people, because one doesn’t always help the other?

There seems to be a disconnect between the people who need the most and those who run things at the top whose aim is to promote their town or city. If they could marry the two up, fine, but they can’t because Britain is broke….and we all know why!

And on the subject of investments, some Councils haven’t learned the lesson from the Iceland crash.

I personally think investing in people is the best investment any country or council could ever make. If ‘People make Glasgow’ then that’s where the money should go and the people should have more say. Hence the reason I believe in Direct Democracy.

Thanks to Salvo we will be hearing a lot more about Direct Democracy over the next few weeks. So spread the word, there is another way for us to move forward.

Not everything that is old is decrepit, not even me! And not everything that is new has advanced the world in a way we wish it had. There is always a mixture of good and bad, even in Democracy.

If there is one thing I have learned in my old age it is this, the kind of Democracy we have in the UK is not real Democracy. Going to a voting station every 5yrs and ticking a box is a very feeble example of Democracy. Any control of events thereon ceases the minute we post our vote, and any of the ongoing measures by Westminster to change the rules diminish Democracy even further.

Democracy can never be about controlling who can and who cannot vote!

It used to be different in Scotland, Scots new what they were doing in the 1600s! …..and it worked exceptionally well for ordinary folk like you and me.

The nearest equivalent in our modern world can be found in Switzerland. No messing with the people there!

Take what worked in the past and mould it within our modern system. Throw out the broken branches and grow something new.

Dare to be different.

Many of us probably won’t see the fruit of this but we can still sow the seed knowing our children and grandchildren will reap the rewards.

What a legacy to leave them!

Sadly within the Indy movement just now, one never knows what’s coming around the corner, there are splits within splits.

It has been suggested that because some Parties didn’t attend yesterday’s march that they are anti-EU!

That supposition is completely untrue and very misleading.

I personally don’t know of any Indy Party that is anti-EU, but I am happy to be corrected on this matter.

If, and I say if, there are any differences it is about the route. Efta first or straight back into the EU?

My personal preference is Efta first, then a Referendum about the EU, my vote would be Yes!

So why Efta first?

Scotland needs to get back on track ASAP! Efta is the quickest route for this to happen. Even to be fast-tracked into the EU could take years.

Suppositions like the one mentioned above are meant to divide and are made by people whose sole intent is to make trouble. The people who say ‘our way is the only way’!

The problem with that is, up to now their way has failed!

Our focus just now should not be whether or not we rejoin the EU, it should be regaining Scotland’s Sovereignty, because without that the EU is just an illusion. The cart does not go before the horse!

Yes, the ECJ will be instrumental in our objectives but we don’t have to join the EU to reach that particular goal.

We know the route, we have a plan and it’s Legal, we just need to get on with it.

The late great Winnie Ewing said when entering Westminster ‘ our job was not to come here and to settle down, but to settle up for the people of Scotland’

Those words were spoken in 1967!

56 yrs has passed and we are no further forward as far as Independence is concerned.

Devolution is not Independence!

Devolution gave us a few toys to play around with but it has not stopped the scavengers from ravishing our land and seas!

Our Budget is disguised as a gift!…… more toys.

Is this really what we want, have we just settled down to the status quo? Because if we have, we deserve all we get.

If our goal is truly Independence then the road we take to achieving that should not be one that has already failed us but a bold new one.

One that dares to challenge, internationally, the lies that Westminster has told to retain its grip on Scotland. This is no equal Union, it is no marriage based on mutual respect, it is and has always existed as a relationship built on theft and abuse.

Salvo offers a new bold road, built on respect and truth, it exposes all that has gone wrong and offers a way of redress.

It does not offer Independence per se, but rather the foundation blocks to build Independence on if that is what people choose.…..and we do choose!

So, let’s take the high road to Independence with Salvo.