Just because Scotland has to work to a budget, does not mean Scotland as a country is broke!

That budget is set by Westminster and has no bearing on Scottish assets.

We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet we are the only ones in the world who cannot touch our own assets.

Think about that for a moment!

All of our resources are stolen by Westminster, and we only get a small fraction back through the budget.

Even our Common Good Funds end up in England!

When are we going to wake up?

When does enough become enough?

Are we really all that stupid?

Are we ready to jump for UDI the minute we get the required ruling from the UN, are enough of us even taking those routes serious enough?

Wait and see won’t cut it, we either believe it’s going to happen or we hang up our boots now!

I will believe the words ‘we believe ’ when I see people getting together and planning, not just talking.

The FM got a ‘No’ again, so what’s he going to do about it

…ponder?

But thinking of things from a purely English stance for a moment, if you want to save money, why not get rid of the biggest financial burden…that would be Scotland, according to what our friends south of the border are told…except it’s not!

The myth that Scotland is subsidised has long run out of steam, but don’t tell the natives down south, some truths are just too hard to bear! They do, after all, need someone to blame.

It’s a bit strange, is it not, that England sees all Scottish assets as theirs, yet blames us for their financial woes! Talk about screwed-up thinking.

Today, a lot of people are complaining that Rayner is not handing back her £17k severance money, yet they forget that this is the system we signed up for, again! This is how the government works and always has done.

One name sums up Labour today, and that is Sarwar!

Everything in government, on both sides of the border, will continue to work as it does until the day comes when we change it.

Until we change, nothing will change!

We need to start thinking differently.

I can think of a few who will be rubbing their hands with glee, seeing those headlines.

His gift is not freedom, just a bigger cage!

Another PM who knows the truth, and that truth is, they can’t afford to let us go! But soon they will have no choice, if, and it’s a big ‘if’…we, the people, dare to take the necessary steps forward.

Are our feet pointing in the right direction?

Are we prepared to push the cage door open, or is it a case of ‘you in your small corner, and I in mine’?

They say there is strength in numbers, but that’s only true if those numbers are prepared to get to their feet and act. We can’t afford to be ‘couch potatoes’!

We cannot reap a harvest without sowing the seed. A conversation needs to happen, people need to know there is a road and it is open!

And those who do know need to prepare. We need two plans, one to get over the line and another to build the foundations, because we cannot do ‘rinse and repeat’!

Any semblance of a Westminster-type democracy will bring disaster.

In Scotland, we the people are sovereign, and we must take that responsibity seriously, not hand it to others.

There are several examples of Direct Democracy to look at, and the best thing is, we can create our own unique type. The central point being, everything reverts to the people…that is us!

Power is best served in the hands of those who don’t want it!

It is humility that makes the greatest leaders, not egos.

The biggest lesson we need to learn in Scotland is, we don’t need to like the people we work with, but we must work with them! That is the starting point.

We need to be resilient, not picky!

Collectively, we are living with the consequences of the choices we made 2 years ago.

The incoming PM has promised to bring back ‘hope’! He may tinker around the edges on some policies, but the reality is, his hands are tied fiscally. Too many deals have been made, ones that cannot be undone, leaving very little wriggle room.

He has, however, reversed one bad policy, digital ID. But something tells me it will creep in via the back door affecting some part of our lives.

We now live in a world that will not accommodate ‘old Labour’ ideology. Nobody, not even Burnham, can turn the clock back that far. There are no quick fixes, the oracle [Truss] has spoken, move too fast and he will cause a financial crisis…she should know!! Move too slow, and the people will lose faith and turn against him. What he does and where he does it will matter. Can he come up with a plan that will at least give a semblance of order and settle the maddening crowd?

I won’t hold my breath! The stars are not aligning, nor are his ducks all in a row!

As for Swinney, well, I think all of his ducks have gone walkabout, and a tsunami is on the way. If he thought everything would go away with Murrell in jail, he must know by now that it’s just not going to happen. I think things are going to get very messy, and when things get messy at one end of the room, the other end gets neglected. To run a country, one has to be 100% focused. I don’t think he can be.

I think he needs to have a wee word with his former boss, because every time she makes a statement through her very expensive Lawyer, she makes things worse for herself and the whole Party.

There appears to be some kind of ‘baiting’ game going on just now; the penny has dropped and people are becoming very vocal when it comes to accusing NS of just about everything. They know she won’t dare sue them, because a courtroom is her nightmare.

All this seems trivial with the man in the Oval Office, dropping bombs again at the behest of Israel. America certainly lives with its choices.

But her friends are diminishing in the gulf for fear of being annihilated by Iran.

This can’t last long as the bodies pile high.

Some cry, ‘where is God?’… that’s a very good question!

‘The logical conclusion to the new debate about devolution is to move the UK towards federalism with equal powers amongst the UK nations. It could break the constitutional deadlock without compromising deeply held positions. It is a way forward for all.’[Pete Wishart. 2 days ago on X]

We didn’t really need confirmation, did we, but we certainly have it now!

A ‘Freudian slip’ happens apparently when you release “an unconscious desire”.

Freudiant or otherwise, the truth is out…independence as we want it, ain’t going to happen under the SNP, even if Salvo gets their desired ruling, it will not be acted upon.

The SNP are, as many of us have believed for some time now, a Devolutionist Party. This is not something to gloat about, many of its members will be shocked hearing Pete’s words and will need time to process them. Now is the time for the hand of friendship, not laughing.

It is not a laughing matter when the Party who governs us does so under a false flag!

Why such a huge change, one might ask.

As I see it, there could be a number of reasons for this change, and I humbly admit that I could be wrong on every one😉

1. They know a gold standard Referendum will never happen.
2. They think a kind of Federalism would enhance Devolution, saying ‘we tried’!
3. They can’t or won’t go down the UN route, mostly out of pride or they just don’t get it!
4. The gravy train would stop!
5. It’s easier to follow than lead!

I am sure you could think of a few more reasons, so what is the answer to this conundrum?

Can, the SNP members stop this leaning towards Devolution/Fedralism.[the latter is still a cage, just a bigger one!]

The answer is, of course, to have the courage to change our voting habits… have we collectively got that courage?

That is the key, and that key is in the hands of every voter, so there is no excuse next time.

However, I have a feeling that Independence is the last thing on the minds of the leadership today after David Davies speech in Westminster. Which will no doubt be a precursor to a full judicial inquiry.

The gutter press is having a heyday!

Soon, they will have no place to hide and as always, the truth will out!

A sad ending will come to a once-great party; the whys and wherefores will be lessons for all.

Give, what’s coming down the road, we may not have to wait 5 years for another Scottish Election!

You can always tell when someone is speaking from their heart and not just their head!

Conviction is born out of raw emotion, and belief in something, you can feel it. The words spoken are clear, and you feel certainty about them and the person who speaks them.

I have the greatest admiration for people who speak from the heart rather than from a script. Unfortunately, as age creeps in, notes and scripts are needed, but there’s still a difference… it’s the emotions!

Conviction is also shown through consistency. People with conviction can not be blown by the wind of the day.

Words can become our enemy when we say too many of them. There are an awful lot of people who like the sound of their own voice, and I suspect you know some of them. There is a new phrase for this, it’s called a ‘word salad’!! Give me a steak any day. Something I can chew on and dissect!

People hate long-winded speakers, they just switch off and walk away. I grew up in the era of long-winded preachers and boy did that turn me off!!

Why use 100 words to say something you can say in 20!

Political messages should be short and punchy, and, above all, they should come from the heart.

Political literacy isn’t just about how much we know, but also knowing how to share it with others. That is a gift!

Sometimes sound bites are better than an exposition!!

The case for Scottish Independence is well-versed, and the facts are well-known. What we need now is those punchy one-liners that will become fixtures in our heads. The ones that give rise to conviction and in turn, give rise to action.

Words without action mean nothing. Asking for another Sec 30 is neither a conviction nor an action, it is compliance!

Every time we ask, we acknowledge Westminsters governance over us.

Action is to join the Salvo/Liberation.scot train and say to Westminster, were done with you and we are going over your head!

All it takes is a couple of clicks on your device, and you will have accomplished more than you have in the past 5 years…that is real conviction!

Doing nothing, is never an option!

Friday was a strange day, one that started with shock and ended in horror.

We all had different feelings towards Ann Widdecombe; mine were mixed. I certainly did not agree with her politics of late but many of the things she has said over the years did resonate with me. She was a formidable woman, yet there was a gentle, fun-loving side to her as well. She also, always answered the question!!

They say she was ‘carved from another age’…well, I was also carved from that age, they were the days when there was a clear line between right and wrong. But Ann was in a league of her own, and well deserving of all the accolades now being heaped upon her.

Values, real values, do not change at a whim. They are not a fashion accessory but the rock we build on.

Her demise has shocked us all. For this 78yr old woman to be murdered in her own home has sent shock waves across the political divide, and remember she was not even a sitting MP. But the way it has been reported says a lot about the world we live in.

The words in the first sentence by the police were, ‘a white male’. They know the country is like a powder keg just now and given the victims name it was important not to light the taper! [ I believe this suspect has now been released.]….but they still say they are looking for ‘a white male’. It was also interesting that they ruled out a political motive…watch this space…that may change!

No doubt over the next few days, all will be revealed.

The evil that walks amongst us has no colour, neither does it have a matrix, but it does have a mind! It is said that evil is a choice and is fed only by the things we choose to ponder.

A person of Faith, like Ann Widdecombe would perhaps see it differently. Many can say that they have felt the presence of evil. I confess, I am one of those, and it is not something you forget!

The obvious question coming from this is, how do you defeat evil?

I suppose that depends on what your concept of evil is. Is it a spiritual concept or a social construct grown out of how we feed our minds?

Whichever one fits, one thing above all remains: evil is real, and it is incumbent on us all to look out for each other. We are indeed, ‘our brother’s keeper’… It’s called collective responsibility!

Something has changed drastically in Glasgow over the past 5 years, and not for the better.

Is it, that the people have changed or have the circumstances changed?

These photos cover two very different stories. In the first one we see residents stopping the removal, by the Home Office of law-abiding people. In the second we see the police removing alleged criminals for their own protection.

The question is, is the second photo, one of many, another case of SM exacerbating the situation, or do residents have a right to know who is living in their communities?

An ‘alleged’ offender, no matter who they are, does have rights, until a court takes those rights away from them. However, if those offenders have been charged with a crime, one supposes the police have evidence. Is it not reasonable then to keep them in custody, instead of moving them from one community to another? If not, do communities have the right to be ‘judge and jury’ when it comes to what they see as protecting their children?

It’s a delicate balance and if I may say so, one that the authorities are not getting right, but neither are some communities.

Fear can turn to anger very quickly. Anger can turn to rage in an instant, which cannot be talked down easily.

It has always been the policy in Housing Departments not to divulge where ex-criminals are housed. Still, we seem to have moved to a different situation, where, once again, the authorities seem at a loss to control.

Call it fear or racism, either way, we must find an answer before it really does blow up in our faces.

I must confess, I don’t have an answer to this one. On the one hand, I would like to say that better communication and openess might help, but on the other hand, the fear of many is too overwhelming. And in some cases openess might feed into that fear depending on one’s personal circumstances.

Some say, Diversity is no longer our strength, but our nemesis.

I still believe in Diversity but acknowledge the need for balance.

For every problem, there is a solution, and those in authority must find it, with fairness to all. One thing is for sure, they can’t keep passing the buck. This problem crosses more than one government department, so a multi-agency response is required.

Westminster politicians are hell bent on trying to close down social media, they think that by doing so, all their problems will disappear… they won’t!

It is not SM that divides most people; it is the perception of two-tier policies.

SM is only a conduit, one used by people to vent their feelings. And the government don’t like it when those feelings are aimed at them!

When people see unfair treatment of one group over another, they react. Unfortunately, that reaction, in the hands of a few, turns to violence, and we end up in this never-ending circle of blame.

My Q is, if Councils, can now use ex RAF and Army Barracks for housing, why can’t they do a mixture of tenures. To only house one group over another is segregation and discrimination, not integration!

Or is that too simple a remedy for all?

Surely it is time to go back to the drawing board and rethink a few policies, or at the very least be consistent in the delivery of the ones we have. Because it is those inconsistenies that are causing the problem!

Inconsistency erodes trust.

When politicians react in panic rather than respond to a situation, we get bad decisions.

Scotland has always been a welcoming country; it is not the people who are changing that perception, but rather the way officials deliver policies. An illustration may be how councils interpret ‘integration’ when housing new families wherever they may come from.

Integration is a two-way street, not a takeover, and requires us all to play our part. Humanity demands that of all of us.

We may be divided about what is shown on SM, but the real question is why people feel the need to post such controversial photos and videos in the first place.

Whatever the motive, they tell a story and banning them will not silence the story but might produce something worse. So I would ask our politicians to respond, not react.

Control is overkill and lays the foundation for future problems…big problems!

We need to bring trust back into politics, and the only way to do that is to re-create a level playing field and less prevarication.

And in Scotland if that means considering the smaller parties, then all to the good.

To many Scots, still think asking Westminster for a Sec 30 is the golden way forward; what they fail to understand is that by just asking, we are acknowledging and accepting power over us!

I agree with Peter Bell when he says the Yes movement will never unite in any meaningful way, why, because we all have our party red lines. The election in May proved that.

That leaves us with Salvo/ Liberation.scot, the only train that is moving, and it’s non-political, and it must remain so.

Politics won’t unite us, but, gathering around one cause can!

So let’s all climb aboard and make this happen.

Dump Devolution and go for gold. Gold for us is the Claim of Right, the one thing Westminster has been unable to remove from the statute books.

We must do this whilst we still have a Scotland to fight for.

With another story, true or otherwise, regarding missing money from the wider Yes movement, the smaller parties will once again bear the brunt of the fallout.

Why? Because with every scandal, more and more people are put off politics and the groups that support them.

So, how can they overcome this problem? Well the answer is simpler than you might think.

By constantly keeping your committees and members updated on ALL of the finances, big or small, problems won’t occur. And please don’t tell that is easier to do in the smaller parties! I have kept accounts all of my life and with today’s technology, it’s never been easier. However sending those accounts to the Electoral Commission is an entirely different matter😂😂 [ They have their own weird system]

These kinds of investigations don’t happen randomly, something or someone triggers them off.

It is incumbent on us all when seeing red flags to take a step back.

Money matters in politics, of course, it does, but transparency around it matters more. Big donors often come with a price tag!

It is better to have little in the bank that is legitimate than thousands that are dodgy, or even worse, missing!

The big parties that laughed at the finances of the smaller ones are not laughing now!

A clean bank balance shows integrity, something that is lacking in mainstream politics.

Every organisation that depends on the public for donations should consider these things.

It is WE, the people, who put people on pedestals and give politicians a sense of grandiosity.

Then when, through their arrogance they fail us, we knock them off again! Perhaps it would be more constructive if we didn’t put them up there in the first place!

Remember this…..

After that, she was untouchable, and she knew it.

The mark of a good politician, if there is any, is that they are well grounded, and it is our job to keep them there.

Everyone has an ego, but we don’t need to feed it!

This morning, a photo of Nicola popped up on my FB, it was anything but flattering and clearly showed her demise. I am not going to share it, simply because I wouldn’t do that to any woman.

However, her companion does raise a?

Part of the problem we have is the type of democracy we have, which is top-down. This gives too much power into the hands of one person.

Direct Democracy however, puts the power into the hands of the people. In May, we denied ourselves the opportunity to start the journey down this road, so it is now a game of patience….until the next time!

Time scales, though, can be very unpredictable when court cases are in the offering! But for those of us who believe in Direct Democracy that only adds to our arguement.

Much of what has happened over the past few years could not have happened if Direct Democracy had been in place.

So, when thinking about the kind of Scotland we want, remember it’s a blank canvas.

The choice: power down or power up!

Let’s stop building pedestals.