A few years ago Michael Gove commissioned a survey regarding Scottish Independence using taxpayers’ money, then refused to publish the findings, even ignoring a court order to do so…now we know why.

If this is true and can be verified, the game is up for Westminster and also for the SNP government.

The evidence at the UN is stacking up, and as I said, if this can be verified, these findings will add to it.

Two Qs arise from this, did honest John know about this and how is he going to respond if he didn’t? The excuse of the SNP has always been that the numbers need to rise! Well, I think it’s pretty clear, they have!

You could say Nicola has done them a favour with her pincer movement. There now exists an opportunity to make a clear break from the past and take a bold step forward. It will however demand a little humility, but heres the thing, only great leaders do ‘humility’! Has he got it within him to be one?

At the moment, all we are seeing is infighting, but as I have said before, one clear bold decision can change the destiny of a man, a party and ultimately a country, at any given moment.

Will he grasp the nettle?

Or is the lure of English gold just too much to refuse? How much longer can they deny themselves a robe of ermine? I can think of a couple who are frothing at the mouth at the thought!!

The wind is blowing fair for Scotland just now, we just need to learn to fly with it.

We tend to forget that the walls we build, don’t just keep others out…they also keep us in!

It’s time to shake hands and move on!

When a government implements a law that hides the criminalities of its MPs, you know you have hit a new low in honesty and transparency. The fear is, how much lower can they go?

We have no say in Westminster, not that we want any, and all we can do in Scotland just now, is pray the SNP don’t follow suit, having given them another 5 years in power…and 5 years is a long time in politics.

When transparency is removed from politics, we end up with a dictatorship. Parliament like Freeports and SEZs, becomes deregulated. Standards don’t just slip…they disappear!

When criminals, no matter how small the offence, realise that their deeds will go unseen, they tend to reoffend one way or another.

We rightly expect our politicians to have high standards, and how often have we heard them criticise foreign governments for their criminal activities?

Let me reassure you, the ISP

https://www.isp.scot/

Does vet their candidates rigorously!

The tide hasn’t just turned, it feels like a tsunami of deceit and lies is sweeping over us. Surely to God, there are some politicians out there who still have some level of integrity left in them. Britain is fast becoming a Third World country.

You may think there is not a lot we can do, but there is and it’s personal! The first and most important thing is to keep our own feet out of the mire and take responsibility for the things we can.

Then move up a gear, and get involved with others who feel the same.

In Helensburgh, the people have stepped up! They now realise their politicians, at a local level have not been honest when it comes to Common Good assets, in fact it has been very convenient for the LA just to disregard them altogether.

People are waking up and finding their voice, and this is where it starts…locally and at local elections. This is where your power lies. This is where your advocacy matters.

Sometimes, local politics can seem very boring, but they each hold a huge budget, mostly out of your pocket!! Who should hold their spending to account?…YOU SHOULD!

But will you ?

There are a lot of them about just now, so be aware and don’t be intimidated by them!

Giving an opinion is one thing, but telling people they are worthless because they are not following a certain path, can only come from an over-inflated ego.

Words are important, as I have said many times, but we also speak with our bodies, maybe even more so than with our tongues. One of the things you learn on a Counselling course is reading body language.

…and sometimes it’s not the person who is speaking that needs watching, but those around them😂

Believe me, you can always spot an aggressive person by how they stand. Remember the Power stance?

Politicians are not normally ‘cool and casual’, although Burnham is going out of his way to try and be so!

Egos only grow if we feed them, and we do that by flattery and giving them places of responsibity. Those who seek power, should never be given it…but they are! And that is why so many things go wrong, even within the independence movement.

Give me the ‘sma folk’ any day!

Yes, we need leaders but we need those who possess humility and are intent on lifting others.

People at the top of any organisation should be there to lead not rule! Neither should any organisation be so tied up with silly rules that it restricts individuality. Too many rules can and do restrict the smooth running of any subgroup. There is such a thing as overkill!

The more layers, the more potential for egos and less room for the ‘sma folk’!

Our ruling party have forgotten how democracy works and Westminster have over the years streamlined its own unique type of democracy, but then most countries do! As we will do when we gain our independence, but what it cannot be is ‘copy and paste’!

If we truly believe that, ‘we the people are sovereign’,then the type of democracy we build, must reflect that.

…and those who are working towards that, in my opinion, should be practising it within their own organisations now.

Direct democracy, peoples democracy, popular democracy, call it what you like, the most important element are the people!

With Direct Democracy, the job of a politician will change, and that is what they fear. The gravy train will disappear and their bosses will be the people! People chosen for their expertise, not party-driven. A system whereby anybody not up to the job will be ‘recalled’ not moved sideways and promoted!!

We need courage to make all this happen, not egos!

Courage, conviction and

authenticity!

The most powerful triad there is!

The government’s answer to all who would dare protest, is proscription!

Modern Legal Meaning

• Defined as the official banning of an organization believed to be involved in, prepare for, or promote terrorism.

We have now arrived at the place where, if violence takes place at any event, proscription is called for. There is a difference between an act of violence and an act of terrorism, and we have different laws and actions to deal with them both.We create a dangerous precedent by trying to lump both under one heading.

The violence I witnessed in Glasgow last Saturday was not terrorism it was thuggery, and dealt with appropriately by the police.

Sometimes, when looking at how to deal with a problem, we start at the wrong end of the stick! Instead of asking what we can do with these people maybe we should be asking ‘why is this happening’?

Don’t get me wrong, violence is never the answer and in many ways just perpetuates the problem, but when people feel disenfranchised within their own communities… you’re going to get it!

If you think Councils represent the feelings of their voters, think again!

But they are very good at point scoring, especially Party point scoring!

Councillors only voice their own feelings and beliefs and that is demonstrated in Glasgow very clearly by the number of Orange walks they have, which is even more than they have in Belfast!!

Sometimes I think they ask for trouble!

For the few of us, who feel we are in a constant battle fighting for what is right and fair, we must choose our battles wisely. In a democracy, we shouldn’t have to, but we are where we are.

When a Party goes rogue, whether at the national or Local level, we need to deal with it when the opportunity arises. Next year’s Council elections are the place to start. We start at the bottom and work upwards, because it is Councils who deliver government policies.

…and there should be at least one Common Good Defender on every council in Scotland!

I am a great believer in the ‘ripple effect’!

One small pebble, no matter how small, thrown {metaphorically} at a problem can cause a chain reaction.

Are you the person who could throw that pebble?

What is getting under your skin at the moment?

You can’t do everything, but you can do something!