Before Scotland can move any further forward, playground politics needs to be firmly put back into the playground.

Now is the time for the adults to step forward!

I am so sick of hearing words like…he or she said!

Nobody is asking people to be ‘best buddies’…Civility will do!

There are some strong people within the Independence movement, but along with strength, humility is required…that is real strength

We may not agree with everything others are doing for Scotland, but we should at least show respect for their efforts; otherwise, we will fall on our own swords.

Fences need mending because something big is coming down the road, something that will require everyone to pull together. A decision from the UN on our status is only the beginning, then the real hard work begins by restoring the mechanisms of the past…the powerhouse!

They say you have to be ‘in it, to win it’ never was there a truer saying. But if we don’t let go of the past as individuals and groups…we won’t be! Events will overtake us and we will be left out in the cold.

Soon a bit of history will be up for grabs; don’t let egos stop you from grabbing it!

If it came from the playground, leave it there!

If I have left you with big questions then you haven’t been paying attention to Salvo!

I remember during the Brexit campaign writing a piece about how difficult it would be to unravel Brexit. The photo I used was of a plate of spaghetti!

Now, there is a way of eating spaghetti, although I never seem to master it!

Well, the metaphorical spaghetti has been thoroughly unravelled, and we’re left with what feels like an empty plate!

Yet everything still feels very messy! Maybe that is because nothing has filled the void, creating space for chaos.

Millions worldwide took to their feet over the weekend, voicing their discontent with geopolitics. In Japan and the Netherlands, they marched in support of Palestine, meanwhile, the French took over Paris and set it on fire, I believe the death toll was 5!

I have mentioned only three countries, but there are many more including our own.

There is a difference between ‘serving’ and ‘self-serving’! And sadly it is the latter that has brought us to this place.

Who, pays the piper?

There are laws, and they cannot be executed on a two-tier system; no other country in the world applies the Law according to the customs of another country. Yet that is what we see and it is that which angers people and why they are taking to the streets.

The problem is not the police, it is politicians interfering with the police.

Politicians lose their credibility the first time they choose to bend the rules. Whether it be for Party, personal gain or just remaining silent, the trust has gone and people don’t forget.

I have a feeling our new PM has seriously bent the rules recently.

Trust, is like a plant, it has to grow, it doesn’t just arrive on a golden platter. This is why it is important to know who you are voting for on a local or national level. Forget the hype but always look for the groundwork, those with proven work within your community. The spade work matters!

…and it’s going to get a whole lot worse!

If you think that you, as a citizen, matter, I have news for you… You don’t!

The two big stories of the week, have become so embellished with lies that they have become reduced to fantasies.

The TRUTH, fled politics years ago.

Social media gets blamed for spreading misinformation but the reality is, without the live on-scene accounts of many events and interviews with real people, unafraid to tell it how it is, we would have to rely on the bias of the press and politicians.

It is almost as if the politicians are following one path and we, the people they are supposed to serve, are on another…and that’s the way they want it.

The language used is more or less the same as it always has been, but now we have to second-guess every phrase spoken as a few subtle words are thrown into the mix.

It took nearly 12 hours for people to realise that Burnhams new Care Deal wasn’t quite what they thought. Once you unravelled the words a different deal emerged!

But the saddest thing of all is that most people suck it up and couldn’t care less…until the changes land on their doorstep or through the letter box! But by then it’s too late…damage done!

When people start waving ‘red flags’ take note!

I hope the folks in Carlisle are noticing the red flags circling Annan right now, because something that big is bound to have implications for the surrounding area.

Now is not the time to have a NIMBY attitude!

There was a time when you could see a clear dividing line between Labour and the Tories. That line is gone, it’s now about who can upstage the other on the world stage and who can make the biggest lie sound like the truth!

Social media, even with its faults, is still the best platform for finding the truth, why else would the government want to control it?

Let’s face it, after last week’s farce, they can’t even get “Fake” right!

The clowns have well and truly taken over the circus!

Can we stop this merry-go-round?

We could have, in May, but now we must live with the consequences of our actions for a few years and possibly endure a few more failed PMs!

Now, all of a sudden exiting the EU was a big mistake…who would have known? We now have Burnham and Swinney singing from the same hymn sheet, but they forget the big bogeyman…Deregulated Freeports and SEZs. A new deal may be possible, but it can’t be like the past all singing and dancing one we had.

We will pay a price for the foolishness of our politicians, and there lies the problem with today’s political system…no recall, but a hefty pension if they lose their seat!

Government and Local Authorities, hope you won’t! And when it comes to public consultations, they not only hope you won’t participate, they’ve proven, over and over again, that they won’t listen anyway!

The Law states, that on some matters, they have to ask but not that they have to listen!!

The whole system is built to enable those in power, to use and abuse that power at the voter’s expense.

Nothing happens by accident, somewhere along the line a politician, local or national will make a decision, whether that be in the interests of a Party or the people, is always debatable, either way, the stone has started to roll and can very seldom be stopped.

That’s just the way it is, and it will remain that way until we put people into power who believe in real democracy.

Not only is there a By-election in Argyll & Bute, but there is also going to be one in D&G in what is fast becoming a very important area…Annan!

https://news.stv.tv/west-central/plans-submitted-for-worlds-largest-data-centre-at-former-chapelcross-nuclear-power-station

Now, if the thought of this doesn’t make the hairs on your neck stand up, nothing will!!

8… yes, 8 giant centres in one place!

They say the air temperature rises by about 2 degrees around 1 centre within an area of 6 miles…we are talking 8 centres in this one area!

Think about that folks!

God only knows how much electricity it will take to run them and only one existing pipeline from the River Annan to cool them down…even with a closed-loop system.

The question is, will the Council listen to the people’s concerns?

Will they even officially consult with the local people?

Worldwide, these Data Centres are failing to adhere to their own environmental estimates, with many having to be closed down!

What happened to looking after the planet and where have all those Green Taxes gone to do so?

It is widely accepted that when it comes to the future of Scotland, it is the people of Scotland who should have the final say, they in this sense being the residents or locals!!

Bringing that premise further down the chain to local authorities, should it not also be important that those who stand in local elections, are also ‘local’?

If Scots know what is best for Scotland, then locals know what is best for their community! We seem to have arrived at a place where frequent flyers are flown in to represent a Party rather than the local people!

An example of this can be found in the Mid-Argyll, LA, By-Election.

All ‘Wards’/ Communities are different and bring with them their own individual problems. Only someone who lives there would know and understand that.

Looking at the list, only one person qualifies, at that is…

I understand Fiona has lived there for 40 years…enough time to know every nook and cranny, and all the problems that come with living in that part of the world.

It’s called ‘The Power of Local’! Because being local really matters in rural Scotland.

It’s time to restore balance by bringing local people into local politics.

Don’t you just love it, when an evil plan fails to come together?

But the question remains, who threw the first pebble hoping for an eventual tidal wave of trouble? A very thin thread has always held the Good Friday Agreement together.

Not just a political one but also a religious one. They say ‘politics and religion should never mix’ but the reality is, throughout the world they do..

Christians, Zionists, and Islamists all fight each other in the name of one God! It is the fundamentalists from all these religions who claim the right to fight these holy or not–so-holy-wars!

However, it appears the good people of NI are having none of it, with both sides coming together and making a stand for good and for right.

Maybe we could learn something from this in Scotland. Some things are bigger than our differences, that something being Independence!

It took a crisis on Galvaghy Rd to bring this community together… When will our crisis point come?

Questions need to be asked about who pressed the destruction button in Portadown and why, and questions need to be asked here about who, exactly, is playing fast and loose with Independence.

Sometimes we just have to move on to a different pond and make our own waves… isn’t that what Salvo is doing?

And it is a very big pond indeed!

We each hold a pebble in our hands; it’s where you throw it that matters!

Why now after 27 years are the Orange Lodge being allowed to march down the Garvaghy Rd?

Why has the British government said yes to this provocation? Burnham may try to pass the buck by saying it is up to the PSNI but the reality is very different. Nobody makes a move like this in NI without the British saying so.

The answer is, Unification is closing in!

And if they will go to these lengths in NI what will they do in Scotland as we ramp up support for Independence? Desperate people do desperate things. And yes the two are linked as much by symbolism as anything else. One would act as a trigger for the other.

It’s that pebble in the pond!

Never underestimate how evil some people can be. Only this time is different: the world is watching, minute by minute, and they can plainly see the motives behind the decision.

In the 60s everything came to us second-hand, carefully edited and biased. Now through the internet, we see first hand and are able to make our own judgment.

So my Q remains the same…why now?

As does my answer…Unification!

Beware the Celtic three, Westminster will not sit back and let this train run!

Something quite significant happened down south the other day, it may have been symbolic, but like a pebble dropped into a pond, it will cause ripples!

Will this act as a beacon nationwide? If others follow, a political party that ignores the warnings does so at its peril.

Symbolism has a loud voice, it’s just a pity our own FM doesn’t catch on to its importance. There is nothing to stop JS from holding a referendum in Scotland. Yes, Westminster would ignore it and say it wasn’t legal, but the people would have spoken, and it wouldn’t go unnoticed in certain quarters. If a wee community can do it and grab the headlines, so can we!

But, no, that’s not his style, real democracy involves people and they can’t have that!

There is a reason politicians prefer representative democracy, it’s called power!

When the FM talks about the people of Scotland having the right to self-determination, what he really means is that Holyrood has the right…and all who sail in her!!!

But then his mind is on other things, like kicking cans down the road at our expense. But soon the road will run out and all the cans will fall over the cliff!

People say loyalty to a party is important, but here’s the thing, loyalty is a two-way street. Blind loyalty is dangerous, it removes accountability and opens up the way for abuse and criminality. The Murrell case is a perfect example.

So, the SNP chiefs are determined to block their members from debating the way forward, it’s John’s way or no way! Great how democracy works isn’t it? Like all cult leaders, he demands loyalty.

There is no point of just focusing our anger on the SNP, we have to get off our backsides and do something about it. The fightback starts with every council election, every by-election!

There are other independence parties!

I am not convinced the ‘Celtic’ way will go anywhere, because each country’s grounds are very different. Swinney will talk the talk but he won’t walk the walk, but he will show up for the photo shoots!!.… travelling business class of course.

With this level of intelligence where it matters, don’t expect the SNHS or Education to improve anytime soon!

And these are the people who say they can run an independent Scotland…heaven help us!

This is where Direct Democracy comes into its own, no grafters, no more morons, just the right people in the right place, with the ability to remove them if they aren’t!

We don’t demand academics but we do expect common sense!

Leadership brings responsibility, and part of that responsibility is recognising when someone on your team is not up to the task. Not to do so has the potential to bring the government of the day down.

On the other hand, there are some world leaders, one in particular who think they are the new Messiah. Shutting down the Kennedy Centre because he can’t have his name in shiny big lights proves one thing…he is not quite the Fundamentalist Christian he makes out to be and certainly does not know his scriptures, even the American version!

New American Standard Bible
‘You shall not make for yourselves idols’.

Now I know many who read my blog, are not believers, but my point is, he says one thing but demands another and his followers remain silent!

When one knows something is wrong and remains silent, you become complicit.

A great wrong wasn’t just something that happened to Scotland over 300 years ago, it continues today, yet many remain silent.

Why is that?

Ending on a positive note, I look beyond independence to a future relationship with Europe. During that particular referendum, which was also bolstered by lies, Scotland voted to remain. The Europe we have today is not the same as the one we left, neither are we! So, would we vote the same way again or would it be EFTA? There also appears to be a new level of entry, ‘Associate member’ as Canada has been offered. Exactly what that means has not been fully explained yet, although the very thought of it has upset Trump…which must be a plus😂

Many say, once we are free, we should remain free…food for thought!

We can be funny folk at times, when we see what we call a bad apple in an organisation, we quickly assume the whole lot are rotten even though the original assumption may only be our perception. Sometimes born out of a disagreement.

We don’t have to support an individual who fundamentally disagrees with us, but there is a difference between supporting them and the organisation they might belong to.

There is always the bigger picture and to see it you just have to be the bigger person!

So, we’re skint!

You can always tell when the Unionists are getting scared, they always fall back on the old favourites. Forgetting of course that they too are skint!

There is a difference between being ‘cash short’ and having numerous assets. Westminster borrows money on the back of Scottish assets, [not having many of their own!!] At the moment we live in this peculiar position of having vast assets but we can’t touch them! We are skint because Westminster keeps us like this, they hold the purse strings, to what is rightly ours!

Remove them and we remove the problem!

Now I am not going to disparage what is happening with the 3 Celtic nations’ drive for Independence, but I will say this, Burnham will put a nail in that coffin pretty quickly even if it’s just by delaying things with his continual NO stance, and that will suit honest John fine.

Between court cases, his own conference and the Westminster inquiry, he is in for a tough winter and his survival is in doubt.

Let’s just do this!