7 months in the life of a world gone mad

My blogs are a place for me to write about lightweight and inconsequential stuff.  With very few exceptions over the years I have chosen to steer clear of political issues as there are many people out there who can articulate it much better than I can.

However, it would be wrong for me to completely ignore what is going on in the world right now. Almost two weeks ago, Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the USA after winning the US presidential election in November.  A few years ago, no-one could have envisaged such a ridiculous outcome.  He would just have been laughed off as a joke candidate.

Not any more.  Trump's successful election campaign tapped into the populist politics which have grown out of disaffection with traditional mainstream politics in recent years.  Although it is now 2017, it's beginning to feel more like 1933, as shown by this photograph of a sign in the US Holocaust Museum.

As for our own country, rewind just over 7 months to the UK EU referendum.  Although the theme of the referendum was whether the UK should remain in the EU or not, the debate was swiftly redirected to the main theme of immigration, and who could forget the blatant lies embodied by the famous "Brexit Bus"...

The Leave campaign suggested that the money we spend on the EU could be spent on the National Health Service - this claim was quickly denied/brushed under the carpet after the referendum.

Those on the side of Brexit claim that the referendum result reflected the will of the people.  The result was 52% to 48%: which suggests that it only reflected the will of the 52% of the 72% of the British electorate who actually bothered to vote, rather than a complete 52% of the British population.
Here in Scotland of course, the situation was complicated further.

As can be seen from the map, the majority of those who turned out to vote on 23rd June in Scotland chose to remain in the EU.  So it is understandable that the First Minister of our country, Nicola Sturgeon, has fought hard and explored every possible avenue for Scotland's voice to be heard in the Brexit debate.  In the aftermath of the EU referendum, Ms Sturgeon has proved her worth as an impressive stateswoman and spokesperson for the majority who voted to remain in the EU - regardless of whether or not you are not a supporter of her party.

Which brings me to the EU referendum and the possibility of another Scottish independence referendum.  I know a lot of people who support Brexit, but from my own experience, I also know people who would have been reluctant to vote for Scottish independence back in 2014 as this would mean leaving the UK and therefore leaving the EU. With Brexit, however, there is another dimension. Scotland is being taken out of the EU against, to use that phrase to reflect a majority vote - "the will of the people".  So where to now?  Well, polls suggest that there is no appetite for another Scottish referendum at this time.  But then again, who can trust opinion polls any more?

The events of the past year have clearly demonstrated the differences between Scotland and the UK's position on not just Brexit, but also the events which have transpired since that time.

Theresa May, (unelected) prime minister of the UK, went from Remain supporter during the referendum campaign to Brexit-Means-Brexit convert as soon as she landed the UK's top job. People are entitled to change their views, but her rush to a "hard Brexit" suggests desperation, to keep in with the 'take back control' brigade with the loudest voices and most forceful opinions.

As if that was not bad enough, this happened.

So, having ditched your Euro mates who weren't really your mates anyway, you headed over to the USA to meet up with your new BFF in the top job.  All the "special relationship" garbage was spouted.  But then your BFF suddenly signed some executive orders which completely turned the world upside down.  Suddenly, citizens of the USA wouldn't be allowed in any more if they were born in a certain country on a list.  There would be detentions at airports.  Families would be separated.  As the news unfolded, we couldn't believe what we were hearing.  Yet Trump's order sparked a number of worldwide protests which have reminded us that there are still good people in the world, willing to protest and fight for decency, empathy and kindness - values of humanity which must endure.  In the increasingly bizarre arena of social media, anyone advocating these views are shot down by the new fascists - or the "alt-right" which they call themselves - as a "snowflake": someone who is easily offended by their views.

Well, I'll tell you something - I'm offended by fascism.  So I'd rather be a snowflake than a fascist. And a million snowflakes can make one hell of a snowstorm.

One of Trump's election promises was to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Almost 30 years ago, US president Ronald Reagan went to West Berlin and gave a famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate where he famously said "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall".  Yet all these years later, another Republican president is advocating walls to be built, rather than torn down.

And we all ask....how did the world come to this?  Fascism is on the rise, although no-one wants to call it that.  And the PM won't criticise her new BFF's policy, which also makes her complicit in the rise of fascism.  #notinmyname

Back in the surreal world of Brexit, it fell to veteran Tory MP Kenneth Clarke to deliver a speech criticising his party's turnaround on the EU: "I am merely propounding the official policy of the Conservative party for 50 years until 23 June 2016.  I admire my colleagues who can suddenly become enthusiastic Brexiteers, having seen the light on the road to Damascus on the day that the vote was cast. I’m afraid that light has been denied me.”  It's a sign of how miserable UK politics has become when it falls to an old-school Tory to tell it like it is.  Labour meanwhile has shown itself to be meekly complicit with the referendum result and Article 50, trying to hold on to the votes of those who want to leave the EU.  As I said on here after the Scottish referendum in 2014, maybe it's time for new politics.  The politics of protest and standing up for decency and humanity, to fight racism, fascism and hatred.

The response to Trump's "Muslim Ban" has been encouraging and reassured us that there is still hope in times of darkness.  But it's still early days and there is a long fight ahead....

Things I learned this week (part 1)

On a wider worldwide scale: everything has gone to s**t.  If 2016 wasn't horrible enough already, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton to win the US election.  I wasn't entirely surprised with the result - after the Brexit referendum result, nothing in the world surprises me: but it's just another reminder that conventional left vs right politics is over, and it's now all about intolerance vs compassion.  I still hope for the triumph of goodness in the world, but the past week hasn't given me much to be hopeful about.

18th September 2014: that independence referendum.

45% of Scottish voters said yes: I was one of them.  However, 55% of Scottish voters said no, therefore Scotland will remain in the United Kingdom. 

I was on holiday in Croatia during the week of the Scottish independence referendum, and had cast my postal vote (pictured above) in advance.  As the arguments became more heated in the run-up to voting day, I was glad to be away from it all.  What more could I say or do?  Once I had made my decision to vote yes, that was it.  There was no going back, no changing my mind.  I may be a typical indecisive Libran but once my decision is made, I will always stand by it.

Being surrounded by No voters in my working environment, coupled with the torrent of scare stories being fed to us by the mainstream media, I had an idea that No would triumph.  It was hope versus fear, and of course I understand why a lot of people just don't want to take that risk, that chance, that leap of faith into the unknown.  So, despite my own high hopes and desire for change in this country, I can understand why people would vote no.  It was their choice. 

What I wasn't prepared for was the level of disappointment which I felt on the morning of Friday 19th September.  As I woke to another bright and sunny morning in Trogir, I reached for my tablet and went online to discover the result.  In just one second it felt as if we'd been plunged into the abyss, soundtracked with the sound of a nation's bottle crashing. And my other thought: "how am I going to explain the result to that lovely Croatian girl in the hotel who couldn't understand why we would not want independence?".

Hope had been replaced with hopelessness, with only Glasgow, Dundee, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire daring to dream of a new future. 

"If we are going to be better together, then why are we not better together now?"

Someone asked this question during one of the televised debates and I thought it hit the nail on the head.  In the last days of the campaign, the leaders of the UK's three main political parties suddenly remembered that Scotland existed and they came north in a last-gasp bid to save the Union, and even went as far as to jointly sign a promise that Scotland would be given extra devolved powers in the event of a No vote.  This 'vow' appeared on the front of the Daily Record, and was supposed to convince the remaining don't-knows to vote No.

But as we all know, it wouldn't be the first time that a political promise turned to dust.  Just hours after the referendum result was confirmed, the debate was suddenly steered in a different, federalist direction, and the possibility of extra devolution was now buried beneath new arguments about powers for England, Wales, Northern Ireland....and a general feeling that we should all now move on and forget that the referendum ever happened.  I have never liked Alex Salmond or the SNP, but the referendum was bigger than that.  When Salmond conceded the result on 19th September, he did it with statesmanship and dignity, and then he later announced that he was stepping down as First Minister and SNP leader.  Nicola Sturgeon is very likely to be his successor, which will mean that the three main political parties in Scotland will all be led by women.  Whether you agree with their politics or not, that gives you an idea of Scotland's progressive potential.

Of course we need to move on: dwelling on the result can leave you looking like a sore loser filled with sour grapes, but moving on should mean building on what the referendum started - a feeling of democracy, empowerment and a desire for positive change.  People are doing it in different ways: whether joining the Scottish National Party, participating in the '45' movement, keeping the arguments alive online, but as a 'working-class Yes voter looking for a political home' I feel that the time is right for a new party to be established in Scotland, or some kind of new alliance to represent us.  I found this fantastic article by Cat Boyd which perfectly articulates my own views: http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2014/09/23/a-scottish-podemos/  I can only hope that someone, somewhere steps up to fill that political void. 

Regardless of the result, I'm glad the referendum happened.  It provided a rare opportunity for empowerment and democracy, and it woke Scotland up.  The next big challenge is staying awake and keeping the momentum going.

The journey from Naw to Aye: my last word on the Scottish independence referendum

Finally, this is my last word on the subject.  (Aren't you all glad of that!)

In September 2013 I wrote a blog post on why I would be voting No in the Scottish independence referendum which takes place on 18th September.  By June 2014 the confirmed 100% No voter had become a Yes-with-reservations, as I devoured every intelligent argument (online of course - you won't find these in the Scottish press) about the reasons why Scotland should be an independent country, and a potentially successful one at that.  But I still had my doubts.

The referendum is now just over 5 weeks away.  I will be voting Yes.

So what changed my mind? Well, I have taken the time to explore all views and opinions, for and against, from all sides of the argument.  It has been a long time and a lot of work, but the research is worth it when the future of your country is at stake.  I have deliberately avoided the arguments from the SNP and Better Together, preferring to focus on rational, intelligent arguments and explanations by people who are independent (pardon the pun) of thought.  The Scottish National Party (SNP) may have facilitated the referendum, but I do not share their views and I can't stand its leader Alex Salmond.  And don't even start me on that awful TV debate last week between him and Better Together's frontman Alistair Darling: a shouting match which did neither side any favours.

I know more people who will be voting No than voting Yes.  Everyone to their own decision, but I would guess that many of those will not have taken the time or trouble to seek out all the information available, and only listened to the fear-driven arguments of much of the Scottish media.  I have chosen to take the time to make an informed decision. 

Breaking away from the UK is going to be a tough decision to make.  We have so much in common, we like a lot of the same things, we watch the same TV shows, listen to the same music, we have shared experiences.  But Scotland's political life has always been more distinctively different from the rest of the UK: we have always been more left-wing/socialist in our outlook.  There is a lot of exciting debate coming from the radical left and who knows - this could even lead to the creation of a new political force in our country.  Whilst acknowledging there are certain parts of the country which will always vote for other parties, the fact remains that in all my life Scotland has always 'been Labour' and which in the past two Scottish Parliament elections, punished the party for its swing to the right in the rest of the UK.  This brought the SNP to power and ultimately gave that party a mandate to hold this infamous referendum. 

The decision to choose independence for Scotland is purely based on our right to run our own affairs.  It's a chance for Scotland to reinvent itself, to make a fresh start as a progressive country, to create a  fair and just society where people are not punished for being poor. As the southern part of the UK dangerously spirals towards an extreme right-wing future and a potential Tory/UKIP coalition, can you blame us for not wanting to be part of that?

The forthcoming referendum has had some positive side-effects.  Political apathy took hold of this country a long time ago, so who'd have thought that so many people are getting out there to attend public meetings?  I had never been to a political meeting in my life, but recently I attended a public meeting where more relevant points and questions were raised and addressed in one night than you would ever get in a year's worth of televised debates.  Finally, people are beginning to take an interest in the future direction of our country.  However, when it comes to voting time, I just can't see the majority of my countrymen and women voting yes. 

But I have finally made my own decision.  In answer to the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?".  I will be voting yes.  In the words of John Lennon, Citizen Smith and Molly Smitten-Downes: power to the people.

The countdown is on...but I'm still a 'don't know'.

We are now hurtling towards September 2014 and Scotland's independence referendum.  Previously I was a confirmed 'No' voter but things have changed over recent months.  I've decided to avoid the 'yes' and 'no' campaigns, both of which seem to resort to childish mudslinging at every turn.  Neither of these campaigns would convince me, so I have tried to ignore the campaigns and gather information and educate myself on all aspects of independence, both positive and negative. Heck, I've even downloaded and read the White Paper (and was even still awake at the end of it!).

Although I briefly swayed towards voting yes, I still have some major doubts about whether we could succeed on our own, for example in terms of economy and defence, so the yes camp still has a lot of convincing to do.  However, the idea of establishing a fairer society is highly appealing.  The opportunity to create a fairer benefits system, or abolishing the bedroom tax, would be a positive aspect of independence.

Historically, this country has always been more left-wing than its southern neighbour, and I still believe that a lot of the SNP's success in the last two Scottish elections was down to protest votes and disillusionment about Labour's failings during the Blair era.  However, in an independent Scotland, we will inevitably be led by politicians.  With all their MPs removed from Westminster, this would be a perfect opportunity for Scottish Labour to reinvent itself as a party to represent ordinary people in Scotland, who watch on in horror as the Cameron regime drags the UK further down into a climate of intolerance and hate, with seemingly no opposition in sight and the possibility of a future Tory/UKIP coalition ruling the country.  Do we really want to be part of that?  It's interesting that Salmond and Sturgeon are now targeting disaffected Labour voters like myself and trying to convince us that a Yes vote does not necessarily mean a vote for the SNP. 

I have still to be convinced however, about how independence would work in practice, in a number of areas.  Even the most simplistic matters become complicated.  Just over a week ago, I queued with my fellow passengers at border control at Edinburgh Airport, on our return from Denmark.  At that point I wondered about the differences in our national status, post-independence, as travellers from Scotland to Europe.  Would we then need to join a different queue, for 'non-EU' travellers?  As a newly independent country, Scotland would need to reapply to become an EU member.  How can we really be sure that acceptance into that 'club' would be a formality? 

There are so many unanswered questions around our national status, and the economic cost of independence from the UK.  On the one hand - yes, in an ideal world we should be an independent country.  Why not?  But the whole 'UK' thing has been around so long - give or take 500 years - that it's only natural to wonder whether we would be doing the right thing by divorcing from the UK.    How do we defend ourselves, for example?  How do we pay for all the transition, when many  'UK' businesses are already getting uncomfortable about the idea of an independent Scotland?  You can't count on oil, Mr Salmond, no matter what you say.  Just where will all the money come from?

As I said, so many unanswered questions.  Perhaps the referendum should have been extended to the whole of the UK, rather than just Scotland: that would have provided a more accurate result.  Oh, and by the way, could they make referendum voting compulsory please?  It's hard to take something seriously when only 30-odd per cent actually bother to turn up at the polling station.  This is the future of our country, after all. 

To conclude: I'm still in the 'don't know' camp. With 3 and a half months to go till the referendum, will someone please convince me one way or another?

Yes? No? None of the above?

One year from now we will know whether or not Scotland has voted for independence from the UK.  The independence referendum takes place on 18th September 2014

The question, of course, is "Should Scotland be an independent country?".  Well yes of course in an ideal world it probably should be, but we are a country already.  We have our own flag, national education system, justice system, parliament, banknotes, national football team, etc etc. 

But it is not an ideal world. 

Scotland has not recovered from the destruction brought by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s as a brutal punishment from our traditionally left-wing country not voting for her party.  Unemployment, child poverty, declining living standards, lack of housing have all been major issues in this country, even in the 'boom years' before the banking crash hit in 2008.  There are particular cultural issues in this country which remain unresolved - sectarianism, anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug use.  Would independence change any of these issues?  I very much doubt it.  Scotland needs fixed before it can even consider going down the independence route.  Slap bang in the middle of a worldwide economic recession is the worst possible time to even think about the financial costs of independence for example. 

The SNP's win at the last Scottish parliament elections gave them a mandate to run an independence referendum.  After all these years in power, I'm still not sure what the SNP stands for apart from independence, and the cult of personality around its leader Alex Salmond and sidekick Nicola Sturgeon.  I'll say one thing for them - their management of the media is fantastic.  Not a night goes by without them being on the Scottish news on TV.  Do they ever take a day off?  Probably not.  But they are also supposed to be running this country.  Yet they remain a one-issue party, only occasionally throwing out crumbs to all the disillusioned socialists, myself included, but always coming back to "....in an independent Scotland..." and so it goes on. 

Salmond has been very smart in his choice of 18th September 2014: coming off the back of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games which I guess he's hoping has the same national-pride effect as London 2012 had on the UK as a whole.

My disinterest in the independence cause could probably be traced back to my own non-Scottish ancestry which has always given me a more international outlook.  But regardless of our origins and ancestry, apathy is in our blood - just look at the turnout for local/European elections, for example, and most people you speak to are more concerned about trying to find enough money to feed themselves or to pay bills, and couldn't give a hoot about the whole boring political circus.  (Contrary to TV anchorman 'I'm John MacKay' on the STV News at Six who seems to think everything revolves around the tedious independence debate).

I'm no patriotic flag-waving Brit either though: the 'English-as-British' dominance of our media and day-to-day life can be a major pain, especially around the time of the football World Cup/European Championships/royal weddings/Queen's various jubilees etc.  Those times suddenly make you proud to be Scottish! There's a lot of things wrong with being ruled by a UK government - especially one with David Cameron in charge.  Where there is poverty, recession and hopelessness, may we bring more poverty, recession and hopelessness....every blow administered by Cameron is further fuel for the Yes camp to boost their campaign. 

It's a shame they didn't give us the option to vote on 'devo max' - a more appealing option which would allow Scotland to remain part of the UK whilst being given extra autonomy on issues like taxes, welfare benefits etc.  This option could also be offered to the other countries within the UK, thus keeping everyone happy.  That may be a simplistic view, but I'd have voted for it as I'm sure would many others - unlike the straightforward 'yes/no' option - the result of which, regardless of whatever it will be, will only bring an unsatisfactory conclusion.  Except, presumably for John MacKay, who will have more newsroom fodder to bang on about for a long time to come.  In the immortal words of Avicii: "wake me up when it's all over"!!

Woo-freakin'-hoo.

So there's gonna be a general election in 4 weeks time. Which is a good cue to switch off every news programme on TV for the next 4 weeks. Because after just one day's coverage I feel as if I've been beaten senseless by political pundits who would win a gold medal if speculation was ever to become an Olympic sport.

Yet despite my increasing political apathy I have always voted since I was 18 years old, never missed a single election, even those boring council polls where about only 15 people turn up to vote (yes, I was one of that 15, my mum was yet another). So once again I will do my duty, and even if none of them reflect my political views any more, I will still cast my vote regardless :)

Hello Mr President

I got home from work just in time to watch Mr Obama being sworn in at his inauguration tonight. I thought his speech was quite inspirational, bringing a message of strength and defiance but also of equality, peace, freedom and renewal for his country.

I wish him well.

He's done it.

Well done Mr Obama - welcome to the presidency!

I can't remember a time in recent years when the whole world seemed to be buzzing with excitement about a U.S. election result, there is such optimism in the air and the world really needs that right now I think, what with all this economic doom and gloom and the c****t c****h (I refuse to mention that catchphrase-to-describe-the-recession, it sounds like a cereal bar or something), anyway you just get the feeling that this is not just a fresh start for America but it's a new era for the rest of the world too.

So let's celebrate :))