Chaos in Scotland.

[barkingmad]

It seems like Wee Krankie has her priorities sorted, what with the FreeSpeech law currently being looked at (unfavourably) and now she’s back on the Indyref2 soapbox;

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/po ... ished/amp/

I wonder when the fallout from Alex’s session in court will muddy the waters and her fall from grace will occur.

Are there any of the Jockistan residents here in O-N prepared to educate us on how they feel it might go?

Curiously this evening some SNPs were on their hind legs in Westmonster speaking on the forthcoming Fisheries Bill which seemed odd if they ultimately want to hand back their fishing grounds to the EUSSR!

[om15]

It looks like preparations for the Scottish Parliament elections are starting,

27C604DE00000578-3046335-image-m-4_1429520070681.jpg (119.18 KiB) Viewed 492 times

[FD2]

Sadly I think this is the sort of thing that will happen if the Indyref Mk 2 ever gets airborne.

[G-CPTN]

Does a reverse swastika have any significance?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauwastika

[ian16th]

Does a reverse swastika have any significance?

It was in the badge of an RAF Squadron with Burmese connections.

[TheGreenGoblin]

The Blue "Swastika" was the insignia of the Finnish Air Force.

a blue swastika, the ancient symbol of the sun and good luck, with no political connotation at the time – was adopted as the insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The white circular background was created when the Finns painted over the advertisement from the Thulin air academy. The swastika was officially taken into use after an order by Commander-in-Chief C. G. E. Mannerheim on 18 March 1918. The FAF changed its aircraft insignia, which resembled the unrelated Third Reich swastika, after 1944, due to an Allied Control Commission decree prohibiting Fascist organizations. It nevertheless continues to be featured in some unit emblems, unit flags and decorations, including on uniforms. In 2020 it was reported that the FAF had "quietly stopped" using the symbol in the emblem of the Air Force Command.

100px-Finnish_air_force_roundel_1934-1945_border.svg.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Air_Force

[Undried Plum]

From the height of the doorhandle and bell-push, it looks like the door was made for physical midgets, not just intellectual ones.

*****, in another word.

[FD2]

The artists obviously wanted to imply that the Tories are scum and compare them to Nazis, but the state of modern education being as it is, they have the swastika 'rotating' the wrong way and symbolising something else. A history of the symbol, or hakenkreuz for Germans, which has been in use for thousands of years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[ian16th]

Does a reverse swastika have any significance?

It was in the badge of an RAF Squadron with Burmese connections.

273 Squadron RAF

A squadron badge was designed and submitted to the Air Ministry in November 1944. The design included an ancient Asian fylfot (swastika) and a black widow spider, together with the motto Toujours prêt. Because of the controversial fylfot design, this badge was initially rejected by the RAF, and only accepted, in a modified design, over 50 years later, where it now rests next to No. 1 Squadron in the RAF Chapel at St Clement Danes, London.

[om15]

This is the reason that the SNP can't stand Jacob Rees Mogg,

[ribrash]

What a munter.Got a face like a bee keepers apprentice.

[FD2]

Brave man - from The Scotsman. It's just that a certain 'Braveheart' section of the Nats is slavering for another vote and the chance for more threats and intimidation:

Neil Oliver: 'My war of attrition with Scottish nationalists'

Historian and broadcaster Neil Oliver has spoken out about his “war of attrition” with a section of Scottish nationalists and said he would continue to stand up to bullies in order to set an example to his children.
By Alison Campsie
Sunday, 6th September 2020, 2:40 pm

Neil Oliver will step down as President for National Trust for Scotland later this month and said he was unable to speak freely about issues while holding the position, given the potential damage to the reputation of the organisation.

Mr Oliver has come under regular attack by online commentators since he came out to support the Union in 2014, with criticisms intensifying after he described the prospect of a second independence referendum as a “cancerous presence” and Alex Salmond as a “round wrecking ball of a man".

Mr Oliver, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, said he felt he has become a “lightning rod” for nationalists and described the vitriol as ironic given he had held “very middle of the road” views all his life.

He added: "I feel as if I’m in an entrenched position in a war of attrition.

"Since 2014, I’ve been a lighting rod for the nationalists because I spoke up in favour of the United Kingdom.

"It’s become an article of faith now that if you’re truly Scottish you would vote for independence and therefore if you’re in favour of the continuation of the United Kingdom then you are not Scottish.

"That’s just become a binary position that’s being pushed by a section of the population. But I grew up British and Scotish. I never gave it a second thought.

Most recently, Mr Oliver was condemned on social media after describing his “mortifcation and heartbreak” that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his family appeared to have cut short their holiday in Applecross, Wester Ross, because they ‘felt unsafe’ after pictures of their holiday home appeared in a newspaper.

He said: “With Boris Johnson, no one except him and his own people know why he left Scotland early to return to London.

"But there was certainly a perception that he’d been scared or chased out of Scotland and I thought ‘I don’t want even that suggestion about this country’.”

Mr Oliver is due to stand down as President of the National Trust for Scotland later this month after three years in the post.

He said that during is tenure he felt he could not speak freely on issues that mattered to him given the potential damage to the reputation of the organistion.

Mr Oliver said: “I couldn't say anything as me.”

Mr Oliver, who lives in Stirling with his wife Trudi and their three children, said some of the comments made about him had been “poisonous” – with many of them about his appearance.

Mr Oliver added: “I get endless comments about my hair or about my face or the way I walk or the things I do on TV and a lot of it is just vindictive, personal attack. I just won’t give into it.

"The longer it goes on and the more vicious it gets, the more obliged I feel I have to stand up to it.

"When I feel like I am being confronted by bullying, I don’t feel I can credibly say to my kids they have to stand up to bullies unless they see my doing it too.”

[FD2]

Our brush with the NTS and what they did with a small Perthshire estate left by a distant relative versus what the old bird's wishes had been gave us the firm impression it was just a mutual back scratching old chums' club.

[Karearea]

It would appear that the Peoples’ Republic of Jockistan are beating England in the race for complete domination of the long-suffering subservient peasants;



I am still getting used to hearing Neil Oliver speaking out against this sort of Orwellian nightmare having become familiar with his historical output on MSM.

It can only be a matter of time before he is “cancelled” and cast out into the darkness with Lawrence Fox and some of the other rebels who’ve fallen foul of the Diktators?

I watched this interview today and was very impressed with Mr Oliver and the issues he raises, which I sense are not confined to Scotland or the UK.

[barkingmad]

Karearea, feel free to fill yer boots and anyone else here who wishes to listen to one of the rare voices of sanity left available to us peasants.
It can only be a matter of time before the Twatterati mob come after him and he gets cancelled but whilst these are still up and running, then enjoy!

Simply pop this into your search engine and sit back and relax. “ youtube Neil Oliver talkradio “

Here’s another sample which has nothing whatsoever to do with me;

[FD2]

From The Scotsman:

Alex Salmond affair: How MSPs are working to find out if the conspiracy theories are true or not – Murdo Fraser
An MSPs committee is determined to establish the truth about the handling of harassment complaints against the former First Minister Alex Salmond, writes Murdo Fraser

By Murdo Fraser
Tuesday, 8th September 2020, 4:45 pm

Generally speaking, I am not a great believer in conspiracy theories. Whether it is the moon landings, the assassination of JFK, or the influence of the Illuminati, I take a pretty sceptical view of those with outlandish notions about secret events.

There are plenty of conspiracy theorists when it comes to the handling of the harassment complaints against former First Minister Alex Salmond by the Scottish Government. The parliamentary inquiry into this affair continued its business yesterday, hearing again from the Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, and also from the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe. It was an attempt to shine light into what is an increasingly murky set of affairs.

We know from previous evidence sessions that there were serious concerns around the handling of complaints against ministers in the SNP Government, and that the scale of complaints seemed to be far above what was being reported in the civil service elsewhere. This suggested a culture within the Scottish Government of bullying the staff, something highlighted in the evidence the committee heard from trade union representatives last week. If concerns were raised, there was a tendency to deal with these quietly, by moving the complainer to a different office, rather than addressing the root of the problem.

The committee is also investigating the handling of the judicial review by Mr Salmond in 2018-19, when he challenged the Scottish Government’s complaints process. We know that the Scottish Government subsequently accepted that there were flaws in the policy, and accordingly settled the case in the former First Minister’s favour, paying him legal costs in excess of £500,000.

What is significant about this sum is that he was awarded full legal cost and this is normally only paid in circumstances where one party has conducted the case incompetently or unreasonably, thereby causing the other party unnecessary expense. For it to be paid by the Scottish Government in this case suggests a woeful mishandling of the legal case, for which the Scottish taxpayer is picking up the bill.

The Scottish Government is still refusing to release the legal advice on which they based their decision to defend Salmond’s court challenge. It is unclear how definitive this was, but the consequences of following it (if that is what the Scottish Government did) were significant, hundreds of thousands of pounds spent in legal expenses.

There are other unanswered questions around the role of the current First Minister in all this. A Freedom of Information request has revealed that some 15 meetings were held between August 2018 and January 2019 to discuss the defence of the judicial review petition, in which one or more of the First Minister, the Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, the head of people advice Judith McKinnon, the Lord Advocate, and the First Minister’s chief of staff. Why was the First Minister attending meetings about what was essentially a legal matter? And why was her Chief of Staff also in attendance?

It has emerged that in the wake of the judicial review case, Leslie Evans sent a text message to a colleague stating: “We may have lost the battle, but we will win the war.” I asked her yesterday if this was a reference to a war against Alex Salmond, but she denied this, claiming that she was talking about the construction of a robust harassment complaints process.

I doubt that this explanation will satisfy many of Mr Salmond’s allies, who remain convinced that he was the target of an organised campaign by those at the top of the Scottish Government. It is the purpose of this committee to try and get to the truth of the matter, and we have still to hear from the First Minister herself, and Mr Salmond. It is clear we are some weeks away, at least, of getting a clear picture of what exactly has been going on. Until we have full transparency on all issues in this affair, the conspiracy theories will continue to abound.

Murdo Fraser is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife

[om15]

Newspaper report today regarding the situation in the Shetland Islands. Councillors are exploring the possibility of arranging an Independence Referendum .... from Scotland. This is a blow to Sturgeon, who leads us to believe that all Scots regard her as the new messiah.
This could prove to be an embarrassment to the SNP, mind you it is quite understandable, who wouldn't rather be part of Norway than the new Socialist Scotland.

[ricardian]

Newspaper report today regarding the situation in the Shetland Islands. Councillors are exploring the possibility of arranging an Independence Referendum .... from Scotland. This is a blow to Sturgeon, who leads us to believe that all Scots regard her as the new messiah.
This could prove to be an embarrassment to the SNP, mind you it is quite understandable, who wouldn't rather be part of Norway than the new Socialist Scotland.

Orkney & Shetland were part of the kingdom of Norway until the 15th century and still feel more akin to Scandanavia than to Scotland. Orkney & Shetland have returned a Liberal or Libdem MP for many years and this seems to annoy the SNP in the Scottish Parliament

[Boac]

I can see the customs borders getting very complicated up there. Wait until all those folk have to pay Norwegian prices for their whisky and see where it goes.

[Undried Plum]

I look forward to watching Wee Nippysweetie wriggling and squirming like a worm on a hook as this story develops!

Shetland votes for Independence from Scotland

Shetland votes to seek independence from Scotland

Shetland Islands Council has overwhelmingly voted to start looking at ways to become financially and politically independent from Scotland.

Councillors voted 18 to two in favour of a motion to formally explore options “for achieving financial and political self-determination”.

In a debate lasting more than an hour, members argued decision-making has become increasingly centralised and public funding for the islands has been cut under the SNP government at Holyrood.

The motion, signed by council leader Steven Coutts and convener Malcolm Bell, said: “We are concerned that this ongoing situation is seriously threatening the prosperity and even basic sustainability of Shetland as a community.”

Any move for Shetland to become self-determining would need to be supported by an island-wide referendum, councillors stressed.

Mr Coutts suggested devolution has not benefited the area and said the Scottish Parliament feels “remote” to islanders, who face some of the highest rates of fuel poverty in the country.

He added the levels of funding for ferries “negatively impacts on Shetland and everyone of Shetland”, although the Scottish Government said it has provided more than £15 million for ferry services over the last three years.

The Shetland West councillor referenced the 2013 Lerwick declaration by former first minister Alex Salmond, in which he announced plans to decentralise power to Shetland, Orkney, and the Western Isles.

Quoting Mr Salmond, who stated “we believe that the people who live and work in Scotland are best placed to make decisions about our future”, Mr Coutts said: “Replace Scotland with Shetland and that’s the motion here today, and I encourage you to support it”.

After the vote, Mr Coutts welcomed the result and said the council planned to speak to the UK and Scottish Governments next week about options for Shetland’s self-determination.

“The status quo is not working,” he said, adding: “Devolution and the Islands Act have not made any tangible difference to the quality of life.”

Ahead of discussions with the UK and Scottish Governments, Mr Coutts said: “I hope they recognise the challenges of living in Shetland, like the high cost of living, but also the incredible opportunities political and financial self-determination could bring.”