When President Biden arrived in Ireland on his way to the G7 Summit, he quoted the poem ‘Easter 1916’, by W B Yeats, remembering the brutality of the UK in Ireland, in an emotional address. By the time he got to England things had become colder, much colder. This from Alain Tolhurst in politics Home sums it up well: If hopes were not already dashed that Biden would side with London, then an eye-catching story in The Times on Thursday morning, just hours before he was due to meet Johnson in Carbis Bay, finished the job. It revealed America had … Continue reading ‘Easter 1916’ – ‘All changed, changed utterly; A terrible beauty is born’: The words leading to a rebuke the BBC dare not utter

At the EIS AGM last week, the motion on ‘the right of Scotland to determine the form of government that best suit its needs‘ was carried by a whopping 141 to 41 with 16 abstentions. So around 75% of EIS reps, by implication agree that a second independence referendum should be held. This a big slap for Labour’s Anas Sarwar with his opposition to self-determination for Scots and further evidence that the EIS leadership, tied by loyalty to Labour, needs to go. Readers may remember that in November 2020, I wrote of: teachers being led sheepishly into confrontations with an … Continue reading Poll suggests Scotland’s biggest teacher union climbing out of Labour’s pocket?

So, to add to the delights of Tom Gordon, the Herald has topped up its columnists with Baron Dunlop, architect of the poll tax and Adam Tomkins former republican leftie, now Tory. Not satisfied, they interview the dread Neil Oliver. I know they need the readers but that headline is trashy tabloid at best. Not his first of course: Oliver, who once described the possibility of another referendum as a ‘cancerous presence‘ is such an obvious propagandist for the right, no self-respecting newspaper should be interviewing him. His track record is foul. In February: “They left their windswept crofts behind … Continue reading Herald confirms its move to the right with Neil Oliver interview

John Nicolson, SNP MP and former BBC Scotland staffer has tweeted that BBC Scotland staff have contacted him about ‘worrying sounding proposals for Pacific Quay‘. He has written the above to the head of BBC Scotland. Perhaps he remembers ‘good people‘ there and doubts that there is systemic anti-independence bias operating. My view is different, based on the evidence. Replacing the existing propagandists and the thoroughly conditioned loyal youngsters with unaligned professionals from England can only be an improvement. Any campaign to protect Scottish jobs would be the kind of irrational, narrow nationalism we must not encourage. Let those surplus … Continue reading Hell mend them?

The BBC Scotland Business website, with some readers I feel sure, did headline the dramatic letter from Scotland’s food and drink sector, criticising the UK/Australia trade deal but Reporting Scotland last night, on the very day the letter is published, as often before, ignores a story that does not fit their hardcore loyalism and the nurturing of their uniquely elderly and conservative audience, essential to the No vote. It’s hard to see the inconsistency between the website and broadcasts as anything other than political. Imagine the same group had criticised the Scottish Government and the opposition parties were then able … Continue reading Reporting Scotland ploughing its own narrow nationalist furrow

Twenty paragraphs on Russia and this frankly ludicrous, fawning, attempt to paint Johnson as his hero, Churchill: President Biden arrived in the UK on Wednesday. He will meet PM Boris Johnson to agree a new “Atlantic Charter”. The pact will be a modern version of the one agreed between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, with a focus on challenges including climate change and security. before this carefully worded avoidance of the truth of Johnson’s responsibilities for the crisis in Northern Ireland: Mr Biden is expected to warn that the UK-EU trade row could endanger peace in Northern Ireland. He will … Continue reading BBC tries to hide Biden’s warning for Johnson over Northern Ireland

A ‘Unionist fightback?’ What, have we finished correcting all the mythological accounts of how good a thing the British Empire was? Do they want a fightback against accuracy? Do they want the weans and bairns to hear more on the positives in mass slavery, genocidal military campaigns, organised famines in India and Ireland, the theft of resources, my ancestors role in terrorising the good folk of Ireland, India, Aden and god knows how many other parts, and the many many other horrors typical of empires? I left school in 1969 with a Higher History, knowing all about Wellington’s campaigns and … Continue reading Fightback in Scottish history teaching!

Despite much dwelt-upon shortages of infrastructure and of PPE, the infection rate, currently 8.2 per 100K, in both countries, looks like falling below that of the UK in the next few days. Though fascinated with the deaths, the apparent hospital chaos and the massed funeral pyres, only a few weeks ago, UK media have turned their gaze away from India now that she is clearly on top on the pandemic. Only CBS News has ‘India eases COVID restrictions as infections hit 2-month low.’ Important news for the UK’s many citizens with family there? No, instead the ‘Black Fungus‘ infecting some … Continue reading SHOCK: UK infection rate now as high as in India

 (Image: Daily Mirror) From SNP Westminster Press Office: The SNP has condemned the cronyism at the core of Boris Johnson’s government, following a damning High Court ruling that the Tory government acted unlawfully when handing out lucrative Covid contracts to those with close links to senior Tory figures. Mrs Justice O’Farrell, who issued the ruling on the Cabinet Office contract with Public First, stated today that: “The decision of 5 June 2020 to award the contract to Public First gave rise to apparent bias and was unlawful.” The firm is owned by friends of Boris Johnson’s disgraced former adviser Dominic Cummings.  … Continue reading ‘A catalogue of cronyism’