Politicising the Games

It would be fair to say that more than a few political point scoring has come from the London 2012 Olympic Games which are now well under way. This should be made clear from the start, the celebrations and the world class opening cerimony are not by any means a praise of Britian as a state but of the inhabitants of the British Isles. From Dover to  Dundee, from Cardiff to Carlisle and even from Belfast to all the way in the proudly independent Galway in the Republic of Island.

Many of those watching our fearce media in Scotland in particular would have noticed how the Referendum debate has strongly crept into the coverage of this fun and fantastic pan-global sporting event. With the unionist Defence of the realm: "That'll show them" mentality and the nationalist dour : " Mere money than sense, London propaganda mentality.

I for one am sick of the tribal and petty nature both sides are guilty of and while I too have many points to criticise both the wasteful overkill nature in which the Olympics has been run and the sycophantic nature at which the recent Diamond  jubilee is highly guilty of, I think both sides are missing the point.

To the Nationalists yes both events deserve some criticism they are both both brilliant examples what people with shared values can do and enjoy together. This should be enjoyed and encouraged. The "chip on the shoulder" mentality needs to be toned down and really we shold just enjoy the excuses to just party, there's enough bad in the world to be trying to add more.

To the unionists, these are not some big show supporting a constitutional set up or designed to attack people in support of independence, no matter gow many times you may claim. Get over the "little britainer" mentality and accept the social not political ideals on show.

I for one seen both events as a display of people from all different countries coming together  from the countries of the commonwealth celebrating the Queen and the role she plays to them and the Olympics where all the countries of the world throw aside politics in the common grounds of sport.

Neither the politics of independence or the politics of union should be helped or hindered by the events of this year or in the future because they are about the social connections in the world and not politics.

This may only be my humble opinion, but I and I think many others would like to see political commentators grow up and just join in on the fun.

An Election in Langside

It's May 15th and just as people could have said it was safe to stop mentioning the council elections in Scotland with their back and forth drama from the fallout of the past few weeks, there could be change in the Langside ward of Glasgow city council. The ward had returned a councillor from Labour, the SNP and the Green Party on May 4th at the original count, but the discovery last week of an uncounted ballot box has prompted a recount set for later today.

Both Labour's Archie Graham (Husband of labour leader Johann Lamont) and newly elected SNP councilor Susan Aiken are safe in the recount under the STV system, having won their seats on first preference votes. The real battle comes to the Green Candidate Liam Hainey, only being elected by a few hundred  more votes than the 2nd SNP candidate risks the possibility of losing his seat before even being able to set in.

Tweeting about the situation last week the SNP councillor in the ward Susan Aiken had this to say:
"My heart goes out to Langside colleague Liam Hainey. Regardless of whether this mess affects final result, it's horrible situation for him."

Both returning officers and Glasgow city council are rejecting some calls for an entire recount for the city stating that is was an "Unfortunate one off that would be sorted by the wards returning officer" While the situation certainly brings more attention to what has been an election cursed by low turnout, after today there should be few problems and the newly elected council teams can pitch down and get to work. The only question has to be will Langside have 2 SNP councillors tomorrow or keep it's Green?

An honest debate? Not if both sides have something to hide

You know the drill by now it's the idependence referendum and both sides are baying for blood. Both sides keep on shouting down COME CLEAN to people as Unionist's question everything from how many pandas will be in Edinburgh Zoo post-independence?, To how many Subs will be in Scottish waters.

The Nationalists have their questions too as a No vote no longer appears to represent the Status Quo, indeed even David Cameron the head Unionist in this fight has come out with a promise of further devolution past the Scotland bill if the people say no. The problem has been no one in the No camp seems willing to discuss what Further devolution actually would mean and nationalists have been quick out the gate questioning this apparent double standard "no jam tomorrow", "if you have an offer for people spell it out before the vote".

We have a situation of both the kettle and the pot calling each other black. The real issues must be with the Yes camp's reluctance to publish any legal advice from EU membership to the pound sterling and the No camp's position as even papers on the original 1997-1999 devolution settlement are being withheld and being kept secret by government officials. Something many people are happily to relate to the Top Secret McCrone report on the revenues of Scotland had it been independent at the time of oil discovery which was only release on the 30 year rule.

With such secrecy on both sides its the average voters that are suffering how can any big decision be taken when both sides seem to be so illusive with hard facts. Time for both sides to stand up and do their jobs, give people the hard facts as they know them and trust that their own arguments have the power to hold up and have the electorate voting on their side. This is of course just my opinion but it's time to leave petty party politics behind and start to have an honest debate.

The Media war's: a Scottish / British battleground.

Another day, another shift in the debate on independence. This time a move in the accusation of Biased media. While many papers are un-ashamedly politically aligned, even the BBC has been accused of biased reporting by both sides. So what could today's twist be? Well the imfamous Rupert Murdoch has used his new twitter account to send the message "Let Scotland go". This is the man whose Scottish Sun, Scotland's biggest selling newspaper a published the "Vote SNP today and you put the noose round Scotland's neck." Back before the 2007 elections in which the nationalists came to power.


 Anyone who has turned on a tv or read a newspaper in the last year would have noticed that Murdoch and his media empire are suffer from many problems at the moment, from the accusation of monopoly with his attempt to buy a 100% stake in BSKYB, The phone hacking scandal and subsequent closure of that old British Institution that was The News of The World and more recently the criminal investigations and arrests of  Sun journalists.


With people on Both sides questioning just how much of a good thing such a controversial figure as Murdoch is for the Yes vote, one thing is for certain having the support from the head boss of what can be discribed as the biggest media empire in the Uk ,especially in a scene full of party-line labour and conservative papers can only shift the media war to a more even grounding. Indeed even as people spelt doom and a News of The World style death of the Sun, Murdoch pulled an ace out of his sleeve by announcing the Sun on Sunday. It seems Murdochs Empire even with a rather strong investigation and critisism from both Scottish and Uk governments may still have a fair bit of fight left in it. With some controversial figures coming down on both side of the debate now, The National Front's planned anti-SNP, anti-Independence march springs to mind or the British First campaign spearheaded by BNP members. Perhapse it's time to accept even the more questionable members of society. At the end of the day, If propaganda is the New weapon of war, then the enemy of my enemy must be my friend.

The support of Murdoch will be welcomed in time but most nationalists will know, if you're going to sup with the devil you had better have a long spoon.

Does the US government even need SOPA?

And the first casualty of war. The popular file-sharing site Megaupload has now been taken offline by the FBI and its "Chief executives" have either been arrested or are being hunted down for extradition to the United states.

This comes at a time when the whole Internet have come out fighting against the American governments attempts to pass into law two acts "SOPA and PIPA" allowing them to take down any site they deem to be "Enabling Piracy". Baring in mind both that the site Megaupload is one massively used legally to send files by millions of people and two that they are in fact based out of New Zealand and not America, should the internet as a whole be worried? This was what was feared would happen if Sopa ever passed but it seems they don't even need the laws anyway. The FBI have classed Megaupload as an "International Organized Criminal Enterprise" and as such are going after them with full force. Should the Internet as a whole now be worried?

More than the simple fact that millions of users who use the site legally and have now been frozen out of it while still paying their subscription fees with they're uploaded files disappearing from the vapour or the fact that Megaupload themselves were just about to launch a legal online music marketplace that was hated by majority of the American Record labels. There's the little fact that this comes not even a month after the Megaupload team started legal action against Universal Music (UMG) over copyright infringement of their own, a case now most probably going to be voided by the FBI.

It feels wrong to be rooting for what are effectivly hackers acting outside the law but in response to this and apparently the only action anyone can really take the Hacking group "Anonymous" have said to have taken down the sites of UMG and the US Department of Justice among others although the Justice department seems to have come back online recently.

So has the Internet now entered a state of war? SOPA and PIPA were meant to be the tools used by the US government against online piracy as whole but as this speedy shut down and arrests has shown maybe they already have the power to do whatever they want? So should all other information and file sharing sites be worried and just how far are the FBI willing to go in their "Fight" against piracy?

Are they fighting for the right of law or just serving the vested interests of Corporate America?

Westminster: The mother of modern democracy, yet so unable to do the same to itself.

My title may be a bit obnoxious but my point is simple. It was Westminster through its colonies in the new world that shaped and created what is American Federalism through its local assemblies and autonomy. A system adopted in many countries around the world Germany for example. It is a highly praised system for its ability to separate what are bigger priorities to central (federal) governments while containing the issues that matter to local areas in those local areas.
                 So why is it that Westminster, the mother of all this democratic system, has been unable to enact these sort of reforms onto itself?

England as the main focus here are ruled by two chambers. The House of Commons elected through MPs that represent the people of the country and The House of Lords that has appointed or inherited Lords and Baronesses that are able to enact laws and scrutinise all policy that comes from the commons. So it is and so it has been pretty much since before the act of union more than 300 years ago.

While yes Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland all have local assemblies and parliaments, that is the right way to go but what about the people in England? They are stuck with Westminster a place where MPs from all countries can vote on English only issues when MPs from England cannot touch the local issues from the rest of the UK. Why haven't they been given a parliament? Why is there still a House of Lords when all other western countries no longer have such inherited undemocratic institutions? Polls are showing a massive increase in a demand for an English Parliament even with the major parties brushing it off as nonsense and unneeded.

So what's the solution? All this centuries old discussion on reforming the House of Lords is tedious beyond belief. Maybe just scrap the whole house would work, set up the House of Commons as the UK-wide federal government and give England the parliament it demands. Maybe then in a federal Britain democracy could be restored and people's opinions properly represented as it should be. Then we could say goodbye to the "Problem with the Lords", "The West Lothian Question" or whatever other catchy name people have for this situation, but then again there are those who would ask Do we really want to end up looking exactly like America?

Oh how the tables can turn!

With the Coalition fast approaching two years in power we see a Lib-Dem party in ruin, major members now indistinguishable from their Tory "Partners". How could Nick Clegg go from the height of Clegg-mania where the country seemed to be behind his promises of change to what people see as just a puppet of a Tory Government? All promises but shattered: Democratic change to the Voting system: broken, Free eduction for Britains youths : Broken, Drives for an Ecologically responsible country: Broken to name but a few.

The aftermath really is telling

•   Lib Dems lose three out of four of their voters

We have seen what local elections and devolved elections have done to the party and with another round shortly on its way well it will be a wonder if they don't lose they're homeland voting grounds too.

So now we have a leader of a party that may soon be insignificant, disapearing into the Vapor of Democracy but instead of making amends and apologising or even trying to rectify peoples fears and wants he has now launched personal attacks on all that don't share his or indeed is "Partners" Views.

• If you back independence, you’re an extremist, Nick Clegg tells Scotland

Not only is breaking promises and blindly shifting your position way beyond any mandate you have become a norm for Clegg and his party but insulting and threating all those that seek mandated a democratically right change seems to be the new tactic. 

I have but one question to ask really: Oh Clegg how could you have fooled soo many in 2010?