BY EFFIE DEANS If it turns out to be true that the Scottish Government paid £55,000 pounds to coach civil servants before they gave testimony to the Salmond Inquiry and if it also turns out to be true that these same civil servants met each other prior to testifying, then it will be impossible to avoid the conclusion that the whole system of Government in … Continue reading And Nothing but the Truth
BY EFFIE DEANS My initial reaction to Alex Salmond’s revelations was to be underwhelmed. The rather long, boring legalistic text that he intends to submit to the Inquiry has nothing juicy. We don’t find out that Nicola Sturgeon knew about Alex Salmond’s behaviour in 2014. We don’t find out that she has been leading a rather scandalous double life. We don’t find out that she … Continue reading Salmond V Sturgeon
There are plenty of reasons for moving to rural Scotland, with the wonderful natural landscape and bargain property prices among them. What are the key factors to take into account to make a good decision? Source: Pxhere Access to the Towns and Cities It is easy to under-estimate the size of Scotland and the remoteness of many regions. Up to 80% of the population live … Continue reading Top Factors to Consider When Choosing a Rural Property in Scotland
BY EFFIE DEANS Joanna Cherry recently said that the SNP “shouldn’t be about the cult of leader, whether it’s Alex or Nicola, or anyone else”. Cherry is unquestionably one of the cleverest Scottish nationalists. She wrote Mental Health and Scots Law in Practice in 2014. She is willing to think for herself on moral issues such as gender rather than simply take the easy route … Continue reading Cult SNP
BY EFFIE DEANS I have been writing lists of SNP scandals and lately I began a list of SNP lies. But part 2 is not another list. There are already enough lies and scandals. This is not our problem. The problem is communicating the truth. There is little doubt that support for the SNP has increased lately. Support for independence has increased too. In the … Continue reading SNP Lies Part II
BY EFFIE DEANS The SNP has a relationship to truth which is at best overoptimistic and at worst downright deceitful. Sometimes the SNP is wrong because it claims to be fact something that it is merely predicting at other times it becomes a first rank member of the “big lie” school of politics. Make it big. Tell it often. Keep a straight face. But at … Continue reading SNP Lies Part I
BY EFFIE DEANS In recent days the SNP has decided to offer free school meals to all primary school children and to offer £500 to all NHS and social care workers. There is little doubt that free things are popular in Scotland. Who doesn’t like a bargain especially just before Christmas? But there is something intellectually incoherent about such gifts. If providing benefits in kind … Continue reading The Price of Free Gifts
BY EFFIE DEANS The problem with Scottish Conservatism is structural rather than personal. Ruth Davidson is better suited to leadership than either Douglas Ross or Jackson Carlaw. But this is because she is a first rate politician. It is not because her ideas are any different from theirs. They all more or less agree about everything and the everything they agree upon is mistaken. That … Continue reading End Conservative Declinism
BY IAN MITCHELL The rule of law is at risk in Scotland today as there is a political wind blowing which is not friendly to a reciprocal relationship between the rulers and the ruled. This is by no means confined to Scotland, and the Westminster government has also been criticised for trying to “rule by decree”. But Britain has a robust parliament, which is at … Continue reading Judicial Secrecy in Scotland
BY EFFIE DEANS There are four European countries with populations of about five million: Denmark 5,799,640 757 Covid deaths Finland 5,545,596 369 Covid deaths Slovakia 5,462,617 510 Covid deaths Norway 5,436,637 294 Covid deaths Scotland 5,454,000 3280 Covid deaths Scotland is not listed as a European country, because it is not an independent sovereign nation state, but rather a region of the United Kingdom that happens to be called a country for historical reasons. However, … Continue reading Scotland’s Covid Disaster
BY EFFIE DEANS Something odd happened yesterday. No. Let’s leave to one side the peculiarities of opinion polls, the American voting system and matters across the Atlantic that don’t really concern us, no matter how excited we might get about them. The SNP lost a vote in the Scottish Parliament. Opposition parties including the usually loyal Scottish Greens united to defeat the SNP Government 63 to … Continue reading Angry Salmond Haunts the SNP
BY EFFIE DEANS Nicola Sturgeon once said that independence transcends everything else. This is the main problem with the SNP. It also explains what might appear to be otherwise unrelated issues. Humza Yousaf has explained that he wants to punish Scots for having insulting conversations at home. While we would retain the right to be offensive anyone stirring up hatred against various protected groups will … Continue reading Let’s Never Heil Humza
BY EFFIE DEANS There’s an Austrian school of economics. After Emma Harper, an SNP MSP’s confusion about what a currency is, we obviously need an SNP school too. 1. In an independent Scotland we could make money from non-existent secret oil fields even if the price of oil can turn negative. 2. Scotland already has its own currency because we have different bank notes to … Continue reading The SNP School of Economics
BY EFFIE DEANS We have all rather forgotten about Brexit in the past few months. Whatever damage Brexit might have done to the economy is trivial compared to what Covid has done. Being locked up in our homes with an illness killing thousands with no end in sight has rather put other matters in perspective. If we can manage Covid and we will have to, … Continue reading No Deal & Scotland
BY EFFIE DEANS Recently the Shetland Council declared that it would explore autonomy. Could Shetland declare independence either from the UK or from Scotland? Could it declare that it was autonomous from either? In terms of law the answer is No. Shetland is part of the UK territory and does not have a unilateral right to declare either autonomy or independence. Anyone who doubts this … Continue reading Shetland Independence?
