My guests this week Sara Saylers, Yvonne Ridley, Phil Boswell and Iain Lawson. I discuss the Claim of Right with Sara, its history, it’s intent and meaning and its use for us today in the independence struggle.
There is the usual review of the week with the 3 Amigos. Ukraine, Boris flouncing around the Middle East and breaking bread with a despot. The genocide in Yemen, child refugees from Ukraine coming to Scotland thanks to Hibs FC fans. The disgrace and implications of the P&O sackings. This and so much more.
Time to rejoice! Great programme, Roddy. Fantastic listening to Sara Salyers. Thanks to all of you.
If I can take the second part first, I agree with almost all of what Sara says, and I certainly agree that it is up to us to make the first move. However, the assemblies are going to have to contend with both Unionist and toe-the-line Scottish opposition. We are talking here about Scotland in the 17th century that was independent, and the people of Scotland, high and low and in-between, were, more or less of one mind about Scotland because that was their sole arena of action. It is very different today, and even very different from the Scottish Convention that negotiated devolution: Westminster knew it still had us by the short and curlies.
Today, we would face endless wrangling to even come to a decision to set these assemblies up, and jostling for power would take precedence. If we really want movement on this issue – that is, independence – we need to start a public petition that demands that the Claim of Right be recognized and the Treaty resiled on the ground of incessant breaching and on the additional ground that Westminster has, from day one of the Union, been acting ultra vires towards Scotland, its partner in the Union, and, at the same time, as we crowdfund to cover any court costs, then we throw the hand-grenade into the arena and wait to see what Westminster does. There is no other way if we don’t want to get bogged down before we even begin.
Like Sara, I believe we have an excellent case and can prove each and every point of our case, if we are challenged in court by Westminster. The crux of the matter is, Westminster also knows this and has always known it, allowing us to acquiesce in our own downfall. Will it, therefore, force Westminster and the UK – England, really – to the negotiating table or will they resist? Personally, I think they’ll resist and try to force through emergency powers to put a stop to any progress. That is when we will be in the confrontational stage, and we cannot afford to back down then. There is no other way. None.
On the first part of the programme, John Snow was interviewing experts on nuclear war for the BBC. You could feel the building up to an orgasm of ecstasy as these experts discussed how people could survive a nuclear war. They seemed to have forgotten that the weapons we have now are reckoned to be roughly 1000 times more potent than the ones dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but, hey, never interrupt a drum beater who has come into his own, with the reality of a given situation. They talked about Chernobyl and how everyone did not die. That was a small nuclear reactor, not a bloody bomb!
When we fought Germany, it ended up with day-and-night bombing of German cities until they were utterly destroyed. Why would it be any different if we went to nuclear war with Russia. Then, some bright spark decided to tell us that the radiation seepage from Chernobyl had not caused a wave of cancers across Europe. Well, it certainly seemed to have done in Scotland, but we don’t even count. Childhood cancers – no, not leukaemia, which is often curable in the young – but rare brain cancers, for example, have increased. We are seeing breast cancers in very young women, prostate cancers in very young men, as predicted. These people would tell us that we will gain huge health benefits from a nuclear war, like going to a spa for the weekend. The BBC is as much a mouthpiece for the UK government and state as Pravda is for the Russians. Are we being softened up to accept a nuclear war? What no one has stated is: where is China in all of this? Maybe they’ll be thinking about regime change, too – in the US – as a pre-emptive move to descale the situation. Who knows any more? Right across the board, reality is deserting us for the rock candy mountain.
Please forgive an old and retired teacher of English, but the possesseive adjective “its” is spelled without an apostrophe. e.g. The dog and its owner both survived.
It’s = it is or it has with past particile.
Sorry, but it’s important.
a quick search finds Phils’ Raksi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raksi
😉
Hi Roddy, another belter of an episode, you keep going from strength to strength.
More of an FYI than anything else for the readership.
Dnipro kids was set up after Hibs faced the side in Uefa Cup qualifying about a decade ago (a defeat, I’m sad to say) & some of the travelling support set up the charity.
Aberdeen held a collection for the charity ahead of yesterday’s match (another defeat) which was another great gesture form within Scottish football.
Long term lurker, first time attempting to comment.
Welcome and thanks for the info,don’t be a stranger
Excepting colonial laws and rules validate our masters governance we must now challenge everything no matter how small. Overlordship can only be achieved though our submissive acceptance of the masters superiority. We the people are sovereign the colonisers have no power and can only govern through consent. If we cannot find politicians who accept this point and are willing to fight for us , we the people must bring about the change required as they did in Germany with the fall of the Berlin wall. Soar Alba.