by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I had the misfortune to hear a propaganda promotion on the radio the other day. An actor with a strong Scottish accent was gleefully telling us about the benefits of the UK Government’s Levelling UP agenda, mentioning how money was being pumped into Scotland. Naturally, the puff piece did not mention that...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider Tory Government Ministers really do talk a lot of nonsense. Of course, they know that they can get away with telling brazen lies because that principle was established by Boris Johnson a few years ago. But I do wonder whether some of them actually believe what they are saying. For example, in giving...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I will admit I was very surprised to learn that Alex Salmond has decided to sue the Scottish Government. Since there is now a legal case under way, I’m not going to comment on that aspect, but I am wondering about his motivation. Clearly, an experienced politician like Alex Salmond is not going to begin...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I posted on social media about the comments made by Tory MP John Glen who is calling for some sort of means testing on Pensioner’s Winter Fuel payments. Mr Glen argues, with some justification, that some pensioners do not need this extra cash, and he would rather see it used to help alleviate child...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider It has been an interesting week in the House of Commons, a place which masquerades as the home of democracy. First of all, we had the Supreme Court ruling that the Tory Government’s Rwanda scheme was illegal, immediately followed by the Tories insisting they would amend the law to make it legal. It will...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider Rishi Sunak certainly caught everyone by surprise by bringing back David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. It changed all the headlines, partially obscuring the news that Suella Braverman had at last been sacked. Whether any of this will change Rishi Sunak’s standing is doubtful. Cameron is tainted by Brexit,...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider In my last blog post, I pointed out that the UK Government is behaving just like a fascist Government. I suppose that now makes me an extremists. According to media reports, the UK Government now plans to introduce legislation to expand the definition of extremist so that anyone who criticises the UK or its...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider Actor Steve Coogan recently upset many on the Right Wing by claiming that people who support the Royal family are flag-waving idiots. What he actually said on the Off Menu Podcast was: "Most people who are into [the royal family] are flag-waving people who, I think, are kind of idiots because they support a...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider The news that Ash Regan MSP has decided to leave the SNP and join Alba has once again brought to light the split in the Yes movement. SNP supporters are outraged, and many are calling for her to stand down so that a By-election can be held. Personally, I think that a By -election should always be held when...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I’ve been accused of bashing Labour when they are, according to many, the only hope of getting rid of the Tories. I suppose that is an understandable view if you live in England, but Scots do have other choices, and I remain disappointed that any Yesser can contemplate voting for a British Nationalist...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider There are a few political commentators whose opinion I respect because of their past track record of being correct in their predictions, and who have derided the SNP’s latest plan for progressing Scotland towards becoming a normal, self-governing country. Given their expertise, it is difficult to argue...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I have absolute sympathy with anyone who suffers from being bullied. Workplace bullying simply should not happen, although it does with dreadful frequency. So I fully understand why Dr Lisa Cameron has decided to quit the SNP Westminster group if she has been bullied. It is always better to remove yourself...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider This article is a couple of days late due to technical problems with the blog site which are hopefully now resolved. So Labour, as expected, won the Rutherglen & Hamilton West By-election. Also as expected, the UK media are crowing about the severe blow to the cause of Scottish independence,...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider It’s been hard to know what to make of the Tory conference. These people seem convinced that their way of governing is the right way despite 13 years of evidence to the contrary. Rishi Sunak’s only chance is to paint himself as somehow different to all the many Prime Ministers who have...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I’ve just returned from a short break in Germany where I visited the Munich Oktoberfest. Copious amounts of beer were drunk, and I ate far too much schnitzel, but thanks to my sighted friends, I survived the event. It was a magnificent party. What this trip also gave me were a few...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider There can be no doubt that there is a split in the Yes movement. While I can understand why people may hold different views, I can only reiterate my disappointment that this is playing into the hands of the Unionists. The UK has always operated on a divide and conquer basis, and I fear it is...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I will admit that I have not read a great deal about the trial of former Nurse Lucy Letby. That anyone could consider harming a child, let alone killing several, is so appalling that I could not bring myself to read any of the horrendous details. I can only imagine the heartache and grief...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider So the Tories managed to cling on to the Uxbridge constituency in the By-election, and most commentators seem to think it is because they turned it into a single issue campaign, with voters urged to show their displeasure at the proposed expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone. Since many...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider The other week, I was discussing the shocking state of the mainstream media with an English relative of mine. We were both bemoaning the biases, and he has even come to agree that the BBC are not impartial as he had once believed. I managed to recommend some alternative news websites and...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.ScotTwitter: @RabBrucesSpider I’m old enough to remember the days of Margaret Thatcher’s Government. I was a young lad in a decent job, and I do recall that the Tories were swept in on a wave of expectation after the many disasters of the 1970s. Three day working weeks, regular power cuts and endless strikes had left...