I want to live in a better, more democratic, socialist Scottish Republic as part of the family of European nations.
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2026-07-25T09:44:38Z Event JSON
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"content": "{\"name\":\"Indy Richard 🏴\",\"about\":\"I want to live in a better, more democratic, socialist Scottish Republic as part of the family of European nations.\\nStudied physics many years back before 30+ years in finance. Currently researching loss, grief, memory Studying my Masters in Fine Art in Glasgow after BA in Photography.\\nPassionate about improving awareness of childhood cancer and of trying to find better cancer outcomes\\nSupport the Hibs which is character building!!\",\"website\":\"https://mastodon.scot/@IndyRichard\",\"picture\":\"https://media.mastodon.scot/accounts/avatars/109/313/699/086/223/136/original/95b46c0f5a636b5b.jpg\",\"banner\":\"https://media.mastodon.scot/accounts/headers/109/313/699/086/223/136/original/ff76d08900cd70c3.jpg\",\"nip05\":\"[email protected] \"}" ,
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Last Notes npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I love this quote. It highlights the absurdity at the heart of our society. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 There is a quotation I found that says, "Why were we taught to fear the witches, and not those who burned them?" npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 An Israeli firm caught red-handed interfering in elections around the World, including here in Scotland, targeting anyone prepared to call out Israeli murder and rape. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Can anyone explain why what I believe are considered to be policies of the extreme left? I believe every person should have access to food, housing, warmth and cool air, healthcare, and education. I also believe that a select group of people hoarding wealth while others suffer is inhuman. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The FIFA World Cup starts today. Before it has begun we have witnessed the US limiting access for fans, players and officials. We hear of the huge costs of tickets, hotels and travel. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 We live in a strange, perverted world where holocaust denial is a crime in many countries, yet genocide denial happens to this day in those same countries. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Let's discuss the idea of "once in a generation" in a democracy. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 US tourism drops - International arrivals to the United States totalled 68.3 million in 2025, down 5.5 per cent from the prior year and costing the economy over $8 billion in lost spending. At the same time, global tourism has grown by 80 million trips, but people are voting with their feet against the US and Donald Trump. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 One further point. Peter Murrell stole £400k, not from the public but from SNP members. Where is the investigation and charges aimed at Michelle Mone, who stole £122m from all of us? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 As a member of the SNP, I am one of the people who donated money, which was stolen by Peter Murrell. We watch with boredom the usual nonsense from the press, desperately trying to smear John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon with Murrell's guilt. Their aim, of course, is to attack the SNP and decrease support for our cause. This will not make me turn my back on my desire for Scottish independence. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 This is why Scotland needs independence before Nigel Farage gets the keys to Number 10. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 | think Scottish independence will be better for the world, not just Scotland. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I hear that Tony Blair thinks the state pension should be abolished and replaced with a 'more flexible' and 'fairer' system. I think it is fair to suggest that, in Blair's mind, 'flexible and fairer' probably means 'cheaper'. Why is it that these multi-millionaires can't leave us alone? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 "This is a nation that invented the light bulb, the telegraph, the television, the telephone, the computer chip, the smartphone, the GPS, the integrated circuit, and even the internet. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 In Wes Streeting's resignation letter, he says, "For the first time in our country's history, nationalists are in power in every corner of the United Kingdom - including a dangerous English nationalism represented by Nigel Farage and Reform UK." npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 They are using the exact same playbook used against Jeremy Corbyn to attack Zack Polanski and the Greens. It is so obviously a nonsense argument being made. It is always made against left-leaning politicians and never people from the far right, such as Farage, who, at school, made hissing gas sounds and told people the Nazis were right. I wonder why the left is considered a greater threat than the right? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I post this so that people who don't live in Scotland see what are everyday things for us. Filth, Jocks, mocking our culture, an openly hostile BBC and press, London-led political parties who tell us the union is a partnership of equals and a voluntary one, but, at the same time, there is no exit door. This and more is what it means to live in Scotland under never ending London rule npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Whatever your politics and no matter how much folk might dislike the people of my country or me personally, is it ok for the press to call us filth? Is it any wonder we want to end London rule? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, says Scotland needs independence before Nigel Farage becomes Prime Minister. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Why do we allow bribes for politicians? Whether from foreign governments, big business, or oligarchs, they are all splashing the cash through direct donations, funding for trips and other perks and lucrative, non-parliamentary roles. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 #Green says 243 uses lately, although I am not sure what lately means in this instance. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Amazingly, today it has been revealed that Reform and Labour are hoping to combine to defeat the SNP. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 After watching the Channel 4 Scottish election leaders' debate hosted by Krishnan Guru-Murthy, here are a couple of thoughts. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I found this post, which details what Donald Trump was up to last night. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 What is wrong with humankind? Do we ruin everything we touch? We have a planet, rich in resources. We pollute the land and sea, strip mine, cause dust bowls in the land and overfish the sea. The rich live their lives of luxury, while the poor starve or have bombs dropped on them. Take email and the internet. Fabulous ideas to allow free access to learning and easy communication. What do we do? Pump email full of spam and the internet full of ads, racism and hatred. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Many of us have all watched on in something close to despair as first Russia in Ukraine, then Israel in Gaza, in the West Bank, with their attacks on their neighbours, and theft of land for 'settlers, and the US kidnapping presidents and starting illegal wars. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A reminder of just how sick the Israeli regime is. The IDF forced staff from a hospital, leaving premature and critically ill babies alone in intensive care. When staff were allowed to return, they found the decomposing bodies of the infants still in their hospital beds. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I know that this is a generalisation... but... npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Since Donald Trump decided to attack Iran, the cost of diesel has risen by over 40 pence per litre, or around 30%. The World economy is in big trouble, while innocent people are being killed in Iran for no apparent reason. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The day that Donald Trump dies, the world will breathe a collective sigh of relief, yet that one death in itself won't fix what is wrong with the world. Israel will still enjoy support from the US, no matter how many people they murder. Russia will still occupy much of Ukraine. The US will still be in decline, and who knows what atrocities they might commit following on from Trump's attitudes to Cuba, Iran, Venezuela and more. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 NFT. Normal for #Trump npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Anti-Vaxx Health secretary, RFK Junior claimed at a Conservative Political Action Summit that Donald Trump has "encyclopedic, molecular knowledge across a wide range of interests," and that, "Trump's knowledge is so vast it's invisible to the human eye" npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The day that Trump dies, I think that all around this world (with possible exceptions from offices of Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu), there will be a huge outpouring of relief. Trump deserves no respect or sympathy. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Maureen Lipman writes in the Jewish Chronicle - "Does the world have any idea of how tired the people of Israel are? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Sir Keir Starmer has ignored UK public opinion and is getting the UK ever more deeply involved in Israel and the US's illegal war on Iran. A poll just a few days ago revealed that 70% of voters oppose the UK joining the US's military offensive. Starmer follows Tony Blair's bloody footprints when he ignored millions of people who took to the streets to oppose his war in Iraq. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Fine words, which I can't help but agree with. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Heartbreaking indeed. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The MAGA crowd has the exact same mindset as the Brexit crowd. No matter how bad things get and where the trail of breadcrumbs leads straight to their heroes, they will still refuse to believe. As Orwell said, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A post I found on another social media site that is worth sharing. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Israel has flattened Gaza and killed thousands and thousands of Palestiians. Most of World said nothing and many countries supported Israel. Israel has now told people of Beirut to move as they are going to start all over again and flatten Beirut. When will enough be enough? When the fuck will common sense prevail, and Israel face sanctions? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The US and Israel conduct illegal and unprovoked strikes against Iran. Iran then retaliates. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 What was the real reason for the attack on Iran? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 So Israel and the US have started an illegal war against Iran. How many countries have the US and Israel bombed recently? Yet Donald Trump cried because he wasn't being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and Israel bombs their neighbours yet plays the victim card. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Labour lost a byelection last night in Manchester. Maybe no surprise for the unpopular party of government, but the real point of interest was in who else lost and who won. The seat was taken by the Greens, well ahead of Reform and with Labour in third. Those in the press who have been pushing Reform with all they have must be so disappointed. Gives hope that maybe, just maybe, people can see through Reform's racism and that Nigel Farage will never become Prime Minister. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Utterly shocking piece from the New York Times. Almost as if they are trying to whitewash the abuse of children. Is the US really that far down the rabbit hole? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I found this post and it worth sharing. It says a huge amount about Donald Trump. He never believes he is wrong. Where might that leave women or children who reject his advances? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 "Huge day at the Olympics as Israel picks up gold in the starving children, npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Absolutely correct. We cannot claim some moral high ground in condemning Russia and applauding Israel. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Revealing how much capital is being spent trying to portray the Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a sound man, a man of integrity and an all-round decent bloke. In the BBC piece below, they wheel out Gordon Brown to continue painting this picture. These folk forget to mention Starmer's ongoing support for the genocide of the Palestinian people. Interesting to consider what integrity means to these people. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 For many years, there have been rumours and suspicions of child sex rings at the top of the establishment involving royals, judges, police and more. It is no surprise to me that the Epstein files are such a tightly guarded secret with hidden text, faces covered and millions of unreleased documents. The rich and powerful are doing what they always do, club together, protect their friends, jobs for the boys. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 When I read this, my immediate thought was that one billionaire is trying to protect their rich and powerful pals. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 70,000 dead Palestinians, maybe much more. This isn't just a number. It represents grandparents, parents, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and loved ones. Each with a name and a face and a story. Murdered by the genocidal Israeli regime and backed by many countries, including the UK. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 There are only 3,500 billionaires in the World. 3,500 people hoarding the wealth, wrecking the planet, laughing at the law, sowing distrust and havoc. Surely we can fix this... Another World is possible. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Here is a letter that Donald Trump sent to Norway's Prime Minister. Just in case anyone has a shred of doubt that Trump has lost his connection to reality. I don't think I will ever understand why the good people of the US elected such a poorly educated, petulant man-baby to such a position of power. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Lisa Nandy is a Labour politician famous for saying Scottish Independence supporters should be treated in the same violent way as the Spanish authorities reacted to Catalan separatists. Yet here she is saying that the future of Greenland is up to the people of Greenland. I wonder if she thinks the Palestinian people should decide their future or be left to people like Tony Blair to decide? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Free speech, we are told, is a cornerstone of democracy. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi has jumped from the Tory ship to join Farage's Reform. This, despite numerous quotes attacking Farage and his policies that he regarded as offensive and racist. The exact same move in the US was made by JD Vance. He was previously very dismissive of Trump, then suddenly became a fan. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Here is an example of Keir Starmer's ideas of fairness, justice and outright hypocrisy. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I remember working in IT during the Y2K panic and all the extra work and overtime it generated. Sometimes, the bad things we imagine might happen never come to pass. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Society does not need the super rich. We'd be far better off without them. It not a message you'll ever hear from the press which is owned by the super rich or from most politicians who are also owned by the super rich. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood looks to restrict pro-Palestine protest. She orders a review of protest laws, including whether police should be able to move protests or need extra powers to ban protests outright. Mahmoud claims that this not a ban on protests but "about restrictions and conditions". Who believes a word she says? The message from the Labour Government is clear. It seems they only happy with protest they agree with. The authoritarian state in action. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Brilliant point well made by David Osland. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Energy prices highest in Europe. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I love little cultural differences, like npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Reposting this from AUOB as it gives interesting perspective on difference between membership of the European Union and 'membership' of the British Union. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Remember when some rich donor bought Sir Keir Starmer expensive clothes and new specs to try and make him look more professional? New specs for the Prime Minister was a spectacular fail. Starmer is blind to poverty, to the needs of the disabled and the elderly, to the terror the far right are causing on UK streets and to the suffering being caused by his friends in Israel. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Makes perfect sense. I believe that until we have no people left going cold or hungry or spending the night without shelter that there should be no billionaires. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Well said. BBC News and Current Affairs coverage are beyond poor. They seem to have forgotten what investigative journalism is never might what balance might be. The BBC is yet another mouthpiece for the far-right and for Israel. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The UK Home Secretary was asked about flags. She says she has Union Jack, Yorkshire Rose and St George's Cross bunting, UJ and St George's Cross flags and tablecloths. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Why is it that so many, whether deliberately or through ignorance are pointing the finger in entirely the wrong direction? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 You make a good point. It one of things I would like an independent Scotland to do differently. Yes still have political parties and politicians we vote for but also bring experts into Parliament to sit on committees and don't just leave it to professional politicians. For example, on health committees there should be porters, nurses, patients and more... npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Why does it feel like so many politicians are corrupt and for sale to the highest bidder? What happened to people who actually believe in real things and have a sense of morality? Has it always been like this and 'honest' politicians are rare beasts? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 An example of this absurdity is with Labour. Go to the Scottish Labour website. There is section where they claim you should join "Scottish Labour". Yet click on the link to join and you are taken to UK Labour site with grinning photo of Sir Keir Starmer. Labour are an English Party. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 It is completely ridiculous that most of the parties which fight elections are all English. It will come as no surprise that all of these English parties oppose Scottish independence. I wish that the Scottish people, on a point of principle, refused to vote for these parties. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Given that its a wee bit blowy out there with Storm Floris here is an appropriate sign on Edinburgh's High Street. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Sorry must be slow today. I come from world of IT and have lived with acronyms for an age so when I cross the road, so to speak, to a new field it can floor me sometimes when am not sure what something means. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 UG? University of Glasgow? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Have heard this many times of many people in positions of power - oh they're not stupid, they're cunning. I don't buy it sorry. I think maybe we don't want to admit we been taken in but absolutely I believe stupid people can and do reach positions of great power. In the UK for example we had Prime Minister Truss - she was as thick as a box of frogs. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I find it difficult to listen to Trump without my brain screaming about how much an idiot that man is and why can't everyone see it. I mean it is obvious. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Oh by the way, am not complaining as losing job pushed me back into education where I completed my undergraduate studies as a mature student and am about to start a Masters (as a slightly maturer student). npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I completely agree with comment about the over 55's. Just before Covid I lost my job. During this time I slipped over the age of 55 and suddenly it seemed impossible to find a job. I was later told by someone who worked in HR that big companies told agencies not to pass on CVs for folk who were over 55 as these were rejected out of hand. I therefore retired a few years earlier than I wanted to. Instead of blaming older workers why not look at Brexit for manpower shortages? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I do love a good takedown. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Welcome to Scotland Trump... npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Trump's visit to Scotland is going to be messy. We didn't invite him and we don't want him here. There is going to be widespread and very visible protest in full view of the World's press. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Starmer's Labour Government uses the police in an attempt to silence such protest. Here is a picture which sums up the sentiment towards Trump here in Scotland. I suspect it is the tip of the iceberg of anti-Trump feeling. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 One of the great claims made from the time of Thatcher was that selling off state assets would result in more competition and would give consumer's more choice with cheaper and better service. How has that worked out? Has selling water companies or deregulation of buses make the service any better? Has ability to switch bank accounts or changing electricity or phone suppliers led to cheaper bills or a better service? Was this always just about extracting value for big business and shareholders? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Jeremy Corbyn tells us that "Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable." It is interesting to consider why so many politicians seem to have no interest in addressing poverty and inequality. As for wars, some people are making an awful lot of money from death and destruction. Am never sure what most wars are for other than to make some folk fabulously wealthy. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Israel has been murdering 28 children every day in Gaza for almost 2 years. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A really helpful few posts from a Junior Doctor who is paid £20 an hour explaining her pay and conditions. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A post by Tadhg Hickey - "In my day, you'd have to go on gruelling training camps in South Armagh and Pakistan to become a terrorist. Now some vegan prick just picks up a sign, and he's Osama Bin Laden. They have it too easy." npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 I read that Corbyn's new party is being described as the most sinister party seen in decades. This by a figure who works for the Telegraph and GB News, Camilla Tominey. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The story below is about Australian native peoples and shows us the British Empire in action. That it took 200 years to come to this conclusion is amazing. The British Empire wasn't a force for good. It murdered, stole and ravished the World and has left some terrible problems behind including Palestine and Israel, partition in India, partition of the island of Ireland and more. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The lack of vision in politics, I believe, is a huge reason why for much of my life, no matter if it a Labour or Tory Government in power, we feel worse off. Things keep getting worse. One government does something, the next tinkers with the idea. Good ideas are very thin on the ground. All of this in what is supposedly the 5th or 6th richest country on the planet. It doesn't feel like we live in a country with good living standards commensurate with the wealth in the country. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 "Dear America, you are waking up, as Germany once did, to the awareness that 1/3 of your people would kill another another 1/3 while 1/3 watches". npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A Labour Government which would rather attack the disabled than tax the rich. They don't seem to care about all the distress they have caused to people from whom life has taken so much. Is the end for the Labour Party which has lost sight of its purpose and who it stands for? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The Labour Prime Minister has come up with a grand plan to try and win over rebel MPs threatening to derail his attack on the disabled. His solution? A plan that people already on disability benefits will get a better deal than anyone who becomes disabled and needs support in the future. There is no mention about what happens when those receiving PIP get re-assessed. If Labour rebels fall for this, it is another nail in Labour's coffin. Is there any point in the Labour Party? npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 We are all far far closer to being disabled and in poverty than we are to being billionaires. Think on this when very wealthy politicians support the wishes of billionaires when attacking those in poverty and the disabled rather than those who live their lives in luxury. Especially think about these things before you cast your vote. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 Very interesting watching all the threats towards Labour MPs who oppose cuts for the disabled. Worth pointing out that if approximately 100 MPs rebel this still leaves approx 300 Labour MPs who seem to think it is a good idea to attack the disabled. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 The list of people who refuse royal honours and have said thanks but no thanks carries much more gravitas than those happy to get on their knees. Keep your royalist baubles. Robert Smith of the Cure says this perfectly. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 This is an old cartoon which originally appeared in a Danish newspaper. The Israeli ambassador in Denmark threw toys out of the pram demanding cartoon be removed with an apology. npub1nzjz9lv86fwdq97mjglr5kvxlxvwuguggg8rqy23nhxkqr0wsfsqskj4fu Indy Richard 🏴 A Christmas image which sums up all of the children lost to cancer and how this time of year brings it all home. We lost our daughter Rebecca 9 years ago just before Christmas. We never forget.
