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SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Flag: LION RAMPANT Scots, wha' hae wi' Wallace bled,

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Click on the following topics:
PROTEST against yet another BETRAYAL of the Scottish people

Queen OR Country? - Elizabeth OR Scotland?

The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer

Scottish Elections 1st May 2003

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Tel. 07796 790 745 (Vodafone Mobile) Aberdeen, Scotland.
Email: [email protected]
Peter Dow's Yahoo Profile

My old email address of [email protected] is somewhat overrun with spam so I've set up a new account - so use the below AddressGuard email address which is easier to change in future.

Telephoning Peter Dow From Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland - Tel. 07796 790 745 From elsewhere in the world - Tel. 00 44 7796 790 745 Tips: Give me notice of your intention to telephone me with an email ([email protected]), the day or two before you phone - so that I will be expecting your call. If there's no time for an email, then send me a text message first. It's a mobile (Vodafone) number. Anonymous or nuisance calls are not welcome.

The Robert the Bruce monument, Bannockburn

Music: "Scots Wha' Hae" from the Scottish Fantasy, by Max Bruch

Excerpt from the 4th movement. Finale (Allegro guerriero)

Based on the traditional song of the poem "Scots Wha' Hae" by Robert Burns

Click to Hear the Glasgow Pheonix Choir Visit the Glasgow Pheonix Choir website

Ronnie Browne

Alistair Murdoch

Click to Music: Flower of Scotland by The Corries

The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer:

The primary duty is to bear, to carry or to display the Scottish National Standard, the Lion Rampant, prominently so that the people of Scotland may easily identify those who would lead them to success in all matters of government policy and service delivery - from health care to defending freedom.
A bearer can always lead by advising and educating Scots, even if not in command or giving orders.
Therefore, I, Peter Dow, should quite rightly bear the standard, by virtue of my leadership abilities. Luckily, Scotland has been blessed with many fine leaders now (but not the Queen) and in the past (like William Wallace).

If a person is not fit or competent for a Scottish leadership role then that person has no business bearing the Scottish National Standard, at least in a political or military leadership role.
Therefore Queen Elizabeth, with her limited abilities and tendency to betray any trust in her, has no business misusing the Lion Rampant by incorporating it as part of her royal standard. Scots should not accept this misuse of our standard by Elizabeth and we should endeavour to reclaim the Lion Rampant for use by the nation's true leaders.

In non-political and non-military circumstances, such as at sporting events, fans bearing the Lion Rampant should merely be of exemplary behaviour, so as not to disgrace the Scottish nation.

Nowadays, Scottish republicans have a better claim to the Lion Rampant than any royalist.
Admittedly, in ancient times, Scotland's actual leaders may well have been the Scottish Kings and Queens. However, times have changed, and for the better.
Nowadays, the Scottish nation's true leaders are the best politicians and campaigners whose democratic principles and intelligence lead them to demand the election of a President as the head of state for Scotland. Nowadays, Scotland's best leaders are REPUBLICANS, NOT ROYALISTS!

If the Lion Rampant is to be a Scottish national leadership symbol - and I believe that it should - then Scottish Republicans should claim ownership of this flag. The Lion Rampant truly belongs to those leaders who can really defend the interests of the Scottish people.

Click to: Scottish Republican News

Robert Burns was no doubt correct when he said that "A man's a man, for a' that". Even more to the point, Peter Dow says that "Today, a Queen is NOT a good national leader, for a' that!" Music: A Man's a Man for A' That - The McCalmans

The Lion Rampant, in a modern political context, is NOT, repeat NOT, for those who merely claim, as Elizabeth does, "I am Queen of Scots" or, as Charles wants to, "I am King of Scots". None of the Windsors have the leadership abilities that would entitle them to use the Lion Rampant.

Additionally, it would be an error and an omission on the part of a novice Scottish republican who allowed the royalists unchallenged use of an important national symbol like the Lion Rampant flag. True Scottish republicans, like myself, are the true Scottish patriots, after all. Therefore, it is we Scottish republicans who are entitled to use all Scottish patriotic symbols.

On the other hand, royalists now seem doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past and so forever to betray Scotland. Therefore it is time for these modern-day traitors to Scotland to relinquish the Lion Rampant to their political betters.

For every person in Scotland, of Scotland or loving Scotland there is an equally proud flag to fly at any time - the Scottish national flag, the white St. Andrew's cross on a blue background, sometimes known as the saltire. This flag is for us all, as is the mercy of St. Andrew.

Click to William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland

Click on the following Bearer functions:
To make Scotland's commanders democratically accountable
To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority
To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics
To report to the Scots when commanders fail their responsibilities

William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland

William Wallace, declared "Guardian of Scotland" and effectively, therefore, the acting head of state of Scotland, was fully entitled to use the Scottish National Standard, the Lion Rampant, or to have it borne on his behalf by his officers.

Click on the following William Wallace links -

The William Wallace Society

Braveheart - the movie

Sound: Gibson as Wallace, delivering a rousing speech before battle to the army of Scots "Sons of Scotland"

Click on the following Bearer functions:

To make Scotland's commanders democratically accountable

Scotland's commanders are those who command or control Scotland's forces or forces in Scotland, either controlling force policy or having operational control over individual officers or employees.

Force officers may be armed or unarmed and do, either properly or improperly, act to fire upon, to kill, to injure, to arrest, to detain, to imprison, to remand, or to restrain persons. Such violent actions are typical in the courts, the police, the prisons, secure mental hospitals and the military; similar actions occasionally occur in other public institutions or the private sector. Commanders are held jointly responsible for the actions of their officers or employees; failure of discipline is no excuse for a commander.

The Scottish people demand and deserve commanders who are democratically accountable. The commanders should be directly elected by the people or directed by the elected representatives of the people. All of the people of Scotland are entitled to have their say about who should or should not command in Scotland or in Scotland's name.

Therefore it is the duty of a Scottish National Standard Bearer to ensure that elections and referendums are held freely and fairly and the results are respected and implemented; further, a Bearer has a duty to ensure that no commander becomes a law unto him/herself.

In particular and at present, a Scottish National Standard Bearer would assert the rights of the Scottish people and parliament when the likes of Queen Elizabeth and the royalist state attempt to overrule those rights. So a Bearer would have a duty to oppose any attempt to require persons elected to have to declare allegiance to the Queen before taking their seats as Members of the Scottish Parliament (click for royalist bullying rules).

Even if a majority of M.S.P.s are happy with the Queen, it is not democratic for the majority to threaten to deny the minority their rightful place in parliament (click for The Scotsman's report). A Bearer must stand for the rights of all the people, not just the rights of the majority. Democracy means government by all the people - it does not mean dictatorship by the majority.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority.
Ranks 1 to 4
Click for: Ranks 5 to 8 ___ Ranks 9 to 11 ___ Ranks 12 & 13

The constitutional rights of the Scottish people and parliament. The sovereignty of the people.

RANK		PEOPLE OR PERSON Any official websites are linked to in this column		COMMENT Links in this column are to this website
1	Highest Rank	National Anthem	The People of Scotland, who, as a nation, are sovereign.	Defending the Scots' sovereign political rights and independence
2	Highest Ranking Body		The Scottish Parliament, having acting sovereignty.	Worthwhile institution, mostly rubbish MSPs
3	Highest Ranking Person		The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, who is ex officio entitled to act as Scottish head of state.	Presiding Officers are not entitled to surrender the authority of their office and the sovereign rights of the Scots to Queen Elizabeth's state. Traitors!
4	2 M.S.P.s		The Deputy Presiding Officers.

Music: Flower of Scotland, by The Corries

The Scottish National Anthem

To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority. Ranks 5 to 8

Click for: Ranks 1 to 4 ___ Ranks 9 to 11 ___ Ranks 12 & 13

Click here to: The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer

To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority. Ranks 9 to 11

Click for: Ranks 1 to 4 ___ Ranks 5 to 8 ___ Ranks 12 & 13

Click here to: The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer

To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority. Ranks 12 & 13

Click for: Ranks 1 to 4 ___ Ranks 5 to 8 ___ Ranks 9 to 11

The constitutional rights of individual Scots. The limits to command authority.

Click to: The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer

To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Scots do want their politicians and commanders to act wisely and in the public interest - all of our futures depend on that. It is therefore vital that high quality advice is available to politicians and commanders - who may be popular but who will not have the high intelligence and the great wisdom to succeed without the necessary helpful advice. There is no shame in asking for help - the greatest shame is reserved for those politicians and commanders who refuse any and all good advice and who try to silence unwanted advice and criticism; they blunder on, we all suffer the consequences. Sadly, Scottish politicians seem to be relying too much for their advice on the class of self-accredited incompetents infesting the majority of academic posts in Scotland's universities.

Political Independence for Scotland

The political independence of the Scottish people may be threatened by any of the following. The threats are listed in the degree of danger they currently pose to the independence of the Scots to govern themselves democratically.
It is the duty of a Scottish National Standard Bearer to resist all attempts to thwart the independence of Scotland.

Therefore I say to those who might threaten the freedom of the Scots - "The Scots, like the Britons, will never be slaves. We share with Spartacus the desire and the intention to free all people from slavery the world over."

Click here for:
No. 1: Threats from within Scotland. The fascist police state. (most dangerous)
No. 2: Threats from the U.K. (2^nd most dangerous)
No. 3: Threats from Europe (3^rd most dangerous)
No.4: Threats from global reach organisations (least dangerous)
War on Terrorism ___ To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Index, site map and search ___ Return to this Web site's Start Page

Threats from within Scotland. The fascist police state.

This is the building in Edinburgh now housing the Supreme Courts of Scotland (formerly, this site was home to the ancient Scottish Parliament). The judges have a statue there of some ancient Roman fascist ruler on a horse - for inspiration, presumably. So the judges are for the might of Imperial Rome and for enslaving the world whereas the Scots are for Spartacus and for freeing the world. This building is now enemy headquarters.

The most dangerous threat to the independence of the Scots comes from Scottish-based undemocratic (or fascist) groups of state officers, such as the unaccountable judiciary or police. These state officers can pervert the legal system according to their own selfish prejudices or interests while claiming to be legitimate enforcers of law and order.

Fascists AND Terrorists
These fascists terrorise other Scots into submitting to their misrule by mistreating outspoken or protesting Scots as common criminals, civil wrong doers or the criminally insane. The fascists (or terrorists) are perverse and unjust in their misrule.
Scots who simply wish to speak out and to protest are trying to do their duty as they see it and they are usually the very best of Scots. Only an enemy of Scotland would so mistreat outspoken and protesting Scots. The fascists do mistreat the best of Scots. Clearly, the Scottish people have within them their own worst enemies - the state enemy within, so to speak. Such an enemy oppressive state is often referred to as "a fascist police state".
Click to: Police sadistic torturers _ Arrogant and tyrannical judges

Bestial and cruel police and judges rule (for now)

The Declaration of Arbroath Click for: A high resolution photograph of this art or a modern interpretation of the Declaration of Arbroath

It is of course, extremely humiliating for a decent and noble human being like myself to have to grovel to such bestial and cruel police officers and judges. Nevertheless, that is what good people must appear to do in order simply to survive in this fascist/terrorist-run Scotland.
Proud patriots of Scotland, such are merely tactical grovels so that we may live to fight again another day. We Scots "will yield in no least way" (quote from a translation of The Declaration of Arbroath) to ANY FASCIST dominion - whether the fascists and terrorists be Scottish, English or whatever. I believe that the Scots shall defeat the fascists. One day, there will be freedom for the people of Scotland and the Scots will grovel no more.
Click to: Target the judges

Police sadistic torturers

Having been arrested myself a few times for protesting, I can testify that some police officers are sadistic torturers who can hurt and injure people they have arrested simply because they enjoy it.

For example, the police are issued with rigid handcuffs - a rigid bar (not a chain) connects the wrist braces and police officers can exert excruciating bruising force on the arrested person's wrists, and cut off the blood supply to the hands. When they brutally misused rigid handcuffs on me, I screamed in agony but the police officers just laughed. A lot of police officers really enjoy hurting people. They are the sort of evil people who would happily have served in the Nazi SS as extermination camp guards. One Scottish police officer himself was injured and traumatised while being "trained" in the use of rigid handcuffs. He successfully sued.

Police officers are now issued with bone breaking metal truncheons and personal chemical weapon dispensers (Check out CS Sprays - police use, human rights, dangers, science, defence, manufacturer). (Perhaps next they'll be getting firearms routinely - perhaps to shoot someone daring publicly to give out a leaflet, or to display a poster?)

This police brutality is unofficially state sanctioned - police officers can in practice torture with impunity, whatever the theory of the police complaints procedure. For example, in a police station, I've been tortured at the Sergeant's desk, while on the wall, a poster about the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is displayed (but utterly ignored). The state is completely hypocritical.

The dangers of police equipment, brutality and what to do

The design of these rigid handcuffs invites, and makes it easy for, brutal or careless police officers to seriously damage the health of the handcuffed person. It is not just the traumatising agony but permanent damage may be done both by crushing injury to the wrist themselves, or by injury to the hands and to other parts of the body by blood clots which may form if the blood supply to the hands is impeded for any length of time. If blood clots lodge in the hands themselves then death of the tissues in the hands may occur leading to partial or total permanent loss of the use of your hands - permanent disability may result. Ultimately, as in deep vein thrombosis, if blood clots travel from the hands and then lodge in the brain, then a stroke involving permanent brain damage may occur. If the blood clots lodge in the blood vessels supplying the lungs then a pulmonary embolism may cause death by asphyxiation.

Be under no illusion, if a police officer applies these handcuffs to you, too tightly and for too long, it is your life that the police are endangering.

Disregard anything that the civil service or the government may say about "existing guidelines for the police are to ensure that handcuffs are not applied incorrectly and to respond promptly to the arrested persons requests to loosen handcuffs" etc. Forget such worthless reassurances, many police officers don't care in the least about you, your health or any guidelines and if they happen to kill you with handcuffs and they can get away with that then that is exactly what they will do. When you beg them to loosen the handcuffs, many police officers will simply take enjoyment from your suffering and then tighten the handcuffs even more. Some police officers are sadists who will use these handcuffs to torture their victims. I know - they have done that to me! Such sadists are not fit or proper people to be employed as police officers - nevertheless, for now, police officers is what they are.

These rigid handcuffs are a menace to human health and they should be banned immediately but don't hold your breath while waiting for that ban. So long as the same perverts - senior police officers, HM Inspectors of Constabulary, civil servants and government ministers - continue to run the police, expect nothing but cruelty and indifference to victims of handcuff torture and injury.

Overthrowing a torturing fascist police state is a job for the professional military and/or paramilitaries and so good politicians should at the very least be asking the military to disarm the police of these rigid handcuffs, CS sprays, metal truncheons and other instruments of police brutality. The politicians should ask, but I can't remember when a Scottish politician last did so. Maybe one day they or newer, better politicians will ask for military help to sort the police out. However, before that great day dawns is there anything that we unarmed protesters can do to protect ourselves from injury by the police?

Generally, the best advice is to avoid situations of possible confrontation with the police but sometimes protesters may consider that their cause is of sufficient urgency that they are prepared to run that risk in order to be seen, to be heard and to make their protest. In which case, some form of protective clothing or wear for the wrist would be a useful addition to the protesters' leaflets, posters and megaphones.

Of course, if the police are determined to handcuff you and other protesters, then police officers will force you to the ground if necessary and remove any protective items that you are wearing before handcuffing you. Protective items alone simply slow the police up and won't prevent you from being handcuffed and arrested eventually.

If as well as simply wishing to protest, you decide to insist on your right to protest, a right being denied to you by bad police officers then I will caution you now that resisting arrest by bad police officers or trying to arrest bad police officers is a physically and legally dangerous thing to do and should only ever be attempted by committed and brave freedom fighters who understand the risks.

I'd suggest that freedom fighters might be able to assert our right to protest IF large numbers of we protesters outnumber the police AND IF many protesters come prepared and equipped to resist police arrest AND IF, in solidarity, we are ready to try to rescue any fellow protester in the process of being handcuffed, THEN AND ONLY THEN can wrist protector cuffs and other protective items help to even things up between protesters and police.

Indeed, there is little point in outnumbering the police if protesters simply stand by and allow their fellow protesters to be arrested a few at a time. If it is clear that the police are going to arrest (and possibly brutalise) genuine protesters then we should either abandon the planned protest or seriously plan to be able to handcuff the police using their own handcuffs - and let us see then if the police would like a taste of their own medicine? No, the police won't like that but it would be no more than the police deserve!

I personally cannot see that there is much point in having a crowd of protesters just standing there waiting for their turn to be arrested and brutalised. Getting arrested as a form of civil-disobedience relies entirely on there being a somewhat humane state that will not tolerate arrested persons being brutalised or killed. I think Thatcher killed off anything humane in the UK state and Blair and McConnell have not reversed that aspect of Thatcherism. In my experience, Scotland now suffers under a fascist police state that is not particularly humane and I don't trust the police here now to arrest anyone professionally and decently - unless the media's cameras are there but, sometimes, not even then and it is easy enough for the police to wait until they have taken the arrested person out of camera shot before brutalising him or her.

So the ground rules of protesting have changed in Scotland. They have changed more gradually here rather than as suddenly as they did in Northern Ireland after Bloody Sunday, but changed they have and we have police brutality to blame for that sad state of affairs.

Perhaps if protesters are sufficiently prepared and organised, just perhaps, the police may eventually learn to allow more non-violent protests now and then rather than be so eager to start a fight that they may not always win so easily. In my experience IT IS ALWAYS THE POLICE, crowd-following hot-heads or agent-provocateurs who are eager to start the violence - never genuine protesters, who may be loud but who are wise enough to know that if there is violence then that becomes the story and the point of the protest may be lost.

Remember however that the police have armed response officers and should it ever get to the point where the police in Scotland are prepared to shoot Scottish protesters who, having had enough of brutal policing, are quite reasonably resisting wrongful arrest or trying to arrest bad police officers then it really is well past time for politicians to call in the military to shoot the "killer-cops" police. In which case, if the military kill enough killer cops then the remainder of the police will no doubt review their oppressive conduct eventually!

It surely would be better and more honourable for us Scots to wage war on the police rather than to allow some brutal police officers to remove the right to protest and have then the Scots facing the frightening prospect of slavery or extermination.

Didn't you know? Once a fascist police state has succeeded in eliminating the political right to protest - then ALL OTHER RIGHTS can be systematically removed from the people, leaving some in slavery and sending others to be exterminated. That's what Hitler did, it's what Saddam did and it could happen anywhere that brutes and bullies gain the advantage over we compassionate humans.

The difficulty for the military is to tell the brutal police officers apart from the half-decent ones and therefore to target intelligently rather than just target everyone with a police uniform on, but it may have to come to that if the best police officers don't or can't help to put their own house in order. If the police generally are targeted then the more senior the police officer, the more tempting a target that officer is.

During the 2nd world war, in preparation for a possible invasion of Britain by the Nazi forces, a standing instruction to those British freedom fighters being trained for guerrilla warfare was to kill any chief constable who continued to "serve" under a Nazi occupation regime! Today's chief constables take note!

Anti-handcuffs

Protective wear to slow down police speedcuffs

As I've said on another page, the police are issued with rigid handcuffs - a rigid bar (not a chain) connects the wrist braces and police officers can exert excruciating bruising force on the arrested person's wrists, and cut off the blood supply to the hands. I've considered this problem and here's my latest design for something that protesters can wear to help to counter these very dangerous handcuffs.

Suggested design for wrist protector cuffs
Using 82mm diameter plastic plumbing pipe, I have made light-weight, discreet wrist protector cuffs (weighing around half a kilogram per pair) that should take the "speed" out of the police's speedcuffs in a police-arrest-protester situation. I am detailing here how to make such wrist protector cuffs so that you or anyone can copy my design and produce your own wrist protector cuffs - for your own use or for sale to protester colleagues or to the public. No patent or copyright is involved here folks; it is my design and you are welcome to it. So get busy and, as we used to say in the cub scouts, "be prepared".

82mm outer diameter plastic plumbing pipe
This light-weight pipe can be obtained from some specialist Plumbers' Merchants (see Yellow Pages or do a web search) in 3 metre lengths - I paid £41 for a 3m length but I didn't shop around so you can possibly get a much better deal. Anyway, 3m is enough to make 6 pairs of wrist protector cuffs so the pipe cost per pair is less than £7. Unfortunately, this less common size of plastic pipe is not stocked by the big DIY stores it seems and the more common DIY sizes are either too big or too small.

I suppose that someone with big enough hands would not be able to get their hand through a 82mm diameter pipe so the next biggest diameter pipe would need to be used in that case.

For those with small hands and thin arms and who nevertheless are still determined to protest, don't be tempted to use a pipe with a diameter smaller than 75mm as there is a risk that the handcuffs might fit around that giving the police a grip on you. It's better to use the 82mm diameter pipe and get a fit that is not too loose inside the pipe by padding your hand and arm with plenty of gloves, shirts, jerseys etc.

The slightly built might be better advised to fight police brutality away from the front line where there are other vital tasks to be done and where "big" does not mean "better".
Meantime, consider undertaking a body-building or strength training programme with weights to build up your muscle strength. There are books and websites that can advise you on that but it does take time and effort to make progress.

Tools you will need

Two common portable power tools are needed to cut and finish the plastic pipe effortlessly, both tools are available quite cheaply from your local DIY super-store. A vice or clamp to hold the pipe while cutting it is probably advisable but experts can probably manage without.

Jigsaw: I used a 320W jigsaw to cut the plastic pipe to its basic shape using a wood-cutting blade. It cuts easily and the 320W was more than enough power to cut the pipe with ease.

Rotary tool: I used a 140W light-weight rotary tool with a grinding tip to finish the ends of the pipe after it was cut. The light tool was handy because I could hold the pipe in one hand and the rotary tool in the other. The tool struggled a wee bit and the motor seemed to be over-heating a bit as the tool got hot and started to run less smoothly after a hour or so. I preferred to have a break and let the tool cool down rather than get my heavy-duty 700W two-handed drill out as the extra power and weight is less easy to control. I suppose that another way would be to use a drill stand or clamp such a heavy-duty tool, fit a grinding tip and bring the pipe to the drill by hand while running the tool's motor at a low speed. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Please yourself.

Safety: When using power tools, always wear safety glasses and gloves. Having said that, the plastic pipe cuts and grinds with no sharp edges and is generally an easy material to work with. However, if you are inexperienced with power tools, maybe it is better to get an experienced friend to help you out.

Construction procedure

Ideally, the wrist protector cuffs should extend as far up your forearm as the plastic pipe will comfortably go. To get the pipe that little bit further up your forearm in comfort it is worth chamfering the inside edge of the pipe end that will be closest to your elbow.

(1) Starting with the pipe as supplied or as cut at the Plumbers' Merchants (I bought mine cut roughly into 3 parts so that I could carry it home in my rucksack on my bicycle), ensure that the end of the pipe is cut to a circle rather than at some angled ellipse. Use the jigsaw to cut the end to a circular shape if necessary.

(2) Chamfer the inside edge of the pipe using the rotary tool with a grinding tip fitted. Aim for a slope extending maybe one or two centimetres from the end of the pipe. This is where my rotary tool worked its hardest so watch your tool doesn't over-heat and if it does then let it cool down before proceeding.

(3) With the pipe end nice and smooth now, put your hand and bare forearm as far into pipe as it will comfortably go (without forcibly jamming the pipe onto your forearm) and then mark your arm at the pipe end with a felt or marker pen. Measure the distance between the mark on your arm and your knuckles - that is the approximate length of pipe to cut off using the jigsaw - a circular cut to give a cylindrical piece of pipe of that measured length initially.

Having done that put your hand through the pipe piece again and check that the pipe piece does not extend beyond your knuckles and also that it does not dig into your upper-forearm at the elbow end. If the pipe piece is too long then trim it to size using the jigsaw. My pipe pieces were about 23.5 cm long but the correct length for you depends on the thickness and length of your forearm. Your left and right forearms might be slightly different so watch out for that.

In order so that you can still use your hands with the pieces of pipe on, it will be necessary to cut out a section to give space for your thumb to move and to enable you to grasp things. Here are a couple of links to pages that if printed out should produce patterns that can be used to mark up the pipe pieces for the sections to be cut out.

(4) Click on the following links in turn and print out the web pages.

Click here for: Left pattern ___ Right pattern

Use scissors to cut the patterns along the lines indicated and wrap the paper around the pipe pieces at its "hand" end and, following the profile of the paper, mark the pipe with a marker pen.
Check that your marks correspond to a shape that looks something like the same as the shape of the wrist protector cuffs shown in the photographs. If it looks right then cut out the hand-space section from the pipe piece using the jigsaw.

(5) Smooth the pipe edge at the hand end with the rotary tool with grinding tip. Try the wrist protector on for size over a light glove and see if you can use your hand without pain. If the pipe is digging in somewhere then cut and grind the pipe back to make it more comfortable. When your hand is relaxed, the wrist protector cuff should be quite slack; when you clench your fist tightly, the wrist protector cuff should fit snugly without either digging in to the base of your thumb or too tightly squeezing your forearm muscles at the elbow end of the wrist protector cuff. When you've achieved that fit then that's the power tool work done now.

Well done on your DIY but here are some tips on how to use the wrist protector cuffs in practice.

What to wear with your wrist protector cuffs

(1) Wear light gloves with the finger ends cut off under the wrist protector cuffs to protect your skin from chaffing while allowing you to do dexterous tasks with the wrist protector cuffs on.

(2) For the best protection, wear thick clothing on your arms, over the wrist protector cuffs, in order to obstruct any attempt to apply the handcuffs above the wrist protector cuffs near your elbow. A thick jacket or two is ideal. Close fitting or elasticated clothing is better than loose sleeves that could be easily pushed up to expose the vulnerable bare parts of your arm.

Hose clips - are available from DIY superstores or from some Plumbers' Merchants; size - for diameter 70-90mm; cost less than £1 each, as does the screw-driver to tighten them up with. These metal clips are handy for firmly attaching the wrist protector cuffs to your thick clothing. The picture shows me holding a hose clip and also shows a hose clip clamping the sleeve of a leather jacket on to the wrist protector cuff worn underneath.

(3) Wear a jacket, jersey or coat with long sleeves with elasticated cuffs which are long enough to go over the ends of the wrist protector cuffs. You may wish to extend the sleeves of a favourite jacket by adding longer elasticated cuffs just for this purpose. There is no advantage in advertising to the police when you are wearing wrist protector cuffs, as that may simply serve to provoke the police who otherwise may leave you alone.

(4) Finally, wear a heavy pair of gloves over the wrist protector cuffs for the best protection. I use welder's gloves available from DIY stores but motor-cycle over-gauntlets or gardening gloves might be worth trying for size.

Protest tactics

(1) Avoid provoking the police and comply with police and protest/demonstration stewards' requests if you possibly can. Watch out for hot-heads or agent provocateurs behind you who might try to push you into the police to try to start trouble (for you). If you don't have a friend there to watch your back then stand with your back to a wall or something equally solid - railings, tree, post-box, parked vehicle and so on.

A non-violent protest is best but if the police won't allow that and if the protesters are also ready and equipped to stand up to the police then you've now got a better chance of standing your ground than you had before.

(2) If the police move towards you with intent, make it more difficult for them suddenly to handcuff you by tensing your forearm and arm muscles - by clenching your fist or by gripping on tightly to something - this will help to keep the wrist protector cuffs in position as well. Try not to get surrounded by the police. Move so that there are more protesters near you than police but don't get so jammed in to a dense crowd of protesters that you can't move easily when you want to.

(3) For dealing with violent police officers, other protective items such as helmets, CS Spray neutralising solution, groin protectors and so on should be available as a backup. In the event of a battle with the police, protesters would also need to be armed to defend themselves against the police with similar type weapons as the police are deploying against protesters. For example, if the police are using their truncheons then it is only fair that protesters can avail themselves of similar type weapons - baseball bats, crowbars etc.

(4) As I've already said, but it is worth reiterating, if the police are going to use firearms against protesters then the only option is to withdraw and hand the battle for freedom over to the military and the paramilitaries.

Handcuffs keys. How to unlock police speedcuffs.

A Hiatts speedcuff - in common use by the police in Scotland

A helpful (German, I think) diagram that shows keys in the locks. Note the double-locking feature that uses the little poker (or pushpin) on the ring handle at the butt of the key to lock and to stop the handcuffs from tightening any further. Police torturers don't use that feature as they should - they want to cause as much pain and suffering as they can, so for them, the tighter the better.

If all is not well and the cuff still won't open

There could be a problem with the manufacture of your key. In particular if the unlocking cam has not been made quite long enough then sometimes when trying to unlock the single-lock, the cam will only engage 2 out of the 3 independently floating locking bars - leaving the cuff still locked!
Try moving the key in or out slightly and re-try unlocking it. If that is a problem then it might be worthwhile to get a better made key.

The cam on a key supplied to me is only 3mm long and it doesn't work reliably, particularly when the cuff is under tension as it would be if the cuffs were applied tightly. So I'm alerting customers that keys supplied should not be trusted fully unless you've either tested the key yourself or measured it to see that it is the right size.

The 3 independently floating locking bars pivot in a gap being measured here by inserting a 4.5mm drill bit.

A supplied key with a shorter cam sometimes won't open the cuff. A DIY copper key with a longer cam opens the lock more reliably. (Background: 2mm graph paper)

Be prepared - get your own key
The picture below shows the kind of key that might be supplied with the standard Hiatts rigid handcuffs. You can't see it below but the right end of the key is hollow - tubular. In the picture at the top of this web page, you can just see the male pin in the lock in the handcuffs that fits the key's female hollow end.

Anyway, you've two choices to get your own keys, either order up all the keys you want from suppliers that you can find on the internet, (search for "Hiatts speedcuff UK") or, you could always order one key and then copy it to make additional keys.

Handcuffs key from left to right: pushpin, ring handle, shaft, unlocking cam & tubular end; cm ruler.

How to make your own keys - summary

Handcuffs-key-making tool kit: Set-square with mm ruler, fine-nib pen, rotary tool with grinding disc, handcuffs, hacksaw, pipe-cutter, file, 4.0mm copper tube, pliers, key to copy, 2.5mm drill bit.

Copper tube can be used to make a light-weight (1.1 gram only!) handcuffs key. It can be bought from model-making shops for under £1 - enough for 9 keys if you've got the time and inclination. The outer diameter of the copper tube I used is specified by the supplier as 5/32 of an inch - nearly 4mm, although it was listed in the shop catalogue as 3.9mm.

I used a 2.5mm drill bit (or use a 3/32 of an inch drill bit) which I inserted into a piece of the copper tube and then I used pliers to form the tube around the drill bit to the correct shape. A section of tube was hack-sawed and ground out. Anyway, all the tools I used are shown in the photograph but please yourself, so long as you can arrange somehow to test your keys on handcuffs to see that they will actually work when you need them. I bought second-hand handcuffs to test my keys on from Springfields for about £18.

Keep your key handy

The design and production of a special purpose tool to force open handcuffs would then be a topical engineering challenge although meantime no doubt freedom fighters could manage to free protesters with an appropriate selection of locksmiths' tools: cordless (battery-powered) power tools, bolt-cutters and so on. Presumably, some exemplary freedom fighter would publish a web page or two describing the best method to break someone free safely from such high-security handcuffs (without the keys).

High security handcuffs

11 Apr '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

How to break open handcuffs with tools

Preparing for a future danger - high-security handcuffs

Police forces could equip themselves with the new high-security handcuffs (see the photograph at the bottom of the page) that require individual, non-standard keys for each pair of handcuffs. If the police in Scotland do deploy these high-security handcuffs at protests or demonstrations then protesters should respond by equipping themselves with tools to break the handcuffs open when necessary.

This web page suggests and details tools and a method to do just that. The illustrative photographs show a normal pair of handcuffs (speedcuffs) because I don't have any high-security handcuffs (they are too expensive for me right now). Also, economy considerations prevented me from actually cutting up my one pair of handcuffs but test cuttings of drawn steel bar (cross-section 4mm by 10mm - the expected thickness of the handcuffs' steel shackle that needs to be cut) were done to test the method.

A bolt-cutter is the primary tool

The suggested method in brief is to use a bolt-cutter to cut through the rotating shackle or cuff at a position which would give the biggest gap when the shackle is cut and the part still hinged rotated away from the wrist. The assumption is that then the wrist could be rotated free, avoiding or squeezing carefully past the part of the shackle still engaged with the locking bars.

This assumption should be tested by actual experiments on real handcuffs worn by volunteers and if difficulties are encountered then no doubt some exemplary freedom fighter would publish a web page or two extending this method by detailing a method to remove the locked part of the shackle after the initial cut.

Selection of bolt-cutter

My 600mm long bolt-cutter (cost £41) cut through drawn steel bar (cross-section 4mm by 10mm) with a force equivalent to that needed to lift 20Kg - an easy lift for me with one hand. A quick test of another bolt-cutter, about half the length of mine, did subjectively require a considerable effort on my part to cut the same steel bar.

You can buy even longer bolt-cutters that will need less force to cut but they are increasingly impossible to carry discreetly. A 600mm (24 inches) bolt-cutter can be carried out of obvious sight in a large rucksack or sports-bag or strapped and slung diagonally over a shoulder under a coat but only just - anything bigger couldn't be carried without the police spotting it. For that reason, stronger freedom fighters than me may choose to select a 450mm or 18 inch bolt-cutter that can be more easily concealed.

My bolt-cutter's head indicates that it is manufactured from a chromium steel alloy and such alloys (sometimes with Vanadium rather than Molybdenum as claimed on my bolt-cutter) seem to be used for the better (more expensive) bolt-cutters. The Hiatts high-security handcuffs are manufactured from high-carbon steel which presumably does not have the hardness or compressive strength of chromium steel alloy. I reason therefore that the high-security handcuffs would be reliably cut by a chromium steel alloy bolt-cutter.

Without the expense of using chromium steel alloy, a cheap (£15) 600mm "value" bolt-cutter is manufactured by Draper. It would be of interest to know whether this bolt-cutter would reliably cut high-security handcuffs or whether and how quickly the cutting blade would blunt and fail to cut. More generally, we may ask "what is the cheapest available bolt-cutter that will do the job?"

I should mention that my bolt-cutter was not supplied in excellent working condition. I had to file the gear teeth between the cutting blades (and grind the blades a little) to get the blades to meet properly by adjusting the blade cam-bolts. Also, I had to file smooth the bearing surfaces at the hinge bolts to sort out a stiffness problem. So quality control and finish seems to be an issue with this make of bolt-cutter anyway - EGA Master, Spain.

For this particular application, where the very end of the tool is used to cut, it is worthwhile after general adjustments, to grind the tip of the blades flat so that the cutting edge extends all the way to the tip of the tool.

Guarding the skin of the wrist

You can be sure that the bolt-cutter is powerful enough to slice through any part of the wrist that it accidentally grips in its jaws. So I've designed a metal guard that can be attached on to the shackle to be cut in order to protect the skin of the wrist from the jaws of the bolt-cutter.

If the skin guard can be pushed on far enough, a metal toggle can be slipped inside the shackle to fasten the guard in place. Failing that, a "quick-grip" clamp can be used to keep the guard in place while the cut is done.

The guard can be constructed from 0.5mm thick sheet steel. I had some galvanised steel sheet and used that but stainless steel sheet might be even better. The design size was 3.4cm by 11cm and a central slot of 5.4cm by 4mm was ground out using my 140 watt rotary tool with a grinding disc. (I accidentally broke the tiny mandrel screw that holds the grinding disc to the tool - so watch out and try to avoid too much vibration.)

The piece of steel sheet was bent so that the central 3cm part follows the shape of the inner circumference of the rotating shackle. From the centre, the next outer parts are bent sharply radially and then gradually circumferentially to make the guard stiff enough to work. See the photographs.

The metal toggle is made from the same steel, 3.5cm by 1cm. The leading end of the toggle is rounded and curved to the inner circumference of the rotating shackle and the trailing end is bent to a right angle. The toggle is attached to the skin guard by string threaded through holes punched through toggle and skin guard as shown.

Obviously, the skin guard and toggle should be filed and/or sandpapered to remove any sharp edges.

The ideal position for the skin guard is on the rotating shackle as close to the lock as possible while allowing the inner section of the skin guard to sit comfortably inside the inner circumference of the rotating shackle.

There is a possible obstruction at the widest part of the rotating shackle where the last-to-engage few ratchet teeth are, so either position the guard to avoid that wide part or decide to extend the ground-out slot radially further, at the possible risk of reduced stiffness of the skin guard.

When fitting the skin guard, take care not to tighten the shackle any further but do take a minute or two to try to slip the toggle in. If necessary, guide the person's wrist to rotate inside the cuff to a better position or compress the wrist with the skin guard in order to get the toggle in as that will make the cutting process that much simpler and quicker.

If the toggle just won't go in then you'll have to use the "quick-grip" clamp (size 38mm, cost £3 something from a DIY superstore). The gripping jaws of the clamp can be made more effective by sanding the plastic jaws and then gluing on a piece of sandpaper - so that the rough side of the sandpaper will help to grip the shackle. I used medium (P120) coated aluminium oxide sandpaper and achieved a three-times stronger grip on the metal - invaluable.

With the skin guard in place, now is the time to cut.

STOP and put on your safety glasses. You can't be too careful with your eyes. Although a bolt-cutter is not a power tool and although when cutting through handcuff shackles both ends of a cut shackle are still attached to the handcuffs and are likely to stay attached, potentially when bolt-cutters snip bits of metal off, these little bits of metal can go flying off at high speed. So get in to a good habit. Wear safety glasses. Also have spare safety glasses available for the handcuffed person to borrow and try to get him/her to wear them. The chances are nothing will fly off but better safe than sorry.

Persuade the handcuffed person to position their handcuffs in such a way as to make your job easier - that might be difficult to achieve if the person is handcuffed behind their back. The ideal position for you is with the handcuffs vertically below (see the photograph at the top of this web page), second best is with the handcuffed persons forearms vertical and with your hands gripping the bolt-cutter's handles one vertically above the other.

Cut the shackle at the position closest to the lock and consistent with cutting all the way through the shackle. That should be easy if the toggle is in, not so easy if you are reduced to using the "quick-grip" clamp. If, despite your best efforts, the cut is only right through the outer-most part of the shackle leaving a few millimetres still un-severed then fear not, a back-up plan is in place.

If necessary make a second cut, 1.5cm to 2.0cm further away from the lock - move the "quick-grip" clamp along if necessary. With a short section of shackle hanging on by at most a few millimetres of steel at two corners, you can now break that section free by twisting it about those corners using two mole-grips. (Bargain pack of 3 mole-grips, less than £10 from a DIY superstore.) In the photograph, I have indicated the positions of two possible cuts by marking the shackle with black ink. If these were actual cuts then the section could be worked free by holding the right mole-grip steady and levering the left mole-grip up and down. Don't stop if the shackle just breaks at the side furthest away from the lock. You'll need to break the section at the side nearest to the lock to make enough space to free the wrist from the cuff.

When the shackle is cut then remove the skin guard to allow the shackle to rotate about its hinge away from the wrist. Carefully guide and rotate if necessary the wrist out of the cuff. If the wrist threatens to squeeze against the sharp end of the cut shackle then hold the curved end of the skin guard over the sharp end of the shackle to protect the skin as the wrist squeezes out.

Well that's one wrist free and the second should be even easier.

Tactical considerations at protests

Clearly, breaking handcuffs open is going to take some time and is an operation that cannot easily be done while the handcuffed protester and liberators are being jostled or interfered with by the police. So it is likely to be better tactics to evacuate the handcuffed person to a "first-aid" station away from the front-line with the police so that the handcuffs can be removed in peace. Other protesters would need to cover the evacuation by stopping police pursuit. There is also the consideration that bolt-cutters, being more expensive and more difficult to replace than keys, more effort should go into hiding them and protecting them from confiscation by the police. A £2 handcuffs key can be easily replaced. A £40 bolt-cutter is not so easy to replace and if the police manage to grab the protesters' limited number of bolt-cutters then protesters would be put at a tactical disadvantage. This is why it is important to get the cheapest bolt-cutter that will break the handcuffs so that protesters can afford to buy as many bolt-cutters as possible to cover for some being lost to the police.

What to do now

Freedom fighters should now be preparing for future contingencies. So get yourself a bolt-cutter, make sure it is in good working order and has the tip ground flat as explained earlier. Practise cutting through some 4mm by 10mm steel bar. (Remember to wear your safety glasses). Make a skin guard protector. Make sure you've got the other tools that you might need - mole grips and a "quick-grip" clamp.

As of April 2004, to the best of my knowledge, the police in Scotland are not yet deploying high-security handcuffs when policing demonstrations. So while wrist protector cuffs and handcuffs keys are advisable for current protests, there is no reason yet to take your bolt-cutter and other tools to break open handcuffs along to the protest or demonstration. (If you are travelling to the demonstration or protest by car, it might be worth considering putting your handcuffs-breaking tools in the car boot to have them available as an emergency back-up measure.) At least on this issue, you are now perhaps one step ahead of the police.

High security handcuffs

Arrogant and tyrannical judges

Some judges cannot stand anyone who represents themselves and who dares to say that the judge has got it wrong or is incompetent.

Click to: Target the judges One mean trick judges have used against me is to question my sanity and then have me locked up (for three weeks on one occasion) for a compulsory psychiatric examination! The judges are often utterly incompetent but are so powerful and out of control that they are in a position to make anyone rot in jail unjustly. Click for The Antipsychiatry Coalition Drugs _ E.C.T. _ Lobotomy Simultaneously, an evil judge can threaten a perfectly healthy person with the procedure to issue compulsory treatment orders - drugs, electro-convulsive therapy or lobotomy. Why? So that, after compulsory treatment, the formerly outspoken person's mental health will be so permanently ruined that never again would that person be able eloquently to contradict a judge or any other official.

Photograph from the allegorical film Planet of the Apes. View trailer. Sound - "You did it. You cut up his brain you bloody baboon!" -Taylor

Implicitly but never admitting it publicly, the fascist state would thereby be imposing a brain-damage penalty against a critic. At least in the days of judicial execution, there was no pretence that the death penalty that was being imposed was intended for the good of the condemned person's health! Nowadays, the state can condemn your brain to oblivion while pretending to care for your health. Is this sinister or what?

The fascist judges must accept the Scottish Parliament's choice as First Minister - Jack the knife (unfortunately).

That armed Scots whether in the British armed forces or elsewhere have not targeted and killed the Queen and/or the judiciary in order to defend the freedoms of the Scots is mainly because, politically, they have not been asked to do so, YET!

So while Jack may be happy for the judges to trample over the rights and freedoms of the Scots, when we Scots are no longer prepared to put up with oppression then the political and military power to deliver the solution is in our own hands.

Scottish politicians need merely to call upon Scottish military patriots to do their Scottish patriotic duty to protect the Scots from the enemy courts.

In carrying out their duty to Scotland, military patriots would no doubt have an eye to countering or evading any obstruction from the U.K. state and specifically from officers loyal to the U.K. rather than to Scotland.

In any violent conflict between the Scots and the fascists there can be only one final outcome - victory for the Scots.

Making oppressive, undemocratic and hence unconstitutional rulings and without even the privilege that an elected mandate affords, the judges, their clerks and other officers have no principled immunity from attack and therefore many Scottish patriots will rightly consider these enemies of Scottish freedom to be legitimate military targets.

Speaking personally, after the cruelty that I have suffered at the hands of some courts, I would happily side with other freedom fighters who opened fire on the courts or on the Queen that these courts serve.

Threats from the United Kingdom (U.K.)

The United Kingdom ("British"?) state is now wrongfully limiting the powers of the Scottish Parliament, through disputed restrictions written into the Scotland Act, - of the UK Parliament based at Westminster, London.

Why should the UK state, for example, insist on jailing certain asylum seekers or immigrants at Dungavel Detention Centre when the Scots would welcome such people warmly? Click here to see the SSP's pictures of the STUC's Dungavel Demonstration..

The most serious limitation of the powers of the Scottish Parliament is contained within the so-called "European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)" incorporated into the Scotland Act by the UK. The ECHR compromises and defeats the human right of freedom of expression (in Article 10.2, ECHR)

Britain doesn't have to threaten Scottish independence
"We shall defend our island" said Winston Churchill in world war 2
The Scots agreed with Churchill about that.

They understood then, as today intelligent Scots understand, that for Scotland and its people to be free then we Scots must concern ourselves with the freedom of all Britain. What would happen to Scottish freedom if, in the future, say, England falls politically to an extreme form of fascism, like the Nazis or today's far right politicians?

Sir Winston and the legend of King Arthur I fancy that, such was Britain's peril in 1940, the Lady of the Lake might have been tempted to assist Churchill with the loan of King Arthur's magic sword Excalibur! ... Anyway, Churchill, and we, won.

We Scots would be the next to lose our freedom perhaps? Our fates on this island are inextricably intertwined.

Although I'm no royalist, this standard bearer remembers and honours the Scots who were proud to fight for a free Britain. Click here to view the Royal British Legion Standard Bearers.

Therefore my fellow Scots, doubt me not if, as a Scottish National Standard Bearer, an occasion arises where I fly the union jack (or union flag) for all to see.

I won't have abandoned Scottish independence. I won't be cheering on the Queen. Never!
I'll simply be advising Scots to unite as a free and independent nation with the other nations of Britain solely for the purpose of dealing more effectively with a great challenge of the time while maintaining Scotland's independence on all other matters.

As a Scottish republican, I see the union jack as no more of a threat to a Scottish republic than the European Union flag is a threat to the French, Italian or German republics.

Threats from Europe Europe? Click for Victory in Europe sounds: BBC & Churchill, 8th May 1945.

The European Union, for decades (previously, as "the European Community"), has been developing the powers of an undemocratic super-state by accepting legal conventions that undermine the democratic, civil and human rights of the people of the European Union, including the Scots. Note, in particular, the Council of Europe's European Convention on Human Rights (E.C.H.R.) law which re-imposes defamation/libel laws (Article 10.2) which provide cover for Scottish, British or European judges to deny proper freedom of expression to the Scots. Hitler would have loved ECHR law as his judges would simply have ruled any criticism of Hitler or the Nazis as defamatory, illegal and therefore inviting punishment (by death presumably?). It is misnamed as the European Convention on Human Rights because it denies the human right of freedom of expression. The convention might be more accurately described as the European Convention to Deny Human Rights. Admittedly, the European Parliament is a useful forum for Scotland's representatives to discuss European and global issues (and therefore Scotland should continue to elect Members of the European Parliament). Nevertheless, Scotland should be prepared to defy the most fascist parts of the ECHR until such time as it is appropriately amended or superseded. The European Union has much to learn from the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, in particular as regards reforming the law of freedom of expression. Maybe though the European Union has learned something as now they've come up with a new charter of rights, which may eventually supersede the ECHR. Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

The BBC VE Day Announcement, 7th May 1945

Click to: BBC - History - Winston Churchill: Defender of Democracy

Sound: The BBC announces (on the 7th May 1945) that "tomorrow, Tuesday," (8th May 1945) "will be treated as Victory in Europe day"

Click to Winston Churchill, 8th May 1945

Winston Churchill, 8th May 1945

Click to: BBC - History - Winston Churchill: Defender of Democracy

Sound: Winston Churchill addresses a jubilant vast crowd (from the balcony of the Ministry of Health Building, Whitehall, London) on the 8th May 1945, henceforth known as "Victory in Europe Day" (VE Day)

Crowd: Singing and cheering. Winston Churchill: "God, God bless you all." Crowd: Cheers. Winston Churchill: "This is, your victory; victory, of the cause, of freedom, in every land. In all our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this." Crowd: Cheers. Winston Churchill: "Everyone, man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried, none have flinched. Neither the long years, nor the dangers, nor the fierce attacks of the enemy have in any way weakened the unbending resolve of the British nation." Crowd: Cheers. Winston Churchill: "God bless you all." Crowd: Cheers.

Click to the BBC VE Day Announcement, 7th May 1945

January 30th, 1965. The Union flag drapes the coffin of Sir Winston Churchill, carried on a gun carriage, in the manner of a state funeral.

Click for a high resolution photograph.

Click here for a report of Churchill's state funeral.

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (CFREU) - click to EU website

This is a recent development with very small copies of it entitled "My Fundamental Rights" available (FREE!) in local libraries - such a tiny book for such an important issue.

Is the CFREU any good? Could we expect the courts in Scotland to deliver our rights with it?

Well, the all-important Article 11 on "Freedom of expression and information" looks promising. It doesn't have the same get-out clause that the European Convention on Human Rights - E.C.H.R. - (Article 10.2) has. So, in principle, were it to be given the force of law, the CFREU would represent an important legal advance for the rights of the people of Europe. (In order for a law of CFREU to be significant, however, there would require to be a commensurate repealing of the ECHR and consequently, so to speak, a consigning of the ECHR to the dustbin of history, where its Article 10.2, as legal anti-rights rubbish, deserves to be put.) Similarly, national defamation and libel laws should be repealed where they impinge upon freedom of expression. I believe that a legal right of reply, properly enforced, should afford sufficient opportunity for persons criticised to try to defend their reputations.

Click for an official comparison of ECHR and CFREU (and other FAQs)

If, however, the CFREU is as good as it appears to be then we can easily understand why heads of state, such as Queen Elizabeth, national parliaments and vested interests in the legal profession are opposing giving the CFREU full legal status. They are certainly opposed to anything which could expose all their nasty little corrupt practices to full public scrutiny. The CFREU, given legal teeth, could allow that.

In any case, defamation lawyers will still try to find a way around any good law of freedom of expression in order to allow their clients to escape criticism - as they try to do in the USA, despite the excellent First Amendment to the Constitution. Nevertheless, I believe that the CFREU, as law, would be a big help in the fight for freedom and it therefore represents a potential positive advance for the people of Europe.

None of the above means that Scots should, in any way, trust Queen Elizabeth or our un-elected Scottish judges. DON'T TRUST THEM, EVER! Even if, in the future, the CFREU is enacted into law by the UK and/or the Scottish Parliament, even then, Scots would still require to gain democratic control over the judiciary and the head of state - by electing judges and by electing a president of a republic. The CFREU may represent a possible advance, but, on its own, it does not provide complete protection of the fundamental rights of Scots. Therefore, let us welcome the CFREU and encourage parliament to pass it (or something like it) into law, but let us NOT leave matters simply at that.

Threats from global reach organisations

Certain global-reach organisations can actually help to defend Scottish independence when run properly as their founders envisaged (that doesn't always happen).

The United Nations (U.N.) is usually benign and indeed helpful but sometimes fails to act militarily because of excessive respect shown by UN officers to casual (I would say "unconstitutional") misuse of the veto powers of permanent members of the security council. That is not how I would interpret the UN constitution if I were a UN officer. If the Americans and the British left leadership to Kofi Annan, for example, Saddam Hussein would still be terrorising the people of Iraq, the region and the world. Thank goodness the Allies didn't.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (N.A.T.O.) The now retired Scottish NATO Secretary General, George Robertson (a plus for Scotland perhaps, but Scots should have been embarrassed by Lord Robertson entertaining European royalty as he did which runs contrary to NATO's best principles and didn't help the war on terrorism) has made way for the new secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Well, good luck to them both. Sadly, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is making Europe's royals just as welcome at NATO headquarters - he didn't take long to expose himself as insufficiently rigorously republican. As Robertson did, Scheffer is still allowing royalty to make a mockery of NATO's founding principles - and the world is not a safer place as a result.

NATO has sometimes shown the courage to act when the UN hasn't. However, recently, the officers of NATO have allowed disagreements with Chirac's France, backed up by Germany, (with the Russians happy to encourage the NATO split) to stymie robust NATO action over Saddam. It is time for NATO to rediscover its spine. Speaking as someone on the NATO left, I condemn my French left comrades who could not get their act together sufficiently to field a powerful candidate for the Presidency of France. However, French disarray should never be an excuse for NATO disarray.
Perhaps with the passing of the recent UN resolution on Iraq, NATO will also find a unified AND effective way forward?

The enemies: Other global-reach organisations pose regular episodic threats to our independence: Axis powers - defeated 1945; Warsaw Pact - cold war ended late 1980s; Europe-based ethnic-cleansing fascists - Milosevic, now on trial; Al Qaeda - now on the run although not yet defeated (see War on Terrorism). Therefore, we should be vigilant and be prepared. A policy of unilateral military disarmament is wrong-headed, naïve and invites aggression. Scots have a proud historical record of defending world freedom.

For Nuclear Weapons based at Faslane

Supporting the continuation of the Trident submarine base on the Clyde

For many years, the Scots have proudly and bravely hosted the UK/British strategic nuclear deterrent weapons system at HM Naval Base on the Clyde. (Republican Scots would rightly object to "HM" having any role in Scotland's defence.)

The base is a target in the event of an all-out nuclear war. That is not a fact that we Scots relish but neither do we shrink from the positioning of the base in Scotland - we will stand by our guns for good reason. The Scots stand unequivocally and resolutely for freedom, justice and democracy for ALL of the people in the world.

If any evil state has the intention to enslave the world, the way Hitler and the Nazis intended, (or in any other way) then the Scots will meet that state head on. Let no enemy of freedom threaten the Scots - if it comes to the ultimate fight then the Scots would sanction the use of these weapons from submarines based on our soil.

Absurdly, those Scots, British and Americans who recently liberated Iraq were threatened that we would be taken to the gates of hell if we dared to help to free Iraq. I have news for Saddam's supporters: the Scots have been guarding one of the gates of hell for many years. Who else would you trust to do that job?

I welcome the intervention of US defence experts who rightly criticised the SNP's damaging defence policy (Click to read the Scotsman's report). My fellow Scots, heed the wise counsel of our American friends.

I would add that the defence policies of the Scottish Socialist and the Scottish Green parties are just as damaging and not to be trusted by the Scots.

War on Terrorism

MADRID BOMBINGS

I condemn utterly the mass-murder of the innocent people of Madrid and Spain on 11th March 2004.

At this time, I, as do the people of Scotland, have strong feelings of solidarity with the people of Madrid and Spain.

In particular, I express my condolences to the family and friends of the murdered and my sympathy to the injured victims of this outrage.

I consider this attack on the people of Madrid also to be an attack on the people of every city of Scotland too.
The people of, for example, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee love life and freedom as do the people of Madrid.
As the terrorists hate and murder the people of Madrid for loving as they do, the terrorists must hate and want to kill us Scots too.

The courage of the people of Spain is well known. It is a courage that today puts Spain at the front of the battle against international terrorism. The courage of the Spaniards is nothing new but is lasting.

History recalls the immense courage of the Spanish people in their heroic stand against the terrorist fascist Franco in their civil war and the long years of oppression following that.
From Scotland and from around the world, our best volunteer fighters rallied to the Spanish republican cause in the International Brigades.
Although 1936 was a temporary but serious military defeat for freedom, nevertheless, the courageous stand of the people of Spain was a political victory that inspired the freedom-loving people of the world to defy and then to defeat Hitler.

In a way, we owe the freedoms that we so often take for granted to the proud example set by the people of Spain in 1936.

In 2004, it is we Scots and others who are privileged to stand in solidarity with the people of Spain at this difficult time.
Despite whatever the terrorists' evil deeds are intended to achieve, the terrorists have simply strengthened and renewed the bonds of love between the people of Spain and the rest of the world.

Recalling the contempt the free Spaniards had for those contemptible pro-Franco terrorists, my defiant shout regarding those contemptible Madrid-bomber terrorists, echoes the Spanish republican slogan of 1936 - “They shall not pass!”

“NO PASERAN!”

Global-reach terrorists such as Al Qaeda pose a new and growing threat to all of the peoples of the nations of the world. They have only been able to cause outrages such as the 11^th September 2001 attacks on the United States of America because of the failure of the governments of the world to implement effective anti-terrorist measures. Up until recently, policies, intelligence and command and control have been negligent, counter-productive and stupid in the extreme. For example, many of the U.S presidencies after World War 2 have often had a nasty habit of covert or open funding and support of highly unreliable and undemocratic persons who later on develop into a threat to American interests. Past and present British governments have been equally self-destructive.

The war on terrorism is by no means won yet as many undemocratic regimes entirely dependent on the use of terror to stay in power still rule in many countries, in the middle east and further afield. It should be obvious by now that these undemocratic countries are far too dangerous for civilian Scots to visit or to live in whatever payment is offered. My advice is not to trust the U.K. Foreign Office reassurances - the U.K. government is under enormous political pressure and will say anything to defend lucrative U.K. business contracts with the likes of the Saudi government. Don't trust any of them.

The war on terrorism won't be won unless and until the U.S. government finds the determination to complete the democratisation of these other undemocratic countries that is has successfully begun with the removal of the Taliban from Afghanistan and Saddam from Iraq. Until then, Scotland should stand ready.

Click here for Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite

It is the military's job to deal with dangerous situations and Scots should be proud of the (April to July 2002) contribution of the Scotland-based Royal Marines (45 Commando) who have helped to scare away Al Qaeda from much of Afghanistan, for now anyway. Scots should be equally proud of their outstanding contribution to the liberation of Iraq.
When the British forces get half-decent political leadership ("lions led by lions") they can achieve great things. In Britain, the marines, air force and navy, in courageous fighting, add status to the anachronistic word "Royal" whereas the Royal family rarely do.

Click here to: Threats from global reach organisations
For War to Disarm Saddam ___ Law and order within Scotland
To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Index, site map and search ___ Return to this Web site's Start Page

Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite

Bush and Blair say they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder to win the war on terrorism - fair enough, and we should certainly fight and win that war. However, please don't let anyone believe that the said President, Prime Minister and their advisors, who got us into this mess, have much of an understanding of how to get us out.

Consider U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair's hypocrisy when he says he is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States of America in fighting the war on terrorism. In addition, he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's number one terrorist - Queen Elizabeth, a friend and backer of like-minded Royalty, dictators and tyrants ruling many of the Arab or Islamic states - good recruiting territory for Bin Laden. These local despots encourage and fund their local heroes waging terrorism abroad in order to distract them from figuring out that they'd be better off fighting for genuine freedom and democracy at home.

We can take Blair seriously when and if he ever starts a prosecution in Parliament of Queen Elizabeth and her family for treason against Britain and its allies.
Remember in the 1930s, British appeasement of Hitler and the Queen's Uncle Edward Entertaining Nazis? (Q.U.E.E.N.) Like uncle like niece.

The treacherous U. Kingdom Royal family
conspiring with Adolf Hitler to betray
Britain, Scotland, England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.

Click here for: Queen OR Country? Elizabeth OR Scotland?,
War on Terrorism ___ For War to Disarm Saddam
Law and order within Scotland
To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

For War to Disarm Saddam

We've won, but who are "we"?

The Americans have won. The British have won. The Scots have won. The English, the Welsh and the Irish have won. The Australians, the Spanish, the Italians and the Poles have won. The coalition has won. The United Nations has won. The freedom loving people of the world have won.

The people of Iraq have won. The Kurds have won. The Shias have won. The Sunnis too have won. Secular Iraqis have won. The Arabs indeed have won. The Muslims have won a famous victory, shoulder-to-shoulder, proudly alongside their Christian comrades at this happy time for all people who love God (or Allah).

Good has triumphed over evil but let all of us who fight the good fight be aware that we still have many battles ahead. The war on terrorism goes on but there is one less terrorist ruler to worry about from now on.
Saddam and the fools who believed in him have lost, utterly and completely. That is how it should be.

United States	United Nations	United Britain

There is news (see The Scotsman's reports "US wins Europe's backing for Iraq" and "UN approves coalition plan for Iraq") of the complete political vindication of American and British leadership over the policy to remove Saddam Hussein's fascist regime in Iraq.

The world's governments now accept that WE WERE RIGHT ALL ALONG to fight for freedom, justice and democracy for the Iraqi people and to secure Iraq, the region and the world from the evil of Saddam. Click to read reports on Saddam's crimes of mass murder - Human Rights Watch: 'Iraq: Mass Graves Still Unprotected', 'The Mass Graves of al-Mahawil' and Shia News: 'Horrors of Iraq's mass graves'

We led, some governments opposed us then, but they're following us now. We freedom-fighters can live with that - peace with justice, we CAN accept. However, to die peacefully when fascists like Saddam give their orders - NEVER! No surrender to fascism, ever!

Who led, who misled? Click for Iraq: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

When the coalition forces secured a most impressive military victory over the fascists, some commentators said "They think it is all over!". Well it is now! Admittedly, the remaining Saddam-inspired terrorists in Iraq remain a lethal danger and those politicians who opposed the liberation of Iraq are still scraping around for something to save face with. Yes, these die-hard opponents are a still a menace; regrettably, they will still get more innocent people killed. Nevertheless, we know now that their killing-spree will end sooner or later. LET FREEDOM RING!

Jubilation at the killing of Saddam's two sons - Uday and Qusay

Click here to read CCN's report "U.S. releases photos said to show Saddam's sons' bodies" with links to related material.

(Re-?)arrest Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf – "Comical Ali"

Operation Iraqi Freedom has clearly moved into an extremely dangerous lions-led-by-donkeys phase. If Sahhaf is not urgently (re-)arrested and seen by the world to be brought to justice (or otherwise eliminated) then I fear that defeat will be snatched from the jaws of victory.
I fear now not a quick military defeat but a long drawn out Vietnam-war-style defeat wherein US, British and other forces, instead of fighting the enemies of the people of Iraq, like Sahhaf, our side, may be provoked into fighting the people of Iraq themselves. We must not allow that to happen. Therefore, the arrest of Sahhaf must be a priority. In the words of my poem, Sahhaf is in Saddam's "Baghdad team" and we should "have" him.
Of course, a competent US National Security Advisor would already be aware of these considerations.
Click to MOD to find out: Who is winning the war?

For War Poetry

I've penned a short morale-boosting verse for the Allied forces at war, not least among them the Scots. (It may be sung to the tune of "Ally's army")

We're all at war with Saddam's army

We're all at war with Saddam's army

We're going to have his Baghdad team

And we'll really shake them up

When we blow Saddam right up

Because the Allies are the greatest fighting team

Click here for more For War Poetry (to www.poetsforthewar.org)

Click here for: Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite ___ War on Terrorism
For War to Disarm Saddam ___ Iraq: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Condi - You win again ___ To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Index, site map and search ___ Return to this Web site's Start Page

Condi - You win again

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, United States of America National Security Advisor

There's no fight you can't fight
This battle of love with me
You win again
So little time
We do nothing but compete
There's no life on earth
No other could see me through
You win again
Some never try
But if anybody can, we can
And I'll be, I'll be
Following you
..................... THE BEE GEES

Condi for President?

Click to subscribe to Condoleezza-Rice-for-President

Click to MOD web site to find out: Who is winning the war?

Click to: For War to Disarm Saddam ___ Iraq: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
or: War on Terrorism ___ For War Poetry ___ Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite
Threats from global reach organisations
To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Index, site map and search ___ Return to this Web site's Start Page

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Iraq: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Comparing the politics of prominent Scottish Members of Parliament on the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein

The Good
Eric Joyce MP

Joyce debates Iraq

The Bad
George Galloway MP

The Joker Departs - The Washington Dispatch

The Ugly
Robin Cook MP

Click here for: Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite ___ War on Terrorism
For War to Disarm Saddam ___ For War Poetry
Condi - You win again ___ To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics

Index, site map and search ___ Return to this Web site's Start Page

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Law and order within Scotland

Good laws and good order leads to people being able to prosper in safety and with freedom to advance themselves without harming others. Too often that does not happen today in Scotland. Bad laws and arbitrary rule (no rule of law) enforced by a fascist order leads to death, destruction and misery for the people. Often, that is what does happen today in Scotland.

Admittedly, Scotland is not the worst run country in the world. However, considering the abilities and initiative of the best of Scots, it is a great shame that we put our lives wholly at the mercy of the worst of Scots.

The worst are bullying and sadistic police officers, stupid and reckless prosecutors, arrogant and tyrannical judges, unprofessional forensic psychiatrists and other so-called forensic "professionals" and topping the lot - a totally inept and treacherous head of state - Queen Elizabeth. But if, today, Scotland's worst is better than, say, Iraq's worst then that is little consolation.

We should not accept anything less than Scotland's best and we should not have voted for anyone who settles for less. However, the worst of Scots, this parcel of rogues gets inappropriately deferential treatment and nods of approval from the majority in the Scottish Parliament and from all of the Scottish Executive. The majority of these trusting, thick and dismal Members of the Scottish Parliament should resign or should not be re-elected - they are holding us back.

2 Sep '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Health, wealth and good services The most important guarantor of health, wealth and good services for the people of Scotland is to have a free country. A free country is one where the people are free to speak out publicly, to publish and to complain vociferously when some person (like Dr. Harold Shipman) is acting in a way detrimental to our interests and services. However, those running the state do not allow that essential freedom. As a consequence, Scots are sicker, poorer and have worse services than we could have. It follows therefore that it is precisely the Queen, her ministers, her judges and her other state officers who are doing the most to damage the health, wealth and services of the people of Scotland. The government, the state, its services and its institutions are rotten to the core.

Dr. Harold Shipman The rotten state ensured that he was free to murder for many years, protected from criticism. We, the people, are still not free to condemn other killers, who today are still employed, licensed or hold state office warrants.

It is only thanks to the perseverance of some talented workers in public services and private enterprise, overcoming state-inspired obstacles and obstructions that the whole country does not grind to a halt and collapse in a complete and utter shambles. Whilst Scotland has imposed upon it a rotten state however, we can only ever get second best. Example service - Scottish universities Second best, indeed sometimes perverse, mismanagement of Scottish universities is what we get. Standards in Scotland cannot be maintained while those in the universities, responsible for the accreditation of others in society, are exempted from criticism themselves. The defamation laws, the courts and the state ensure that whatever is rotten in our institutions is whitewashed, the official "ALL IS WELL" is trumpeted and the critics are silenced by threats and/or imprisonment.

The hostility to human rights perpetrated by many of the established persons who run the rotten state is somewhat reminiscent of the character Dr. Zaius in the allegorical film Planet of the Apes. View trailer

University committees meet to decide to exclude good students from University, thus ruining those students' careers. Click then refresh for high resolution image

Again Scotland suffers. Some competent people are thwarted in their careers by being unjustly excluded from employment or educational opportunities.
Consequently, society is prevented from fully benefiting from many good students' talents.

On the other hand, some incompetent or abusive people are graduated, employed and promoted in Scotland.
Such persons may have the degree scroll and the graduation photograph but what is that worth? They may appear to be an educated person and may seem to be up to the job.

Some so-called "graduates" may look more convincing than a picture of a cuddly toy or a baby posing as a graduate.

However, they are no more worthy of the degree and the job than was Dr. Harold Shipman.

Established incompetents - employed perhaps as principals, professors, doctors or graduates - are dangerous to the Scots.
Government and politicians are also badly advised and served by Scottish universities.

Today, being a student at a Scottish university is a risky business Click to the web site - Student Protection Advisory Service Click to the forum - Peter Dow's SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES political education forum

8 Feb '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

To report to the Scots when commanders fail their responsibilities

Scotland cannot succeed fully with failing, incompetent or foolish commanders.

Queen Elizabeth is failing us dreadfully and disgracefully.

Although the Scottish Parliament is worthwhile as an institution, most of those elected to it have failed to deliver enough to deserve re-election.
So Scottish voters would be well advised to use the next election to KICK OUT THESE FAILING POLITICIANS!

Click on the following:

Queen Elizabeth's Failings ___ Scottish Republican News

Presiding Officers Failings ___ Scottish Elections 1st May 2003

First Minister's Scottish Executive Failings

Scottish Labour Failings ___ Scottish Liberal Democrat Failings

Scottish Nationalist Failings ___ Scottish Conservative Failings

Scottish Green Failings ___ Scottish Socialists

The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Queen Elizabeth's failings

Whose side are you on?

Queen OR Country?
Elizabeth OR Scotland?

OR

What are you?

Traitor OR Patriot?

Queen Elizabeth is NOT a good head of state for Scotland, nor indeed for Britain or other Realm countries like Canada or Australia. The Queen and the Royal family mislead, damage and betray all of the people in those countries.

This bad Queen Elizabeth causes much destruction and many personal tragedies, deaths, and missed opportunities. This damage comes about as a consequence of the Queen and her royalist state officers brutally denying the people of Scotland proper freedom.

Indeed, the whole idea of monarchy is outdated and damaging. Instead, the people of Scotland should now institute a Republic of Scotland, with a written constitution and an elected President as head of state. Loyalty to the Queen means disloyalty to Scotland. So we should back Scotland and sack the Queen!

20 Oct '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

The freedom denied to the Scots by this Queen

This disastrous Queen is head of a fascist police state, which can terrorise any Scot. Stupidly, the Queen and her royalist state officers brutally deny simple freedoms to the public to allow us to warn each other when people's lives and futures are endangered.

The FREEDOMS the Scots are DENIED include -

1. Full freedom for the press, broadcasting and other media. (The Queen's laws and courts gag the media, preventing timely warnings being given - whereas right of reply laws would be better.) The state violates daily the right to freedom of expression. And:

2. Full freedom to protest about urgent matters. (The Queen's police, courts, Her Majesty's prisons and Royal mental hospital psychiatrists are punishing or silencing protesters - mistreating protesters as if they were criminals, civil wrong-doers or mentally ill. The state violates daily the right to protest.)

The state violates our rights using bad, rotten and vile laws - variously described as

"defamation, libel, contempt of court, breach of the peace, privacy, confidentiality, official secrets, mental health law, bail conditions etc.".

However, the actual laws used are somewhat incidental - what matters is that the state and its officers hate any criticism of themselves and their friends and they'll use or twist any law that they can think of in order to silence the critics. No amount of good law can make up for evil judges, police and so on. That is why all senior state officers should be elected, so that we, the people, can vote these evil or incompetent men and women out of office.

Royalists sometimes laughably refer to the UK as a "Constitutional Monarchy". Eh? If it is so then the UK has a Constitution from Hell!

Carl Orff's O Fortuna from Carmina Burana

The Constitution from Hell The Constitutional Monarchy of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth
Article 666. Section 1 What Queen Elizabeth says, goes, no matter how harmful and objectionable her words might happen to be to the people.	Demon Queen
Article 666. Section 2 The Kingdom Parliament in Westminster, London must be loyal to Her Majesty the Queen. MPs and Lords can pass any law – so long as the laws are oppressive to the people, who have no rights.
Article 666. Section 3 The courts can ignore any law they like and impose cruel punishments, including imprisoning innocent people and sectioning sane people.
Article 666. Section 4 The Police and the Armed Forces can arrest, torture and kill any person who is not one of the Queen’s loyal servants. For most killings, Her Majesty’s officers can expect only a “Tut, tut!” in the media. Often, the Queen’s medals and honours will be awarded to the killers.
Article 666. Section 5 The Royal medical professions can damage the health of any person handed over to them by the courts. In particular, damaging healthy human brains by compulsory lobotomy, electro-convulsive shocks or mind poisoning drugs is allowed.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

The Royal Disasters - The Terrorist Killer Queen

When there is a big disaster with many casualties, the Queen or other royalty meet the survivors or families of the dead to commiserate with them. The Queen does not tell anyone that actually she is personally responsible for those deaths. How? Consider an example to make the general point.

Remember the Dunblane Primary School Massacre when 16 children and their teacher were shot dead by a man with a police firearms-certificate, which allowed him to carry guns?

The Queen had previously given her royal assent to bad laws covering firearms certificates, policing, defamation (preventing media discussion of the gunman before the tragedy) etc. The Queen had given numerous royal honours, warrants, charters and praise to many of the foolish state officials who allowed this dangerous man to keep guns. The Queen's favourite fools also terrorised campaigners to prevent them protesting against the Queen's foolish and dangerous misrule. The Queen's misrule killed the children as surely as did the gunman.

You can read daily in your newspaper how the Scots suffer from avoidable murders, crashes, fires, botched medical care and so on - a daily diet of Royal disasters, courtesy of a terrorist killer Queen.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Poll on Queen OR Country? - Your say

On another web site, (http://forscotland.com), I have set up a poll where you can register and then vote on a many option poll on Scottish monarchy versus a republic. I have set the question but other people are responsible for counting the votes.
Warning: Registration is a time consuming process so if you just want to see the poll question then click the "Quick look at the question" link. If you have any problems email me at [email protected]

Click to the following forscotland.com links

Register to vote ___ Quick look at the question

Log in (if already registered) ___ Vote

Click to: The freedom denied to the Scots by this Queen. The Constitution from Hell!

The Royal Disasters - the terrorist killer Queen

Scottish Republican News ___ Queen OR Country?

To report to the Scots when commanders fail their responsibilities

Return to this web site's Start Page ___ Index, site map and search

5 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Republican News Protest Diary VA Day. Victory in Aberdeen day.

SCOTTISH REPUBLICAN NEWS

Anti-fascist lobby of Aberdeen Councillors, 25th October 2004

The Nazi-Fascist NF plan to march through Aberdeen City Centre on 28th November 2004 has been defeated and Aberdeen anti-fascists have won a famous victory on Monday 25th October 2004! It was not as famous a victory certainly as Victory in Europe day, 8th May 1945, when fascism faced its most serious defeat - but for us anti-fascists in Aberdeen it is a day to note well and to remember with pride. Sadly in some English cities, the NF and the BNP have been allowed to parade their nasty, racist, hate-filled politics and there has been an explosion of racist violence against innocent people as a result. So perhaps the NF fancied their chances to sow hatred in Scotland and in Aberdeen in particular? We anti-fascists in Aberdeen are not sorry to disappoint the NF - rather we are delighted that the Council has taken the right decision to stop the NF before they cause too many more problems in our city and for all Aberdonians. Let the example of Aberdeen anti-fascists serve as an example for anti-fascists everywhere - act to stop the fascists now!

The day started well with a good turn-out at the lobby outside the Town House. One group had produced a fantastic, huge “NO PASERAN” banner – recalling the Spanish anti-fascist slogan – “they shall not pass” from the Spanish civil war – brilliant! The trades council and other banners and placards were there – there was little sign of the fascists and the NF organiser appeared with just two fellow Nazis. Our main tactic, apart from warning people about the nature and the consequences of the NF’s politics, was to notify the council that we intended to organise a counter-demonstration on the same day, on the same route and at the same time. The Council and their legal advisers were then struggling to find an even-handed way to allow the NF march without being seen to attack our right as anti-fascists to protest against them. The decision of the council to ban the NF march was greeted by applause in the public gallery and when the NF organiser left the chamber he received a sarcastic chorus of “Cheerio, cheerio, cheerio” from the gallery. It was great. So we’ve won this one. It wasn’t a total victory for us in every respect as the Council decided to prohibit both marches but since our anti-racist, anti-fascist march plan was purely to oppose the NF march, once the NF march had been banned, there was less of an urgent need for our march. However, the decision of the Council to ban an anti-racist march is not a good precedent and that will need to be challenged at some point in the future.

There I am, Peter Dow, looking on intently from the public gallery, as Councillors consider the march applications.

We freedom fighters want freedom - we want our cake and we want to be able to eat it. We need the freedom to march against racism, when the need arises. Also the NF Scotland organiser says that their members are coming to Aberdeen on that day - but if they do anything political instead of doing their shopping in Aberdeen city centre, then they will not be welcomed I hope. So a good day, all in all, but let us not be complacent. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

I see that Stalinist clown Duncan Rowan, from the SSP, got himself appointed as spokesman for “Aberdeen United Against Fascism” and made media appearances in that capacity. Rowan HASN’T particularly helped to defeat the fascists. We anti-fascists defeated the fascists DESPITE Rowan’s Stalinist, control-freak input that threatened to divide and weaken the anti-fascist organisation, by excluding an experienced anti-fascist like myself from a meeting. It was the Stalinist sabotage of anti-fascist unity in the Spanish civil war (alienating anti-fascist volunteers like George Orwell in the International Brigade) that was a significant factor in fascist Franco's military victory. So long as the SSP is organised in his way in Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland, the prospect is that Rowan and company will prioritise increasing their own personal political power, even if that means harming any campaign that the SSP gets involved with.

In fact Aberdeen Trades Union Council, its treasurer Sultan Feroz, a central figure in the campaign leading to the victory of Aberdeen anti-fascists, with a little bit of help from people like me, did more to lead the way to victory over the fascists than ever Rowan did. Rowan just came in to take over near the end to try to take the credit for himself. No-one should be taken in by him - chancer! The road to victory over the fascists The Nazi-Fascist NF intended to march along Union St, Aberdeen on Sunday 28th November 2004. The NF march plan was objected to by people in Aberdeen but if the Council didn't ban the NF march, it would have been opposed on the street. A (counter) demonstration was being planned by Aberdeen socialists and trade unionists.

Sultan Feroz, the treasurer of Aberdeen Trades Union Council.

Anti-fascist unity and co-operation against the fascists was to a degree sabotaged by control-freak-Stalinists organising the SSP in Aberdeen. I mean Stalinist idiots like Duncan Rowan, the North East Scotland SSP organiser. Sabotaged how? Well take, for example, what happened when I attempted to attend the anti-fascist meeting in the Arts Centre, Aberdeen on the 13th October 2004.

Rowan and comrades with their usual smears against me, organised the Arts Centre care-taker to refuse me entrance to the Arts Centre, with the implied threat that the police would be called if I attempted to enter the building. So I leafleted those going in and out of the building instead, explaining that I was an experienced anti-fascist who was being prevented from attending the meeting. I spoke to, among others, Sultan Feroz, the treasurer of the Aberdeen Trades Council at the end of the meeting and he was of the view that the meeting was supposed to be a open public meeting. I had previously attended a trades council meeting at Sultan's invitation to speak on the options for anti-fascist response to the NF march plan. Indeed, it is precisely my ability to speak on the issues and on occasion offer an alternative to the Aberdeen SSP line that the Stalinist comrades actually find unacceptable. Rowan and company want followers, not original thinkers. Clearly, they don't like their personal political authority and position within the socialist pecking order being openly challenged. Nevertheless, sometimes I see it as my duty as a socialist to contradict them. The Aberdeen SSP's sectarian and divisive tactics (in particular, their intolerance of me) were damaging to the anti-fascist cause here in Aberdeen. Aberdeen anti-fascists should always put aside past differences and stand together against the fascists. Click for Provocative display of NF newspaper in Aberdeen Council meeting today. Oppose the NF march through Aberdeen! (political leadership forum) Lobby Aberdeen Licensing Committee Councillors, Monday 25th October VA Day. Victory in Aberdeen day.

August 2004. Peter Dow on Broad St, Aberdeen. OBJECTION: To NF March in Aberdeen City Centre. Entering the Town House to attend the Council's Licensing Committee meeting. Anti-fascists observe the Councillors' meeting, looking for a ban on the NF march plan.

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Republican protests, Edinburgh 9th October 2004

So the enemy Queen Elizabeth did indeed come to the opening of the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood, Edinburgh on 9th October. I made it to Edinburgh to protest on the day although the bus was late and didn't get in to Edinburgh until after 11am. I was searched twice by the police and had been delayed by police crowd control measures on the High St. when the Queen's car passed. [Photographs: Close up - I'm looking for a reply letter to me from the Edinburgh City Council to show the police who look on suspiciously. Needless to say, they decided to search me (again) - jacket off, the lot - before following me around until I arrived at the designated protest area. From the TV coverage - The arrow indicates my placard leaning against the building although the resolution here is insufficient to identify me or my poster design (reproduced below).] Eventually, I was allowed to make my way down the Canongate to the new Holyrood parliament, although the police kept me with my protest placard well away (maybe 100 metres?) from the parliament most of the time - confined to a designated protest area away from the crowds. However, at least I was not arrested or excluded altogether from the security cordon the police had established and therefore I decided to stay put rather than go on to the alternative SSP-led Calton Hill event - the Rally and Declaration of an Independent Scottish Republic. As expected a parliament full of attendant royalist lackey MSPs and guests heard the enemy Queen in respectful silence - traitors! Some honourable MSPs had better things to do than betray the nation. Who?

It is now time to call the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour again - for 2004. Unfortunately, the media have not seen fit to publish a definitive list of MSPs who didn't attend the Queen's address and why. So your standard bearer has investigated and I've compiled the new roll myself. There are changes for 2004: such as - On the roll for 2004 - Campbell Martin MSP - he didn't attend the Queen and spoke at the alternative republican event on Calton Hill Off the roll for 2004 - Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Christine Grahame MSP & Mark Ballard MSP - did attend the Queen - a shameful failure to apply republican principles. For more revelations, click to the new Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2004. Although I called on the SSP MSPs to organise such an event, the Aberdeen/North-East-Scotland SSP control-freak/Stalinist organisers always try to exclude me from any Aberdeen public meeting that they have an interest in. So I'm always wondering at what point the Aberdeen Stalinists will poison the SSP generally against me to the extent of the SSP nationally making me unwelcome at events like the Calton Hill one? So although I didn't go to it, from all reports, the Calton Hill event was well attended and a satisfactory alternative for most republicans not keen to brave the attentions and oppressions of the fascist police state in order to protest against the royals up close.

However, I can't support the fascist idiot at the Calton Hill event who burned the union flag. As I said on the weblog of the photographer who captured the union flag burning incident - "... I hate Union flag burners - for giving totally the wrong leadership to those who want an independent Scotland working in harmony with those on this island called Britain. Those who burn the union flag are anti-democratic and anti-Scottish - they would deny the democratic right of any Scot to consider themselves British as well as Scottish. If they burn the British flag today - then soon they will be trying to burn Briton-Scots. Burning the union flag reminds me that Hitler bombed and burned Britain - and that is the company that the union flag burners keep - them, Hitler, the Queen's Uncle Edward - a friend of Hitler, and the Queen herself of course - the greatest enemy of British democracy. Oh no - those union flag burners are not Scottish republicans - they are idiots!" Therefore showing tolerance towards the union flag is the smart way to advance the cause of an Independent Scottish Republic. That may seem to some to be ironic or a paradox but nevertheless, I believe it to be true anyway. So the official ceremony was smarter, in that respect only, by parading the union flag, with the Scottish flag, to the Scottish parliament. The Calton Hill event organisers could have had a wee union flag available (not to be burned) to show tolerance for the union flag rather than support for the union, per se.

---

It is up to the Scottish people to decide if we keep or sack Queen Elizabeth, choose a new Scottish King or Queen, or opt for the better modern option of an elected President as head of state of a Scottish Republic.

Whilst the people do have the right to betray their own interests by foolishly sticking with Queen Elizabeth, any Scottish politician foolish enough to stand for that Queen must expect to be denounced as a betrayer of the people of Scotland. Looking as loyal as a lackey is not properly considered to be appropriate political leadership.

All of those M.S.P.s who so stupidly have welcomed Queen Elizabeth to address the Scottish Parliament on four occasions, standing loyally to attention and clapping politely, are an embarrassment to Scotland.

Loyal to Queen Elizabeth, they are traitors to Scotland. However, they have been elected so the way to deal with their treason is to vote them out at the next election for the Scottish Parliament in 2007 (or perhaps before?).

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Carolyn Leckie MSP - already awarded a First Class Honourable mention in my Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - is to be the first person to have that award enhanced with the "with distinction" qualification. Carolyn Leckie has been reported as being having been expelled from the Scottish Parliament's debating chamber by royalist lackey George Reid, presiding officer

It is Carolyn's defiant stand in the face of royalist oppression, along with her previous principled republican position of refusing to welcome Queen Elizabeth to the Scottish Parliament that merits the "with distinction" qualification.

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2003: Protest and honour PROTEST against yet another BETRAYAL of the Scottish People! Traitor Queen accepted surrender of Scottish Parliament on 3rd June 2003 In the new parliament, there are now more MSPs who were prepared to declare their republican preferences when, tragically for the Scottish people, Queen Elizabeth addressed the new Scottish parliament on the 3 June 2003. Regrettably republican MSPs did not protest in the parliamentary chamber - such as, a noisy walk out just as the Queen rises to speak. Protesting in such a high profile way would, I am sure, begin to counteract the very destructive effect the Queen has on Scottish public life. As for so-called "republicans" who attended and listened politely to the Queen's address, they are so tactically inept as to be of little use to the republican cause.

Peter Dow photographed for the BBC while protesting at the Queen's visit and address to the Scottish Parliament on the 3rd June 2003. The poster reads PROTEST! NO SURRENDER by the Scots to Queen Elizabeth! Republicans say "Democracy: YES! Royalty: NO!" Don't trust the royalist, fascist, state officers. Elect a Scottish President! Oppose the Queen's address to Parliament

We who protested against the Queen, Reid and his supporting M.S.P.s betrayal of our rights should be proud that we have done our duty. We have demonstrated that not all Scots have surrendered to the traitor Queen.

19 M.S.P.s did not attend the Queen's address - some openly protesting, some giving other reasons for not attending. Click here for full details of MSPs. Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2003 (Click for names, photos. & info.)

So what might the best strategy and tactics be to achieve a Scottish Republic? Click on this link to my political leadership forum article, to consider one possible scenario -

A Scottish Republican Revolution

2 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2004

It seems that only 8 Members of the Scottish Parliament did not attend Queen Elizabeth's address to the Scottish Parliament on 9th October 2004.

It's a shame that the royalist pageantry of the Holyrood opening ceremony tempted some of the 19 MSPs who did not attend the Queen on the 3rd June 2003 to betray their republican principles in 2004 (if they had any) as they met with the Queen at the Holyrood parliament that day.
The 9th October 2004 was though an improvement compared to 2003 in that the republican light was shining brightly on Calton Hill at the Rally and Declaration for an Independent Scottish Republic. (Click for Scottish Republican News).

Scottish republicans and indeed all Scots should be pleased to honour the following Members of the Scottish Parliament.

Honourable mention - 1st Class (the 8 MSPs whose photographs are below):
Scottish republican MSPs who did not welcome, in person, Queen Elizabeth's role in the Scottish Parliament, on 9th October 2004. Honourable mention with distinction is indicated by a red background and links citing an act of republican distinction.

Honourable mention - 2nd Class (none known about as yet): Non-republicans with another reason for not attending the Queen on 9th October 2004.

"& 2003 1st" under a photograph indicates an honourable mention (1st class) of the MSP in the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour 2003.

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Scottish Republican Roll of Honour

2004

Tommy Sheridan M.S.P. & 2003 1st	Rosie Kane M.S.P. & 2003 1st		Carolyn Leckie M.S.P. & 2003 1st Citation link: Defiant MSP ordered from chamber
Colin Fox M.S.P. & 2003 1st	Rosemary Byrne M.S.P. & 2003 1st		Frances Curran M.S.P. & 2003 1st
Campbell Martin M.S.P.	Bruce McFee M.S.P.

17 Oct '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2003

19 Members of the Scottish Parliament did not attend Queen Elizabeth's address to the Scottish Parliament on 3rd June 2003.

Scottish republicans and indeed all Scots should be pleased to honour these M.S.P.s.

Honourable mention - 1st Class (the 10 larger photographs):
For protesting on republican principle. Honourable mention with distinction is indicated by a red background and links citing an act of republican distinction.

Honourable mention - 2nd Class (the 9 smaller photographs): For giving another reason for not attending.

Scottish Republican Roll of Honour

2003

Tommy Sheridan M.S.P.	Rosie Kane M.S.P.		Carolyn Leckie M.S.P. Citation link: Defiant MSP ordered from chamber
Colin Fox M.S.P.	Rosemary Byrne M.S.P.		Frances Curran M.S.P.

Scottish Republican Roll of Honour

2003

Roseanna Cunningham M.S.P.	Christine Grahame M.S.P.		Dennis Canavan M.S.P.
Mark Ballard M.S.P.	Adam Ingram M.S.P.	Michael Matheson M.S.P.		Nicola Sturgeon M.S.P.
	Shona Robison M.S.P.	Gordon Jackson M.S.P.		Elaine Smith M.S.P.
	Johann Lamont M.S.P.	Chris Ballance M.S.P.		Eleanor Scott M.S.P.

24 Oct '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Presiding Officers Failings

Reid betrays Scots again with his latest invitation to the Queen Surprise, surprise, the traitor to Scotland, George Reid MSP invited Queen Elizabeth to the opening ceremony for the Scottish Parliament's new building at Holyrood, Edinburgh on the 9th October 2004. That the majority of royalist lackey MSPs supported Reid's invitation is just what you'd expect from that useless bunch.

What a waste of a new parliament building The cost of the new Holyrood parliament building has been commented upon and inquired into - but not by me because that debate has missed the point, and the point is this: The true scandal is the waste of the marvellous opportunity of the Scottish Parliament since it was reconvened in 1999. Instead of properly using the new parliament to get the Queen and her royalist, fascist state off the backs of the Scottish nation, our numpty MSPs have used it simply to cheer on her "majesty" and her incompetent ministers, judges, civil servants, police and so on. Instead of changing Scotland for the better, our MSPs have taken their salary and taken away the best life chances of the vast majority of the Scottish people while leaving royalist chancers ruling and ruining Scotland.

Scots were wise to invest in a new parliament Investing in a new needed institution is wise, but failing to use it for its true purpose is foolish. For example, it is wise to build and equip a new hospital but it would be foolish to staff a new hospital building entirely with unqualified staff with no medical or nursing skills.

Scots were indeed wise to agree in a referendum to re-establish the Scottish parliament.

However, by putting their faith in the likes of Reid (SNP), McConnell (Labour), Wallace (Lib Dem), McLetchie (Conservative), Harper (Green) and now Sturgeon (SNP), many Scots have foolishly cut off their own nose to spite their face. I still hope that one day the more politically aware Scots might follow up the advance of re-establishing the Scottish parliament by more actively trying to offer competent political alternatives to the stale, royalist parties.

Although, admittedly, there is the non-royalist Scottish Socialist Party, there is still no sign of Scottish republican politicians with winning defence policies.

PROTESTS that offered an alternative to royalist Reid

Queen Elizabeth came again to the Scottish parliament to ram down the throats of the Scots her claim for herself and her brats, to "sovereignty" or the Windsor "right" to rule over the Scots as head of state - a claim that is an offence against Scottish democracy. Reid was only too happy to grovel to the Windsor dynasty with his "Queen of Scots" compliments. The Scottish nation was gawking on and the danger was that innocent Scots would be duped by the Windsor pageantry, unless they saw and heard an alternative message. So October 9th was not the time for Scottish republicans to flee the field of political battle - rather, it was tactically wise for Scottish republicans to PROTEST against Queen Elizabeth having any role in the opening of the Scottish Parliament's new building and some of us did indeed protest.

So some of us Scots made our intentions for the new Holyrood building plain - that this parliament was built not to praise the Queen but to finish with Windsor dominion over Scotland's affairs. Click to the Scottish Republican News page to read about republican protests and an alternative event on Calton Hill.

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2003: Betrayal and surrender Traitor Queen Elizabeth accepted surrender of Scottish Parliament In Edinburgh 3 June 2003, Scots witnessed the single biggest betrayal of their interests and future since the last time the Queen addressed the Scottish Parliament in 2002 at Aberdeen. The new Presiding Officer, Reid, allowed the Queen again the great privilege of addressing the Scottish Parliament. Intelligent Scots have come to expect vacuous and misleading verbiage from Queen Elizabeth or from any member of that treacherous royal family. To have that foolish traitor Elizabeth given the highest platform in the land was a cruel stab to Scotland's brave heart from one we have elected ourselves. George Reid and Sir David Steel: names that will live in infamy. On the day of the address, sitting opposite the Queen like right loyal lackeys were the equally failing Deputy Presiding Officers - Tosh & Trish (Murray Tosh and Trish Godman) - not daring to voice dissent from the Queen's condemnation of Scotland's short-term prospects.

So George Reid, the new Presiding Officer of the new parliament will carry on his failure as deputy presiding officer in the last parliament. I don't know if George Reid, like many of his former SNP colleagues, pays lip-service to the sovereignty of the Scottish people? Whatever, in practice, George Reid uses his lips (and tongue) to suck up to the Queen (and therefore implicitly to entertain her claim to be the [sovereign?] head of state of Scotland) whenever the Queen puts in an appearance at the parliament.

How disgusting and what a betrayal of Scotland that is! Listening to the way Reid obsequiously referred to "Her Majesty" and "Queen of Scots" when he presided over the parliament, it is clear that Reid is still loyal to the Queen and therefore still disloyal to the Scottish people. There is now proof positive that the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament is a traitor to Scotland. (So, no change there then.) This was the 3rd successive formal humiliation that disrespected the rights of the Scottish people: rights, civil and human, that are daily trampled over by the state the Queen heads up.

PROTEST AGAINST YET ANOTHER BETRAYAL OF THE SCOTTISH PEOPLE!

The Scots have been betrayed by their own countrymen before. Reid's historical betrayal ranks alongside the most cruel crimes ever perpetrated against the Scots.

3 Sep '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

First Minister's Scottish Executive Failings

The main thing the First Minister's Scottish Executive has executed is a death sentence for the life chances of most Scots for the first four years of the Scottish Parliament. The dead hand of numpty-led bureaucracy (a numpty: an unimaginative, superficial and stupid person) has imposed local authority control-freaks upon national government. Therefore, the Scottish Executive has concentrated on clearing up and whitewashing the ongoing death, disaster and missed opportunities consequential to their essentially do-nothing policies.

Indeed, the latest of three failing First Ministers, Jack "the knife" McConnell MSP has made that explicit with his "do less, better" mantra. In other words, allow the state to bungle on as usual while using extreme fascist police state methods to exterminate effective political opposition (so loyal voters won't get to hear of the Labour/Lib Dem coalition failures and of the alternatives).

Jack "the knife" McConnell's latest wheeze in that regard is the recent passing of a law to make brain surgery compulsory to turn obstinate critics of his regime into brain-damaged but still breathing bodies. See 'The Scotsman', 12 June 2002, "Executive to allow banned brain surgery" Jack "the knife" McConnell won't personally be doing the lobotomies on recalcitrant Scots using his own knife however, as his state surgeons, psychiatrists and judges will be arranging the compulsory operations on his behalf.

McConnell's state-terror regime merely eggs on the most fascist instincts of a pre-existing conservative state. This Scottish Executive is NOT for those who labour, it is NOT liberal and it is NOT democratic. It is McConnell and Wallace betraying every decent value that the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition parties have ever stood for.

An emotional re-election for Jack "the knife" McConnell

On the 15^th May 2003, Jack "the knife" McConnell's voice was choked with emotion as he accepted re-election as Scotland's First Minister by fawning Labour and Lib Dem M.S.P.s.
"My nephew spent 10 days in a coma - and he's here", Jack emoted for the assembled media.

Sadder still, Jack "the knife" McConnell's re-election condemns other people's sons and daughters to the risk of not just 10 days but a life-time of brain damage, deliberately caused by a compulsory lobotomy, sanctioned under Jack's Scottish Executive policy.

So, instead, we should weep for the victims of Jack's lobotomy policy. They will never recover from that surgery - not after 10 days, not ever.

6 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Labour Failings It seems that every single Scottish Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament attended the Queen's address to the Scottish parliament in Holyrood, 9th October 2004. No exceptions that I know about. It was a total surrender to the authority of the Queen and her state and a betrayal of the interests of Labour voters in Scotland.

All Labour MSPs made their intentions clear then - that, in Scotland, the Labour Party's constitution, policies and promises are not really meant to be believed by anyone but simpletons. If the Queen's state doesn't like, can't or won't deliver a Scottish Labour Party policy then it won't happen - forget it. Every Labour Party principle is expendable as far as all Labour MSPs are concerned. On the 9th October 2004, the Labour MSPs revealed their real political manifesto - their one and only priority - to keep the Queen and her royalist, fascist state happy. Labour MSPs have been elected, they are getting their MSPs' salary, they are so very happy sitting comfortably in parliament and so, of course, they will leave the Queen's officers to do ANYTHING to any person in Scotland that they want.

So if any person in Scotland is mistreated, deprived, cheated, brutalised, tortured, unjustly imprisoned, injured or killed because of the Queen's state officers' actions or inaction then that is not a problem as far as Labour MSPs are concerned. That not one out of the total of 50 Labour MSPs found democratic socialist principles or excuse enough not to attend the Queen in parliament is clear proof of how this NEW Labour Party has betrayed ordinary people in favour of the rich and powerful in society. This is now no democratic socialist party in practice whatever the Labour Party constitution may say and whatever Jack "the knife" McConnell says at Scottish Labour conferences. The insincerity, hypocrisy and lies of Labour leaders are designed to keep easily fooled Labour members loyal to the leadership. The true position of Labour leaders can be clearly seen in their eagerness to demonstrate their loyalty to royalty and to the state and their willingness to betray the people. Dim-witted members of the Scottish Labour Party do not (wish to?) understand that McConnell is making fools of them when he carries the Queen's handbag (or "purse") or delivers a loyal address to the Queen in the Scottish Parliament. In general terms, we are witnessing the capitulation of NEW Labour to the existing order - amounting to the Labour Party - the Labour Party - supporting the fascist police state under the Queen.

Why on earth have Scottish Labour Party members worked so hard for so many years to get a Scottish Parliament and to get Labour candidates elected to that parliament only for those M.S.P.s to sell them out for nothing more an acceptance of the oppressive royalist status quo? HAVE THEY NO SELF-RESPECT?

With their treacherous support for the monarchy, these Scottish Labour MSPs are exactly cowards flinching and traitors sneering at the sacrifice of socialist martyrs remembered in the words of the socialist anthem to the people's flag - the Red Flag. As a former member of the Labour Party that I took to be a democratic socialist party, it saddens me to see the Scottish NEW Labour Party fall into the hands of fascist thugs. Genuinely decent continuing members still cling to the belief that McConnell's Scottish NEW Labour Party is in some sense "for" ordinary people like them. Labour once was - I was, when I was a member of the Labour Party and I believe that many of my erstwhile comrades were. Now the Scottish NEW Labour Party has been reduced to little more than Jack "the knife" McConnell M.S.P.'s storm-troopers, with independent-minded, democratic and socialist voices within the Scottish Labour Party, expelled, sidelined or departed in disgust. Check out your own disgust at the Scottish Labour web site. Keir Hardie must be turning in his grave. McConnell has pulled the same dirty trick as when Hitler convinced many of the German people that he, Hitler, was "for" them. Of course, as for Hitler, for McConnell, every political objective is inconsequential next to the accumulation of more and more arbitrary power for himself. Unlike Hitler however, McConnell seems devoid of a political programme beyond simply exterminating his political opponents. His very conservative political philosophy seems to be that people should "SHUT UP AND LIKE THE STATUS QUO OR ELSE YOU WILL BE MADE TO SHUT UP". New Labour? New Tories, more like.

Click to Helena Sheehan's Red Flag website Storm-troopers: New Labour will not tolerate dissent

Contrast McConnell's royalist lackeys with my more favourable review of the Scottish Socialists.

3 Sep '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Liberal Democrat Failings

There are some genuinely liberal and democratic people in the Liberal Democrats but Jim Wallace MSP, the long-running Deputy First Minister and Scottish Executive linchpin is not one of them. As the former Justice Minster, Wallace presided over a cruel and tyrannical legal system - courts, prisons, police and state mental hospitals - all illiberal to the point of being grotesquely fascist. It is not liberal to do as Jim Wallace does - to give an authoritative nod of approval to a fascist police state - and then disclaim responsibility by saying that judges must be independent, police must have operational independence and so on. Wallace gives the thumbs up to the state independently to take away the liberty of almost any Scot at any time on the flimsiest of pretexts. Wallace would never lead a campaign or a fight for liberty - he simply does not care about anything other than his ministerial office and perks like being saluted by the police. So long as the police are not torturing Wallace and his close friends, or the prisons jailing his friends, or the state surgeons doing compulsory brain surgery on his friends then the liberties of the people of Scotland are of absolutely no concern whatsoever to Jim Wallace.

Jim Wallace is not therefore a "liberal" in the true sense of the word but he is a Lib-Dem party man. Somehow the party of yellow posters, of the bird logo, of "us" ("uz" as Charlie Kennedy would say) has, in Scotland anyway, ditched every liberal and democratic principle for the pursuit of office. How sad that is. As Justice Minister, Jim Wallace allowed the state to continue to strangle the Scottish economy - by preventing high profile protests against the mismanagement of key economic institutions such as the universities.

As the new Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Minister, Wallace will, no doubt, continue to cause the economy to stagnate by turning a blind eye, as the state extinguishes any sign of liberty and democracy from the key economic institutions. Other Lib Dem ministers have a similar contempt for genuine liberty and democracy. Expect them all to deliver nothing significant and worthwhile. Don't believe a word they say when you check out the Scottish Liberal Democrats' web site.

30 Oct '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Nationalist Failings

No really good repubican leaders in the Scottish National Party Two SNP MSPs gained a first class honourable mention in the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2003 but neither make the roll in 2004. Roseanna Cunningham MSP, the 2003 SNP deputy leader and Christine Grahame MSP.. Both Roseanna Cunningham and Christine Grahame have damaged their reputations as principled republicans by attending Queen Elizabeth's address to the Scottish Parliament in 2004. That's a shame, a disappointment and a betrayal of republicanism, this year anyway. The only hope for the SNP this year is Bruce McFee MSP who will be on the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour 2004. As will ex-SNP member Campbell Martin MSP so if they were wise, the SNP would be begging Campbell Martin to stay with the SNP rather than booting him out of the SNP. The official leaders of the SNP are useless.

SNP act of surrender - 9th October 2004 SNP deputy leader, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, formally signals the SNP's surrender to Queen Elizabeth, welcoming the foe of Scots into our parliament, thereby being seen to accept Elizabeth's sovereignty rather than that of the people of Scotland. Remember this the next time you hear a top SNP liar claim that the SNP is "for Scotland".

The SNP leaders are clearly "for Queen Elizabeth" - not for Scotland, at all. All the SNP's bluster about "Scottish independence" is just that - empty, worthless words, never to be trusted.

"INDEPENDENCE! ... FREEDOM!" squawks the Queen's pet parrot, Alex Salmond.

Scotland loses the SNP leadership election

September 2004 - bad news. The people of Scotland have lost the leadership election of the Scottish National Party and Queen Elizabeth has won.

The Queen's candidate, Alex Salmond, has been elected as leader of the SNP, to serve the Queen and her united kingdoms loyally.

So forget the SNP for the foreseeable future as a way to deliver Scottish independence or national freedom for Scotland. Independence is not on the Queen's agenda and with Salmond as leader, independence is not on the SNP's agenda either.

Yes, "independence" is the policy that the SNP is always going on about but it is a lie or they are fooling themselves. The SNP has never really been for true independence for Scotland - rather they seem to want another form of dependence on Queen Elizabeth and the Windsor dynasty. (In summary, they want to WEAR A KILT while sucking up to the Queen! That is the pathetic and limited extent of their vision for Scottish independence!)

The SNP can serve only one master - Queen OR Country but not both; Elizabeth OR Scotland but not both; the Windsor royal family OR the people of Scotland but not both.

So when push comes to shove, Alex Salmond and his best buddy Sir Sean Connery are loyal to Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors - and the people of Scotland can go to hell as far as these Elizabethan royalists are concerned.

Forget all those "for Scotland" sentiments that you'll hear from Salmond. He's got all those slogans learned parrot fashion, but it is just showmanship and crowd pleasing, nothing more.

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"Scotland on its knees" plan unveiled - Connery and Salmond want SNP surrender to Elizabeth

Alex Salmond is loyal to the United Kingdom's head of state, Queen Elizabeth. So Salmond is just another lackey. No "King-over-the-water" he.

So the Scottish National Party leadership bid of Alex Salmond was of the United Kingdom, by the United Kingdom and for the United Kingdom. The Salmond come-back has been given the OK by Queen Elizabeth's loyal knight - Sir Sean Connery. The Connery/Salmond plan is to keep the SNP on its knees to the UK crown where the SNP leader has always been. (Unlike the previous deputy leader - Roseanna Cunningham.) The Elizabethan royalists had been panicked by the prospect that the SNP leadership could be won by Roseanna Cunningham - a staunch Scottish republican.

The royalists' concern was that if the SNP moves to the republican left, Scottish independence could soon become a reality, rather than "a fantasy to keep the Jocks happy but still within the UK". Her Majesty wouldn't like real Scottish independence, oh no. Connery is a fine actor and Salmond is an able politician - but they are working for Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, NOT FOR SCOTLAND. Rich-man Connery from his Bahamas-tax-haven is the biggest single donor to the SNP. What does Sir Sean expect for his money - around £50,000 a year? For this bribe, the SNP members are being asked to betray Scotland for Queen Elizabeth.

In the film Braveheart, William Wallace is offered a bribe too. Gibson as Wallace says - “A Lordship and titles, gold, that I should become Judas … Slaves are made are in such ways!” Connery didn’t need Queen Elizabeth’s Knighthood, and the SNP doesn’t need Connery’s money.

Scotland, certainly, doesn’t need a political party that can be bought off. So my advice to SNP members remained the same - Vote Roseanna Cunningham for SNP leader Vote Christine Grahame for SNP deputy leader Click to see Roseanna and Christine in the Scottish republican roll of honour

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Swinney resigns - which was nice. So the kettle's boiled and the tea is ready. That's with milk but no sugar for me please, John.

Roseanna Cunningham declares candidacy for leader I wouldn't give a XXXX to any other candidate. My love is like a Republican Rose. Scotland's Lioness Rampant. The Flowers of Scotland: the Thistle and the Rose. Beware her rose thorns and lioness claws, if Roseanna Cunningham, in defence of the people of Scotland, would shed the blood of Scotland's enemies, and make them think again, she could lead the SNP and take Scotland to independence. Click to: The forum for comments on the 2004 SNP leadership debate 2003

Well done to those 6 nationalist M.S.P.s who did not attend the Queen's address to parliament in 2003 - their place in the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2003 is recorded. The Scottish National Party's official leadership under Mr. John Swinney M.S.P., the then leader of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament had (and has) a policy of only a limited amount of independence for Scotland. Regrettably, Swinney wishes to retain Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors as head of state for Scotland. Swinney's poor policy is that Scotland would not be independent from Queen Elizabeth but we would still be dominated by her rule. For this Swinney-led SNP to advise sticking with Queen Elizabeth was a serious failure of leadership considering how much Scotland has been betrayed by that Queen, that bad head of state, for many years. Swinney's failure of leadership (check it out on the SNP's web site) has been matched by the equal failure of the former SNP Deputy Presiding Officer and now the new Presiding Officer, George Reid M.S.P. I believe that both Reid and Swinney stood for Queen Elizabeth when she addressed the parliament at its opening in 1999 and at Aberdeen in 2002. Neither Reid nor Swinney stayed away, neither protested and neither advocates a Scottish Republic. Loyal to Queen Elizabeth, both are traitors to Scotland.

Indeed, the traitor Reid has surpassed himself when he arranged the Queen's visit to the parliament in Edinburgh in June 2003. Reid's royalist welcome to Queen Elizabeth, the Scottish nation's number one enemy, is proof positive that Reid is no Scottish nationalist. What a betrayal!

Educated Scots - tell Swine-y to get off!

In up to his neck in a political pigsty, John Swinney (Swine-y) struck a desperate note with his "tell the Brits to get off" jibe at the SNP conference on Saturday 27th September 2003. (Someone should tell him to stop digging.) Click here to read the Scotsman's report.
As an educated Scot, I'll name him "Swine-y" as he seems to be pig-ignorant about Scotland's geography, history and modern studies. (Someone should remind him, for example, that, geographically, Scotland is the northern part of the islands of Britain and that, geographically, every Scot is a Brit.)

Swine-y can grunt and snort without the benefit of the facts about Scotland if he wants. The SNP can stick with Swine-y as their leader if they want.
However, we Scots demand for ourselves the independence and the freedom to choose educated leaders if we want - and we do. The SNP doesn't want to face the future inevitability that the educated nation of Scotland will never be led by John Swine-y. Pigs will not fly.

Swine-y's offensive short-hand - the fanciful long-hand version

Is Swine-y seriously expecting the Scots to believe that he would ever tell the British/UK establishment to get off? We know how eager Swine-y is to betray Scotland's right to elect its own head of state: we saw the toadying welcome he gave to the Queen visiting the Scottish Parliament. The Queen, as even Swine-y should know, is the central person in the UK establishment and the royalist fascist state.

If Swine-y and his pal Reid think that co-opting the head of the British establishment, declaring her as head of the Scottish establishment as well ("Queen of Scots" they call her) amounts to helping to tell the UK establishment to get off then Swine-y is even dafter than I thought. Certainly he is inconsistent, two-faced, inadequate and hypocritical. Swine-y is misleading the SNP. Let Scots beware.

"INDEPENDENCE!" squawks the Queen's pet parrot, Swinney. Unfortunately, Swinney, being a parrot, doesn't understand what the word "independence" actually means. So, unsurprisingly, this parrot, like most royalist SNP MSPs, doesn't want Scotland to be independent from Queen Elizabeth and her Kingdom. No, no! The parrot and his royalist chums want Scotland to remain as one of Her Majesty's Kingdoms.

The Queen's pet parrot (Swinney) squawks "INDEPENDENCE" right enough ... "INDEPENDENCE!" "INDEPENDENCE!" "INDEPENDENCE!"

The parrot and his friends are so very loyal to the Queen (and DEPENDENT on her) that when she turns up to the Scottish parliament, they just can't stop themselves grovelling to Her Majesty. They are all so united with the Queen in her Kingdom. It's a United Kingdom indeed!
Goodbye "Independence" Parrot.

To accompany the courtship and the seduction of the royalists in the SNP by the Queen and the UK's royalist establishment, here's Sir Harry Lauder with "Stop Yer Tickling, Jock"

3 Sep '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Conservative Failings John Major once said something to the effect that he, as Conservative Prime Minister of the U.K. was in office without being in power. With the Scottish Conservatives, however, they are still largely in power although, at most, they only hold one of the highest offices in the Scottish Parliament. The Conservatives have Murray Tosh M.S.P. as a Deputy Presiding Officer but I suppose his election is more of a personal vote rather than representing a revival of conservative party popularity. However, even before and without Deputy Presiding Officer Tosh, the conservative state ruled and still rules Scotland - the state's key personnel have been mostly educated and/or appointed under the long period of conservative U.K. government. The conservative judiciary, police and civil service have been forced reluctantly (some of us remember all of those public demonstrations against conservative rule and for Scottish democracy) to set up and to acknowledge the Scottish Parliament. Conservatives hope to keep M.S.P.s neutered and tame while retaining their traditional power. (If you must then click to the Scottish Conservative web site.) The conservative state has given Jack "the knife" McConnell enough rope to try to hang some of his labour political rivals but the same length of rope may end up hanging McConnell himself if or when his newly made enemies strike back. A municipal, ambition-free, vision-free, control-freak Scottish Executive may suit the conservative state but the Scots deserve better and may soon demand better.

Former conservative government ministers - Jonathan Aitken (left) and Jeffrey Archer (below). Both jailed for lying to win court cases. Click for high resolution photograph

6 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Green Failings Vote Green, for the Queen See what hypocrites the Scottish Greens are really when they claim to have "principles of radical democracy and egalitarianism". Not one Green Member of the Scottish Parliament has made the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour - 2004. Apparently, all 7 Green MSPs foolishly attended and sucked up to the Queen on the 9th October 2004 - even Mark Ballard MSP, who did so much better in 2003. (We must assume then that, this year, all Green MSPs are loyal to the Queen even when environmental protesters - such as Greenpeace - end up in Her Majesty's Prisons!) So complete failure for the Scottish Green Party's republican pretensions this year. Very disappointing. I'd say to the greens - "Sorry, greens, but your MSPs are either tactically inept or royalist sympathisers - and conducting themselves thus, they certainly won't deliver radical democracy and egalitarianism for the people of Scotland, ever." The Scottish Socialist Party is really showing the Scottish Green Party the way to do it with their Calton Hill declaration for an Independent Scottish Republic. It really is unforgiveable that the Green MSPs could do no better than listen respectfully to the Queen on the 9th October 2004. The Greens' true colour is royal purple! Does the Scottish Green Party have proud republican policies?

Greens grovelling in the Scottish Parliament, 9th October 2004.

Well, I couldn't see anything indicating that on the Scottish Green Party web site (I looked in June 2003). I'm afraid I couldn't believe their warm words about their "principles of radical democracy and egalitarianism". The Scottish Green Party is just not credible while all of their M.S.P.s seem comfortable entertaining Queen Elizabeth in parliament. Is that Queen a defender of radical democracy and egalitarianism? I DON'T THINK SO!

5 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Socialists

Very well done again to those 6 socialist M.S.P.s who did not attend the Queen's address to parliament on 9th October 2004 and particular congratulations to the SSP for the Calton Hill rally and declaration for an Independent Scottish Republic.

The SSP MSPs are, yes of course, thoroughly deserving of their renewed place in the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour and, in addition, they are combining socialist principles with tactical abilities to provide a quality of political leadership for the Scots that is unrivalled in the Scottish parliament. Excluding the difficult war policies, the leadership of the SSP's convenor, Tommy Sheridan M.S.P., is fairly consistently 1st class. On social policies, I am often in agreement with Tommy and the SSP. I've always encouraged them and still do.

So, over all, I'm awarding top-of-the-class marks for the SSP but there are times when comrades need to speak plainly. I say "Excluding the difficult war policies" because I believe that the leadership and policies of the SSP do fall down regarding the military defence of justice, freedom and democracy. The almost pacifism of the SSP's joint stance with CND (Scottish Coalition for Justice not War - and similar groups) over bringing down the Saddam tyranny in Iraq is a case in point.

On bringing down Saddam, when the SSP should have said "Better late than never", instead the SSP said "Stop the war".

I'd retort "pathetic and NOT socialist". The SSP's non-violence policies may make them popular with the Scottish Green party and help red/green co-operation but quite frankly "non-violence" is unrecognisable as a socialist policy.

Violent Socialists "Non-violence" would be scoffed at by socialists like George Orwell, a volunteer for the International Brigade fighting fascism in the Spanish Civil war, or by socialists like Clement Attlee, the Labour leader and British war cabinet member in the 2nd World War.

The banner of the British Battalion of the International Brigade.

Comparing how they deal with Saddam, (the United States of America) President George W. Bush looks like a better socialist than Tommy Sheridan! How is it "socialist" to allow Saddam to continue to mass-murder Iraqi people, and to threaten others? IT ISN'T! How could the SSP get it so wrong? I believe it is because the SSP is to some degree (particularly here in Aberdeen and north east Scotland), like other parties, controlled by party managers with a control freak and Stalinist tendency.

I'd love to attend SSP meetings here as a socialist guest (I'm not into party cards these days) but party managers would rather have the police remove me. If the SSP is not inclusive and open to debate then don't expect the party to get its "socialist" policies right (not all the time, anyway). Check out the SSP web site for yourself.

10 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Declaration of Calton Hill, 2004

I signed this declaration's on-line petition and I'm enthusiastic about 90% of the declaration's points as written by Eddie Truman. My reservations follow the text of the declaration itself.

To: Westminster Government Declaration of Calton Hill, 9th October 2004 Created by and written by Eddie Truman ([email protected]) We the undersigned call for an independent Scottish republic built on the principles of liberty, equality, diversity and solidarity. These principles can never be put into practice while Scotland remains subordinate to the hierarchical and anti-democratic institutions of the British State. We believe these principles can be brought about by a freely elected Scottish Government with full control of Scotland's revenues. We believe that the right to self determination is an inherent right, and not a boon or a favour to be granted to us whether by the Crown or the British State. We believe that sovereignty rests in the people and vow to fight for the right to govern ourselves for the benefit of all those living in Scotland today, tomorrow and in future times. The Government of a country is servant to the people, not master of the people. We believe that a written Constitution will guarantee, under law, everyone's right to freely vote, speak and assemble; and will guarantee the people's right to privacy and protection, and access to information on all its Government's doings. We vow to fight for the power to refuse to send our sons and daughters to kill and die in unjust wars in foreign lands. We vow to fight for the power to banish nuclear weapons of mass destruction from our land. We vow to fight for the power to acquire and restrict the use of property or lands controlled by individuals, corporations or governments from beyond Scotland's borders. We vow to fight for the power to turn our depopulated land into a haven for those fleeing famine and persecution. We vow to fight for the power to build a more equal society, free of poverty, through the redistribution of our vast wealth. We vow to fight for the power to protect our soil, seas and rivers for our children and for the generations to come. We swear to oppose all forms of national chauvinism, imperialism and racism. We swear to oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, religion, place of birth, age, disability, sexuality or language. We aim for an independent Scottish Republic in which people may live with dignity and with self respect, free from exploitation, assuming the responsibilities of free women and men. An independent Scottish republic will negotiate freely and as an equal with governments of other lands. Our aim is not to erect walls of separation, but to build an outward-looking, Scotland that will extend the hand of friendship to all the peoples of the world. We vow to continue the struggle for a free, democratic Scottish republic for as long as it may take. The fight is for freedom. Sincerely, ............... The Undersigned

My reservations on the Declaration of Calton Hill, 2004

I hope that Eddie Truman and/or some in the SSP will read this because although the Declaration of Calton Hill is good indeed, there are a few improvements or amendments for a future such declaration that I'd like to see. Here's what I'd say to Eddie -

"Not bad, Eddie, not bad at all. Your declaration doesn't cater, unfortunately, for the blunt truth that in order "to build an outward-looking, Scotland that will extend the hand of friendship to all the peoples of the world" those peoples would actually need to be alive to be able to take our hand of friendship - and if a lot of those people are being murdered and exterminated by brutal dictators then they won't be able to take our hand of friendship, will they Eddie? No. Can you offer your hand in friendship to dead bodies lying in Saddam's mass graves Eddie? Or to the dead of the New York Twin Towers terrorist attack? No, Eddie, that would be too little and too late. So, while Scots should have "the power to refuse to send our sons and daughters to kill and die in unjust wars in foreign lands", and if our hand of friendship is meant to be a helping hand, bringing peace with justice to our friends, and not merely a helpless wringing hand then we also need the power to send those of our sons and daughters who volunteer to kill and to risk death in just wars of liberation in foreign lands. Because Eddie, if people in foreign lands are being killed by the likes of Hitler, Saddam, Bin Laden or Queen Elizabeth, a hand of friendship without a gun in it some of the time, so to speak, is of no bloody use. And in the modern era of extreme warfare, a hand of friendship without its finger on a nuclear weapon firing button some of the time is of no bloody use either. So, in addition, Scots need the power to maintain nuclear weapons of mass destruction in our land as well as "the power to banish nuclear weapons".

Now, I don't wish to nit-pick Eddie but you said "An independent Scottish republic will negotiate freely and as an equal with governments of other lands." Firstly, you seem to be equating government with the state, presumably because many states have sought to govern alone which has led to a common but undemocratic definition of what "a government" is. As democrats though surely we should seek to defend the principle of government of the people, by the people and for people. "Democracy" means "government by all the people" and not government by the state, as such. THE government, if it is not THE people then it is THE enemy, as far as democrats are concerned. So I would hold your horses before you go committing a Scottish republic to negotiate as an equal with possibly very undemocratic governing states. You are right to declare that "We believe that sovereignty rests in the people" but I suggest that states that don't believe that and don't practise that are no equal to the Scottish republic that we wish to declare. If a Scottish republic gets its democratic principles right then not only will the Scottish republican state NOT be "the government" in Scotland (because the people will be) but our state should negotiate as a superior (no mere equal) in democratic principle to governing states in the world that are struggling, at best, to live up to the democratic ideals. A Scottish republic at its best should only negotiate as an equal with states that have an equally strong commitment to the democratic principle of government by the people. We should not seek to descend to the political gutter where are to be found the undemocratic governing states of the world.

Secondly, your statement regarding "governments of other lands" (my underline) does not recognise that there are other states that have a vital interest in some, perhaps many, of the people in this land, Scotland, not merely some other land. Scotland is part of the land of Britain, the land of Europe and the land of the world. I can see the possibility of a state of Britain (the United Kingdom or its successor) or co-operating states of Europe (the European Union) and of the world (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the United Nations) being willing to negotiate freely with a Scottish republic.

Since, Eddie, you've already addressed your declaration to "the Westminster Government", you have already conceded that a British state has a negotiating role and Britain is a land that is not entirely "other" than Scotland, is it?

In particular, there are many British nationals living in Scotland who will feel that they will need the comfort of "the British government" (or a British state, as I'd prefer to describe it) watching their backs, for a while at least. So let's reassure the Britons by, for example, condemning the worrying and offensive burning-of-the-union-flag on Calton Hill that day that did so clash with the quite proper declaration of opposition to "all forms of national chauvinism". Also maybe in future many of those living in, say, Shetland, the Kingdom of Fife or some other part of Scotland (or those of another nation in Scotland - the Picts, perhaps?) may wish to have an independent state of their own. Perhaps royalists may wish to maintain their own separate and increasingly redundant royalist state in Scotland in parallel to the Scottish republic? Perhaps not for too long but who can tell?

Talking about Scottish royalists, the Declaration of Arbroath, 1320 was some time ago but it has not yet been forgotten. Will the Declaration of Calton Hill similarly stand the test of time, I wonder? Certainly, there are other possible states that may be, to some extent and at some time, of this land of Scotland and it would be wise to accept that now. Action from an independent Scottish republican state is urgently necessary now but such a state is also unlikely to be immediately sufficient to suit the governing preferences of all of the people of Scotland.

So it would be better to amend that point to - An independent Scottish republic will negotiate freely with other states (and will negotiate freely as an equal only with other democratic states) of all lands, including any other state of Scotland, states of lands that are part of Scotland and states of lands that Scotland is part of. It is important that we do not build in to our assumptions that a Scottish republican state, its ministers and its officers, should govern in Scotland, over the people or over the land, to the exclusion of all other states. As you have so rightly stated - "We believe that sovereignty rests in the people". Where you said "The Government of a country is servant to the people, not master of the people." Well, OK, although I can get your drift, it would have been better to declare that - The Government in a democratically governed country is of the people, by the people and for people. "The Government", as such, should be "the people" - neither the servant nor the master of the people - it should be the people themselves. Democrats consider that the people are entitled to be the government - and that every person is entitled to be a member of the government. Yes, the republican state, its ministers and its officers, should be the servant of the people, helping to implement government by all the people. Further it would be useful, for the avoidance of doubt, to add that the Scottish republican state would necessarily be at war with any other state that forced its rule, its undemocratic government, upon the people of Scotland, usurping the democratic rights of the Scottish people and enslaving the Scots. Keep up the good work Eddie!"

5 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Scottish Elections 1st May 2003

Results and immediate humiliation of results

Parties and number of Members of the Scottish Parliament - Labour (50), Nationalist (27), Conservative (18), Liberal Democrat (17), Green (7), Socialist (6), Other (4). Caution: the names of the parties are often misleading. MSPs often support actions which are opposed to their party's nominal philosophy. From the majority of MSPs, inadequacy, hypocrisy and lies are the norm whereas only a minority of MSPs could objectively deliver a policy aim.

Click for a high resolution photograph of MSPs

After the pride of the Scots' votes came the humiliation of the Scots' elected representatives. MSPs effectively disclaimed their party and programme formally by being forced to swear or to affirm allegiance to Queen Elizabeth and her brats. So all the votes of the Scots are to be cast aside and reduced to nothing where any good policies imply, as they often do, that the state should abandon its royalist, fascist and incompetent nature in order to facilitate policy delivery. The braver ones put up a token show of defiance, making the declaration of allegiance under protest and correctly supporting the sovereignty of the people. However, most of the Scottish (nominally) "Nationalist" Party MSPs (mostly, "Traitor MSPs") weren't really protesting. Most of the SNP MSPs respectfully received the Queen when she addressed the last parliament on 2 occasions and the new parliament on 3rd June 2003. Hypocrites! Thankfully, 19 honourable MSPs did not attend the Queen's address and they therefore avoided giving the appearance of disregarding the sovereignty of the Scottish people.

5 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Web Links

Arrivals - check out this web site!

Welcome indeed surfers from the web. The 2 most important pages to remember about this site (and you can click to them now) are -

Site Start Page	Familiar as the first page for those who typed in the web address. Heralds and outlines the highlights of the site. (On the 8k mirror site, firstly the window is framed into a menu, search box and an adjustable dual page view, with the start page placed into the initially larger left page frame.)
Index, site map and search	Essential page to ease navigation around the site. Lists the pages in a conventional "contents" layout. Gives a good idea of the total size and scope of the web site. Search this site for any word or phrase here. Can be clicked to from every other page in the site. Check it out before you leave the site as otherwise you won't know what you are missing.

Departures for the web - click out here ...

Web surfers - there are many different ways to leave this web site from here. To help you to find your way back here then please write down this Address or print out the Site Start Page. That is the page to print out and to keep, to remember the web site by. I'd welcome any comments that you might have. Email me, to -

[email protected]

f o r u m s Have your say on Scottish politics - click to these forums Peter Dow's SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER Political Leadership Peter Dow's SCOTTISH UNIVERSITIES Political Education Scotland.com _ Scot. Soapbox _ SnG bigots _ SSG Free Scots _ Scotpol _ Scots Debate

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30 Aug '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Site Maintenance Web site masters - Let's LINK up

New method. Mirror sites indexing page.

This method has been developed for linking to this website that is occasionally closed down and has to pop up again at a different web address.

Website masters should click here to open a new window with the mirror sites indexing page for this site and read and follow the installation instructions at the bottom of that page -

How to find the Scottish National Standard Bearer website

Website masters: you can now edit your own copy of the indexing file to link it with your own website pages. Then upload your version with the "_files" folder and its contents to your website.

Old method. Single web address link.

This method works fine only for as long as the website keeps the same web address - maybe from no time at all to at most a few months.

Add a link to this site. Here's some HTML code that you can copy and paste into the source file of your web page to add this icon that links to this web site. The icon is 89 x 128 pixels. (See tip below) <A HREF="http://scot1.netfirms.com" target="scotnsb"> <IMG SRC= "http://scot1.netfirms.com/photo3.jpg" HSPACE=12 WIDTH=89 HEIGHT=128 ALT="Link to the Scottish National Standard Bearer web site"></A>

BIG link to this site 224 x 320 pixels. <A HREF= "http://scot1.netfirms.com" target="scotnsb"> <IMG SRC= "http://scot1.netfirms.com/snsbicon.jpg" HSPACE=12 WIDTH=224 HEIGHT=320 ALT="Link to the Scottish National Standard Bearer web site"></A>

Linking Tip: The icon image may not always appear if you just paste in the suggested HTML code. There is a bit more to do to make it more reliable.

The problem is that because the Scottish National Standard Bearer web site is still using a free, advertising-funded service, my images on the website's host server cannot be reliably linked to from elsewhere - "hot-linking", as it is called, to free sites is discouraged. (I've indicated the hot-links by colouring them red.)

The solution is to upload your own copy of the icon image file (photo3.jpg or snsbicon.jpg) and link to that. Using Internet Explorer, right-click one of the images here and use Save Picture As... to make a temporary copy of the image file on your computer. Then upload the image file on to your own web page's server. In addition, you will need to edit your web page source file so that the HTML code addition instead references your uploaded copy of the image file in the SRC="..." statement. Delete the hot-link and put in your file name. If you use the same file names then your new improved HTML code addition might have a SRC statement that reads - SRC="photo3.jpg" or SRC="snsbicon.jpg" That should do it. Maybe, one day, I'll be able to pay for a hot-linkable service?

WebRings

Scottish Republican Web Ring [ Join Now | Ring Hub | Random | << Prev | Next >> ]

Of course, you can always email me ( [email protected] ) if you want to establish links from/(to?) my web site. However, please note the starting of a new web ring - Scottish Republican Web Ring - ring master, yours truly, Peter Dow. If you are the web master of a site which has some Scottish AND republican content then you are invited to apply to add your site to this ring.

And/or perhaps you'd like to add your site to the Trans-Atlantic Web Ring?

Trans-Atlantic Web Ring [ Join Now | Ring Hub | Random | << Prev | Next >> ]

That's mine too but you can link up to this site if you join ANY of the web rings that this site is a member of (click to see them).
If you haven't added your site to a web ring before then I'd advise you to click here to sign up with WebRing and click on to the "Ring Hub" of the web ring you want to add your site to and then click on the "Join This Ring" link. Oh, and the trickiest bit is to paste some so-called "navigation code" into one of your web pages. Don't worry, the WebRing site explains everything (nearly everything).

History: This site first appeared on the web with Yahoo/Geocities.

A while ago, when I announced this web site, those people in the GeoCities Team informed me that due to the limit on data transfer for free sites, they had to temporarily take my site off line. The site had quite a few curious visitors back then but it has never been so busy since. Back then, I set up two almost identical web sites (called "mirror sites") to cater for the demand. Yahoo have not got round to pulling the plug on these mirror sites yet. Sshh! Don't tell them!
Maybe one day this site will become too busy again (say, if the site is ever mentioned on T.V. or radio - some hope!). Then those in the know can visit the mirror site at (geocities.com/scotpeterdow2). Another near-mirror site, but without images, can be visited at (geocities.com/scotpeterdow0) - zero images, text only, so this site should never suffer from data transfer limits. Alternatively, if anyone wants to pay to make this a premium site with higher data transfer limits then do email me and we'll do that.

Good-bye to all those run time errors from Geocities adverts

On some systems, the Geocities server adverts code generates run-time errors. Depending on the (Internet Explorer) browser option set (may need administrator privilege to set) you will see either a small yellow exclamation warning triangle in the bottom bar of the browser window or one or two pop-up windows appear proclaiming a run-time error and offering to debug. (Just click 'No'.)

To stop this pop-up window appearing, try selecting Internet Options - Advanced - Browsing - Disable script debugging [tick box]. To get to Internet Options, select it from either the Tools menu or Start - Settings - Control Panel. Hopefully, you'll get it to work without this annoying "Error" interruption.

I've complained until I am blue in the face to the Geocities help service but it is like talking to a brick wall. "We thoroughly check our script codes to ensure that they work" - they say but they are wrong. I've even offered to pay for an ad free service if only they will sort out the advert code run-time errors first so that I have confidence in their systems, but it's no good.

It is this sort of bureaucratic refusal to accept that there is a problem and fix it that led to the Challenger & Columbia Space Shuttle disasters and the 9/11 Twin Towers disaster. "There's nothing wrong with our design, manufacturing or operations" - they say. Oh yeah? I DON'T THINK SO!

So life won't be easy, even after the move to Netfirms

How true. Development on the Netfirms mirror site has come to a halt as of October 2004 because of an interruption of a suitable local internet connection - some idiot has imposed nanny software on the local server that I used to update the site. That nanny software has been set to block ALL Netfirms sites - the fascists strike again! The same managers are also now saying that "special specific permission" is required to upload pages on to a personal web site - talk about control freaks!

So the only mirror site that is being updated at the moment is the 8k mirror site.

_ Site Start Page __ Synchronize for links archive

_ Index, site map and search _ Web Links _ 142268

9 Nov '04

SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARD BEARER: Peter Dow

Index, site map and search

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Scottish National Standard Bearer - Web site Start Page
_ Music: Scots Wha' Hae from the Scottish Fantasy, by Max Bruch
_ The functions and duties of a Scottish National Standard Bearer
___ William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland
___ To make Scotland's commanders democratically accountable
___ To identify and to flag up Scotland's current command authority (Ranks 1 to 4)
_____ Music: Flower of Scotland, by The Corries
_____ Ranks 5 to 8
_____ Ranks 9 to 11
_____ Ranks 12 and 13
___ To advise Scots about policies, services, strategies and tactics
_____ Political independence for Scotland
_______ Threats from within Scotland
_________ Police sadistic torturers
___________ Anti-handcuffs. Protective wear to slow down police speedcuffs.
___________ Handcuffs keys. How to unlock police speedcuffs.
___________ How to break open handcuffs with tools
_________ Arrogant and tyrannical judges
___________ Target the judges
_______ Threats from the U.K.
_______ Threats from Europe
_________ The BBC VE Day Announcement, 7th May 1945
_________ Winston Churchill, 8th May 1945
_________ Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
_______ Threats from global reach organisations
_________ For Nuclear Weapons based at Faslane
_____ War on Terrorism
_______ Blair: the shoulder of a hypocrite
_______ For war to disarm Saddam
_________ For war poetry
_________ Condi - You win again
_________ Iraq: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
_____ Law and order within Scotland
_____ Health, wealth and good services. Scottish universities
___ To report to the Scots when commanders fail their responsibilities
_____ Queen Elizabeth's failings - Queen OR Country? Elizabeth OR Scotland?
_______ The freedom denied to the Scots by this Queen. The Constitution from Hell!
_______ The Royal Disasters - The Terrorist Killer Queen
_______ Poll on Queen OR Country - Your say
_____ Scottish Republican News. Protest and honour
_______ Scottish Republican Roll of Honour
_____ Presiding Officers Failings. Betrayal and surrender
_____ First Minister's Scottish Executive Failings
_____ Scottish Labour Failings
_____ Scottish Liberal Democrat Failings
_____ Scottish Nationalist Failings
_____ Scottish Conservative Failings
_____ Scottish Green Failings
_____ Scottish Socialists
_______ The Calton Hill Declaration
_____ Scottish Elections 1st May 2003
_ Forum - political leadership message board
_ Forum - Scottish Universities political education
_ Web Links
_ PRINT whole website
_ Site Maintenance: Web site masters - Let's LINK up
_ How to find the Scottish National Standard Bearer website
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