The Bill Speirs March

Read more...

I Am Back !

Hi After a break of just over a year my ayewecan blog is back - well not quite yet.

I'll start posting regularly once the election campaign starts for real. But I have been so inspired by the oratory of Annabel and the Gray man that I have broken cover early.

I promise fresh videos to match my two 2007 election contributions The Best We Numpty in the World and Labour Pie, both of which are still available and still  relevant. Indeed, aside from the King Numpty himself, near all the old numpties are trying to get back in high office again - presumably to make a total arse of it for a third time, get enhanced ministerial salaries - followed by generous payoffs for pie munching induced ministerial sackings. All this, plus enhanced pension increments to help prepare them for that impoverished lifestyle poor we Jacko will have to endure in the House of Lords.

Or was that the High Commissioner to Malawi job? Oops GB lost in London, so that deal fell through - lucky Malawi. The last thing that poor country needs is the export of our failed numpties. Maybe though Wendy might want to have a go - she can take her weans -indeed her entire family - with her, with our blessings. The Malawis will suss her in about a month. They no longer indulge quasi-intellectual Presbyterians missionaries - the historical root cause of that nation's principal difficulties: Jacko was always more superficially palitable - he'd have come bearing gifts of Rangers and Celtic strips as part of his ongoing campaign on "Scotland's Shame"  - himself

So, I hope you can see there will be plenty to write and sing about.

In the meantime check oot my wee video below which encapsulates what was and will continue to be the spirit of this blog. And if you want more than that - some thoughtful and entertaining  non-partisan articles, in the meantime id recommend Bella Caledonia.

Finally,  you might have noticed my Obama themed banner has gone, replaced by one of the true revolutionaries of our epoch. - The fab five  ( the fifth being  the Scottish Beatle, Edinburgh born- Include Stuart Sutcliffe from the early Hamburg days). What's more, I did not fancy having pictures of NATO freedom hunting warplanes on ma site. Would spoil the tone, and might get my blog confused with that of the Israeli Government's Department of Information .

Until later

Read more...

Happy Christmas

Read more...

Scottish Labour's Local Government Concordat

Commenting on "Marqueegate", an East Lothian Council spokesman said:

"It appears this application was just put through every year by habit."

I suspect how Labour has largely run Scotland for the past 50 years.

PS And its all the SNP's fault for bringing this matter to public attention.....says a nulab spokeperson. Honest, that is what they said!

Read more...

Salmond on Cybernats

Alex Salmond, to delegates, SNP National Council in Perth, Saturday, 5th December, 2009:

"The Internet Is a wonderful tool. It gives us a means to engage with the public, to motivate activists and to affirm our positive case for Scottish independence.

We must use the Internet for positive campaigns, to build our case and not get engaged in the negative agenda.

The SNP can only win and will only win on a positive agenda"

"Cybernats"- do you get the message?

Pious unionists - is that clear enough for you?

Sunday Update: By popular request, a link to Joan McAlpines excllent article on The "Cybernats" in today's Sunday Times, Scotland.

Read more...

News of Moridura - and now others!

Amid the controversy that has lead to the demise of the Wardog and Universality of Cheese blogs in recent days, many will have also noticed that the highly respected Ancient Order of Moridura blog has also disappeared - gone "invite only" if you go looking.

Understandably, there was some speculation that yet another nationalist minded blogger had been pressurised into a low profile/out of existence by our media friends. I can happily ( but also sadly) report that this is not the case. Rather Moridura ( Peter ) has just decided to stop and focus his energies into more conventional writing, and also - you will be pleased to learn - though concentrating on his video clips service, which is now best accessed through his continuing YouTube channel.

Nevertheless, the passing of the Moridura blog is to be regretted. It was, in my view, one of the very best. Indeed, at times "blog" did not do its posts justice - often we were treated to mini-essays, immaculately researched , cross-referenced and often illustrated by the aforementioned video clips. Peter's blog was the antithesis of the "cybernat" stereotype - always polite and ecumenical in its outlook. But nat and cyber for sure.

Hopefully, Moidura is just taking a break and will return in some form or another in due course. One disappointment is that the blog is now closed for viewing rather than left online and open to all with a "gone fishing" note. Because, even as an archive and source of info, many of the posts are still very useful. But more than this - if any new (or old!) bloggers want to see how it should be done - and done well - they could go look at it. Or for that matter any journos who want to see how "cybernats" can hold them to account through rigorous and well researched argument rather than self-defeating abuse.

Stop Press
You can now access the blog archive without invite online

Stop Stop Press
I the near immediate wake of this sad news, I also hear prominant "nat" bloggers Subrosa and Advanced Media Watch have also decided to call it a day: For their own and differing reasons, but I cant help think there is some sort of inter-relationship in all of this.

Needless to say these two blogs will also be badly missed, up their with Moridura in terms of the quality of their posts and overall eccumenical, non-abusive approach. Good luck to them all.

Read more...

Independence White Paper

I think I will read it before commenting

In the meantime, happy St Andrew's Day and a wee word from the doyen of Tory bloggers Iain Dale!

Scottish Parties Are Blind to the Obvious
Iain Dale, 30 Nov, 2009

Blinkered. That's the only way to describe the idiotic decision by the three main parties to oppose a referendum on Scottish independence, which the SNP promised in their manifesto and are delivering on today, when they issue a white paper. If there's one way to whip up separationist tendencies Tavish Scott, Iain Gray and Annabelle Goldie appear to have found it.

The SNP have a mandate for the referendum. Perhaps I am missing something, and no doubt you will tell me if I am, but the SNP would lose a referendum of it were taken within the next year, so what have the three main parties got to lose by allowing the SNP to press ahead? If the vote is lost it would kill the SNP's electoral fortunes for a decade or more.

The simplest path when it comes to a vote in the Scottish Parliament is for the other parties to abstain. But it looks as if they will continue to act like ostriches and use the referendum as a stick to beat the SNP with. Alex Salmond may have had a bad year, but he is not to be underestimated. As a political tactician he is in a different league to his opponents, and they would do well to remember that."

Read more...