Ego

I have to put with Lanarkshire hot-heads barking at me on the phone. This means that after work, the last thing I want to do is communicate with the outside world. Still... my main survival mechanism is honesty. Brutal, blatant honesty. It bruises a few egos, but it usually works. Australia, however, has exploded this principle to a massive campaign against young drivers. And it's genius....

Read this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7045178.stm

It's a good idea, int'it? Don't attack the man, attack his ego.

Now onto Football fans... I've holidayed in a couple of weird places, one of which was a city in the Ukraine called Chernovtsy. This news story though highlights how little regard most football fans have for the reality of international problems. Football fans are morons, and this isn't an anti-english thing. I'm including Scots who join the Tartan army in various eastern european destinations and whichever set of supporters it is, seem surprised that they're not treated the same as if they were travelling to Falkirk. If I travel abroad (which is a rare occurance) I make sure I'm prepared and know a bit before a go over. The most football fans seem to manage to pack is the football shirt of their choice and the hope that whichever distant abroad destination they're travelling to is a bit like they're home town.

Still, funny in the ego states this week was Menzies Campbell who seemed surprised and perturbed by the fact that he was considered old. At 66. This particular hemisphere of the planet is often chastised for a lack of respect for the old. Well put it this way, respect is earned and if our pensioners don't have it, then don't look to younger generations as the source of the problem. They were the ones enacting the laws and raising the young who disrespected them. Ming was as guilty of his folly as the emperor who ordered his new clothes. He took a job and fucked it up. He underestimated people's views on his age, and failed to prove how much of a sage he was.

There's even a few in the Nationalist movement for whom I certain amount of complacency when I think of them. Ian Hamilton QC (whose blog is here) is one who has made me think. Not in a good way. For the Nationalist movement, he should be a hero. Someone who should sit at a fireplace somewhere and recount for the umpteenth time his story about the Stone of Destiny. But what I read is the ramblings of an eccentric more fitted to the BBCs Grumpy Old Men programme than someone one should respect. He seems happiest when baiting a reaction. This is something I can entirely understand, and probably HAVE done time and again, but for the life of me I'm struggling to see the point in this old relic and those like him, anymore. I don't want to read more coy defence or old age repentance, I want to hear a bit more politics and a bit more fire. I guess this is a hangover the the implosion of the Socialists and it's subsequent and interminable naval-gazing. Ian's turning into something out of Dickens or Shakespeare and not whatever he's being cast by the Nationalist movement as this week.

Mack the non-Rant

According to my clustrmap thingy, not many Canadians read this blog. So... I say we get stuck into those workshy, anti-independence, moose-fucking bastards.... what d'ye say? No... oh well...

I'm going to introduce to you a series of random statements and you can tell me what you think of them? They've all been said, uttered or whispered at various times to me.

I'm going to make a rare disclaimer (usually I could care less about what the Sun and Record reading public thought about this blog. Fuck it... most of the time complain to the retard about this blog and see just how much of a fuck I actually give.) BUT, this time, the statements below are not mine. Don't be stupid and automatically assume I subscribe to the comment.

These statements are anonymous and will remain that way. I'm merely curious about your reactions to them...

1. English people aren't moving to Scotland because they're trying to colonise the place. They see it as being more white than England is, and do not accept multi-culturalism. They want the white Britain of the 50s television sold them in the 70s. English Incomers are in receipt of racism, they're the cause of it.
   
2. Prince Michael of Albany wasn't the true heir to the throne. You can tell by the fact that he's still alive.
   
3. Socialists who have hubris about their socialism and cringe about their Scottish do so because they prefer sleeping with Socialist Workers to Scottish Nationalists. It's tribal, Kenny, not politics. It never was, not now.
   
4. [In response to my self-righteousness about the SSP being more morally right than Tommy Sheridan] People have sex. End of. Are you fucking Jesus? Who gave you the moral right to judge a man when you've done the same? Even if he did, does the man not have the right to save his fucking marriage?
   
5. [In response a speaker talking about how Wallace was "watching" over us] If she starts talking like Derek Acorah, I'm leaving. [not thought provoking, but it made me chuckle]
6. If the Independence Vote in a referendum was closer to losing than winning, it would be better to sabotage the turnout and gain a short-term loss, than lose the referendum with a big turnout and suffer a long term one.
   
7. You want to know why people like Wallace? It's because they want it done. They don't want pussy politics, they don't want old men hiding behind democracy and pacifism that sold them out in the miners strike and the Poll Tax. They want one man, standing up, ready to fight and to say fuck you to the aristocracy. They want someone to give them their pride back.
   
8. [on why a person didn't vote SSP when I suggested it to them] They claim to be the party of the working man. But all I see is a bunch of people on benefits and incapacity benefit. Nobody seems to give a fuck about the working classes anymore. It's all about the underclasses. Where's our party?
   

So, reason for the disclaimer should be obvious. Anyone any thoughts? If you don't like using bloggers comments system, email me. kenny.sheerin@gmail.com

T-shirts...

Please find attached a new range couture from the Firefox Chronicles...

http://www.cafepress.com/ffxchronicles.146726673

It's stylish, cheeky and ultimately not worth the money you'll pay for it...

It's part of our "Richey Manic" range of t-shirt wear...

Situation Critical....

I'm not going to lie to you... the recent upgrading of the terror threat level worries me. Not because we're going to die screaming like pigs in an abattoir but because our personal freedoms are at threat and because we seem to bay for blood manipulated by the media against the wrong people.

It seems that I should therefore stand as the accuser rather than the accused. Who is to blame for the recent bomb attacks in London and who caused the situation in Glasgow Airport. Who's to blame? You fucking are.

Yes, that's right. And as V said in the movie "V for Vendetta":

"I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense."

I saw a person I hold in high regard call for the expulsion of Muslims who believe in Sharia law from our wee bit hill and glen. Aye, we're scared, but should be become Nazi's in penance for our own crimes? We failed to stop our intervention in the American Imperialism which caused these problems... When we let airplanes stop at our airports to torture innocent people, should we hold SOMEONE ELSE accountable?

One of the bleakest artworks you can listen to is "The Holy Bible" by the Manic Street Preachers. I listen to it when I'm depressed. The main lyricist, Richey James Edwards, threw himself off a bridge by the time the Album was done and the band were touring. (Aye, I know he's been officially "missing" but I doubt he's out there, personally...) In it are horrors of genocide, anorexia, the holocaust, crime, prostitution and apparently socialists politics. The horror of the 1994 album could be the country we live in now.

And yet we want to blame someone else for it. You didn't vote or persuade your brothers and sisters nearly enough. Had you done so, you would have gotten the Independence we need to stop these horrible things happening.

But you CAN help. You can RESIST. This malevolence stems from USA imperialism. You can stop it. Not me, YOU. Don't go to McDonalds or Burger King. Don't buy the Newspapers. Shut down your shopping malls and go to local suppliers. If someone bitches about your local Asian corner shop, put them in hospital. Destroy the Capitalist banks. Make yourself truly independent of the system. Fight Racism. Fight Imperialism. Don't stand up and be Alex Salmond or wet Wendy Alexander. Stand up and be Calgacus. Stand up and be Rob Roy or William Wallace. Don't listen to the idiots who blame the wrong person, listen to yourself because deep down you know that the real enemy is lying to you through Rupert Murdoch's rags, and via the Daily Record.

Unicorn Bicycle

You can tell I couldn't think of a heading couldn't you? You're quite bright.

Anyway, to business. I couldn't think what to write. Was ALL out of ideas for blogging because of various creative things I'm doing and general laziness.

Two points: One, if you've linked to me, and haven't told me, please do so. I WILL link back. Mostly. If, for example you're a paisley co-DJ (or embra DJ) who's reading this, I will probably link back. I may have done, i've not checked. If you're a screaming nazi then chances are I'm going to pretend I've never read your website and go off and try and bit-torrent Blake's 7 again...

Secondly: who the hell navigated here using the phrase: "red light" blythswood glasgow? It came up on that mybloglog thing on the side. It's useful for seeing who comes and visits. Usually it either says "albannach tribal" or "kenny sheerin" or "funny family fortune answers" (no... really. People actually visit this site because of that). The Blythswood thing is because of my infrequent references to gonzo isn't it?

News... I should really say something other than this shouldn't i? Can't think of much. I did something today which means I officially ROCK. But I can't talk about it. Data protection. ho hum. You'll just have to trust my status in ROCKING and grown a smidge.

Vote Independence - Quotes...

Man... I'm a Blog machine this week... Every day so far.

So... Indy quotes. I figured that since I was too busy doing stuff that I wouldn't ACTUALLY go out and seek real quotes for Independence. I'd make them up instead. If you particularly want to see one on the internet, that's what the comment function is for.

William Wallace: I can't believe you thought I looked like that fucking Australian. Shouting "You missed one at the back!" during Braveheart does NOT make you a patriot! Dear god Barbie... try and at least TALK to someone about Independence this side of the election so that deep down (deep deep down) you feel as if you took part.

Robert T Bruce: 'Tis better to win, than to take part. So... here's a tip from Scotland's best machiavellian King (on AND off the park). If your blonde co-worker is bitching about Independence and you can't persuade her: don't keep wasting your time, get your sister - cousin to use her vote. Also, instead of going postal against Labour Party politicians, why not do stuff like say you were a lifelong labour voter... but NOT NOW! Because of the War in Iraq, your local hospital being shut down or because of the Council Tax. Be subtle... make them feel bad!

Andrew De Moray: Okay, so you've graduated from being a 90 minute Freedom Fighter at Hampden to being a nine-week Nat during the election. But this is about committment to the cause. Think about Bannockburn people... (which I missed because of a slight case of death) If people had gone home after the game then we wouldn't be free. We needed the committment of 1320... And the committment to get us through the Second War of Independence.... Or the Committment to hide the REAL stone of Destiny... (on that point, me and Wallace took the black carved marble rock to an Inn and Dundee and... jeez... we got so drunk me and Wallace made "Mad Maeve fae Dumbarton" Queen of Scotland for thirteen whole minutes!

Mirren: Could someone tell Billy his tea's on the table?

Wendy Wood: Could one of you losers make sure my Lion Rampant gets back up on Stirling Castle when Independence is declared? Incidentally, sisters across Scotland fought for the right to vote, not so that you could bitch about how you had no one to vote for, but because we wanted to give you a chance to make a difference for all of us. Even spoiling your ballot paper makes a difference. Staying at home does nothing. All reasons why are merely excuses. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO BE HEARD.

Thomas Muir: There's a big world out there waiting to recognise YOU as a people in your own right. I know you're scared, I know everyone is saying that it can't work... But I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to believe in yourself for ONE ELECTION. Just one, because that's all it takes...

Okay.. me again... Right, so those people aren't speaking from the grave, and I'm using humour to make a political point. But since I get a SHITLOAD of readers and very few comments I thought you might listen to the dead more than you listen to me.

It just takes a day to make things better. Just one.

If you tolerate this... then your children will be next

" Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white-then melts for ever;
Or like the Borealis race,
That flit ere you can point their place;
Or like the Rainbow's lovely form
Evanishing amid the storm. -
Nae man can tether Time nor Tide,
The hour approaches Tam maun ride..."
from Robert Burns - Tam O' Shanter

I've been here before. If the Pro-independentistas fall on friday night, I can already hear the tears and the anger. I can witness the hate against a unionist press. The press don't care, they are merely doing the jobs their bosses pay them for. I guess they don't realise how much independence means to those who believe in it.

I joined the SNP after the 1992 general election, because I was angry that "Scotland Free by '93" didn't happen. The first meeting I went to was only bearly quorate and there wasn't a great deal to do because the election was done and we were merely mopping up afterwards. I remember a list of people who didn't turn up at the meeting who hadn't bothered to send apologies. I didn't know them, and I wouldn't get to know them. They wouldn't bother returning to the Condorrat SNP while I was there.

And on Friday, I get to witness this madness again. Maybe, just maybe, the SNP will get in. Maybe the pro-indy vote will finally charge the fields of paper and council bureaucracy to finally go legit.

But the kicker is, that if we don't, we been campaigning so long we forgot that we are just flesh in blood inside. We forget that if the result doesn't go our way, some of our friends are going home and we won't see them again. Maybe that's the case for us, maybe that's the case for the Labour Party. We forget how much losing hurts because it matters so so much.

So, friday for me means one of either two things: one, partying like never before because once, JUST ONCE! we are ONE STEP closer to freeing our people. Or two: counting the dead from another lost election.

This is why I joined Siol nan Gaidheal and the SRSM, because IF the bad results come in, I know I'm going to see the same faces I did before the count started.

But how can be a doom-monger? That's patently pointless given the polls. Lets be clear: only a MAJOR screw up or MAJOR screw job can fuck the SNP up now.

You can list our oppressors crimes in an encyclopedia; you can list the things they haven't done in a library. This is the most egocentric election you have ever faced. Will you watch your country go down the fucking toilet and vote unionist one more time? Just in case...

No. VOTE INDEPENDENCE and believe in the future.

Vote Independence

The last thing our country needs right now is another three hundred years swearing fealty to unionists for simply being allowed to be a subject of Brenda Windsor.

I thought I would take this opportunity to address a few myths regarding Independence. In my own way... (ahem).

Myth 1: Home Rule means Pope / Prod Rule:

Dear god... this is by far my least favourite. This tends to centre around the West of Scotland and, frankly, should stay there. It's propagated by bigots who can't argue with you. It's directed towards their alcoholic neighbours and housewives who don't want to think for themselves. There... I said it. If you believe this: you are a moron.

I feel I should at least bother to try and refute this rather than just rant about idiots like this not being allowed internet access or telephones.

To my mind, we don't have the depth of division in Scotland that is apparent in traditionally sectarian countries. Yes, there is sectarian violence, but this has never been exploited by political parties, per se. The "myth" has proved to be a feature in some areas for the Labour Party, but by no means would I suggest that this is endemic in top levels of the party.

Equally, take politics today. Voters in Airdrie, traditionally "labelled" a protestant heartland got angry (and rightly so) against Labour in Karen Whitefields constituency precisely because she stood idly by and let Catholic Coatbridge build all it's nice shops, leisure centres, bowling alleys and cinemas while finding something else to while their hospital was shut down. Chances are that Karen's game is a bogey and the SNP will get Airdrie. Nobody brought up religion, if you read the local newspapers is bread-and-butter politics being discussed.

My reasoning is that you aren't morons. Yes, our system is complete shit, but I have a higher opinion of you than that at the first opportunity you'll wander off and batter the next ethnic minority at the first opportunity. I've sat behind you in buses. You're quite nice. Really...

Myth 2: Ooh... Nationalism... that's bad... that's like... violent and stuff...

This one rips my knitting as well.

After the Perth AGM of Independence First I was in a pub with a guy who I discussed my membership of Siol nan Gaidheal. He was a left winger and brought up the fact that we're all bad nasty fascists and racists and so were the SNP and... You get the point. This comes more from the left than it does the right, but it's pretty endemic. It usually uses "Yugoslavia" as the "Aaa ooh!" part of it's song.

My answer to that is this: all politics has blood on it's hands. The left winger who makes allegations of racism is conveniently forgetting the blood on his own hands. I'll bet he's wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt. How many people did Che kill? He led ACTUAL revolutions. Now... that didn't involve him going to Bolivia to sell copies of the Socialist Worker. He took a gun.

And all over Europe and North America you'll find a trail of blood attributed to Socialism. You'll find Germany's Red Army Faction; Frances Actione Directe (sic); Red Brigades here, there and everywhere. Diet Red Brigades, Cherry flavour Red Brigades, Maoists, Trots and Commies all of who have rifles under their beds. You can go up to the Northwest of America and find the United Freedom Front and Red Guerrilla Resistance blowing up and robbing their way through New York. Lets be honest, the death toll is fucking huge.

Swing to the right wing and you'll find the Conservatives. Nothing bad about them, surely? Surely that nice Dictator Maggie Thatcher, who managed - miraculously - to have two separate wars and not invade someone once, didn't have links to nasty violent political people.

It's best not to ask them yourself. They'll probably neglect to mention Enoch "Rivers of Blood" Powell and Oswald "Crazy Bastard" Mosely (who was a member for the Tories in Harrow... which was nice): posters boys of your friendly neighbourhoodie fascists: the BNP, C18, National Front. They also might neglect to point out that they've sat next to "Psycho fun boy" Ian Paisley numerous times in numerous parliaments.

Your ballot paper is drenched in blood from the right wing to the left wing. Since the SNP was formed, it has been the most consistent vehicle for Independence. And they got a parliament without killing anyone. A damn sight better than the one gotten in Northern Ireland which has been dumped more times than I, or my wheely bin has been. Equally, the organisation I'm a member of: the SRSM helped persuade the groups who formed the original SSP that independence was a groovy idea and that they should hop on board the Indy train and dance to crappy folk music like the rest of us.

My point to unionist is this: if you want to look for violent ghosts in shadows, you'd be better served looking in your own political parties rather than in my Pro-Independence belief system. Most of the unionist parties have had members who have either advocated or attempted to create rivers of blood.

Myth 3: We cannae afford it Captain... there's nae merr money!

I can't help being patronising sometimes. It's just who I am:

Oh really... the country who spawned the guy who INVENTED the Bank of England can't build a decent economy. The country who spawned THE OTHER GUY who first documented Capitalism can't work out how to pay the bills? (William Paterson fae Tinwald in Dumfries and Galloway founded the Bank of England and Adam Smith fae Kirkcaldy worked out capitalism an' that).

Frankly, if you're stupid enough to subscribe to that myth you just lost the right to talk to me.

Myth 4: Black Gold

I think I missed that meeting. You know... the one where it was agreed that your country has to have oil to exist. Or to economically proper...

Ssshhhh... I just had an idea. If you're Irish you'd better go read something else. By that argument we should invade so that we can liberate them from their "non oil"ness. It would be only honourable on our part. We'd be doing them a favour.

They've a successful economy and don't have oil. Hmmm...

Either way, there is NO PROOF being documented that Oil is about to run out in the North Sea. And if it does... So what? Other countries proper, why the hell can't we?

Myth 5: Passports and Border Guards

My good friend Alyson probably worries about this one. Her current squeeze, Stevie from Jasper Carrot country, might be affected by the very issue.

Aside from the fact that people living here would get naturalisation rights and nationality IF THEY WANTED IT... It's in most of the manifestos and press briefings.

Honestly, Pro Indy supporters are all rather Swedish and nice about this issue. We want to be cool and nice and groovy and don't want to make your life, like, hard... dude. We're all cool.

I can guarantee there won't be any sniper towers this side of Gretna at any time. If "Stevie" is stopped at the border, it's merely because I fancy his girlfriend and nothing to do with the fact he's English....

Aftermath

Hello you.

I don't think I'll expand much more than that. First off thanks to the Maryhill Mob's photos from Glencoe and Arbroath, much appreciated! They'll appear on the interweb in due course.

Strange week all in all. Not much I can say this side of the election, which I'll admit bothers me. The thing I liked about my blog is that I was honest (if a bit weird and cryptic at times, admittedly) but now I'm being all political and keeping things quiet.

Not that anyone ELSE is doing that... Threads on Freescot and Our Scotland blowing the gaff wide open... tsk tsk.

Still, Mr. Bell has taught me a phrase in Gaelic I requested of him: Èirichidh sinn a-rithist.

Nevertheless, my opinions on the Independence First "Non-event event" (similiar to this) are better summed up, in metaphor, but Doctor Cox of Scrubs:

"Hey, Ghandi. For your information, I attended that poor vegetable's funeral every single time I set foot in his room over the last six weeks. Thank God the family finally moved him over to Surgery, where you guys were good enough to help him kick that nasty oxygen habit he had once and for all."

And this little classic from Dr. Cox from Scrubs:

Listen Vanessa Janice Tiffany Amber Thiessen. I'm gonna go ahead and give ya a little something I call Perry's Perspective. 1. If the guy in front of me in the coffee shop can't decide what he wants in the 30 minutes it takes for him to get to the
register, i should be allowed to kill him. 2. I'm fairly sure that if they took all the porn off the Internet, there'd only be 1 website left, and it would be called Bring Back The Porn. 3rd, and most important, to be respected as a doctor, nay a man, you must be an ocean. You're born alone, you damn sure die alone, (looks over and speaks to a cadaver rolling by) isn't that right Spike? My point is, and you may want to jot this down... only the weak need help.

You see my point?

Disheartened and pissed the fuck off.