Removing the threat of nuclear weapons is next on the agenda

It is important to appreciate that this Treaty is unique; it is the Charter of the Victim (ie. you and me). This Treaty is focused on the humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. Previous agreements arose from discussions among those in the Big Boys club who saw nuclear weapons as an asset. This was their Precious; like Gollum they coveted that which drives men mad. In spite of Art 6 of the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) where the signatories pledged to work towards global disarmament (signed way back in 1968!) nothing was achieved by pious evocation of multilateralism, except that the nuclear powers modernised their arsenals, so that the Doomsday Clock stands closer to midnight than at any time in the past.

We are in this nightmare because we worship power - the power to dominate others. Whether it is the identical clones parading in Pyongyang, or our brave boys marching in London, or the heroes of the Red Army commemorating the defeat of Fascist Germany, it’s all the same. We just love military power.

It is not by accident that the very fist commandment is against idolatry. Our idol is that which guarantees our safety, and your idols are our Gods of Metal. To these we sacrifice everything – even our children.

Established churches only demonstrate their loyalty to their pagan past when they play their classic role of justifying the state to the plebs, showing that the ways of the powerful are the will of God. So on May 3 last year, Westminster Abbey staged a farce by thanking God for 50 years of CASD – Continuous at Sea Deterrence. The great and the good gave thanks to god that in his loving mercy he has granted us the power to slaughter his children, our brothers and sisters. And Jesus wept…

In 1955 in their Peace Manifesto, Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell wrote “Remember your humanity and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open to a new paradise; if you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death”.

Now, at the event hour can we not choose humanity?

Brian Quail
Glasgow

FOLLOWING on from last Sunday’s Feedback I would urgently request the following. We are going to hear the above phrase repeated over and over again in the coming months and my plea is for someone with greater knowledge of the real figures to explain the facts.

I responded to well-educated English relatives who requested information prior to the referendum of 2014 by addressing the subject as follow:

1. How many people live in Scotland – they had no idea!

2. How does that compare to the population of English large cities say, Manchester and Birmingham?

3. What is the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s percentage tax take on a litre of fuel and its total amount – they had no idea!

4. What is the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s percentage tax on a bottle of Scotch and its total amount – they had no idea!

5. What is the potential value of renewables in Scotland and is there a potential market for the excess generation given the challenges of legal compliance for carbon reduction – they had no idea!

6. We have a vibrant tourist trade and still have a bit of engineering, farming and fishing to say nothing about research at universities and other top-class facilities.

After putting some numbers to the above I posed the question “would it be sufficient to support Birmingham and Manchester ?”

I rested my case without mentioning kilts, bagpipes, shortbread or anything else, to their collective stunned silence.

We need to educate ourselves that we are not “basket cases”.

Can someone somewhere get the numbers together and widely publish them to counter the expected nonsense we are about to be subjected to?

Really a short national advertising campaign, TV included, would do the trick.

John Weir
East Kilbride

THANKS to the Sunday National for recommending the TV documentary film Flint. Occasionally the BBC take a risk and show a fascinating and factual programme of great social awareness.

Flint, like many former industrial towns round the Great Lakes is one of extreme poverty, in a supposedly free and rich country. Filmed over five years, the film gives a great insight into how the rich, hence powerful, profit from the poor. In this the water company literally sells families down the river; caring nothing about passing on lead poisoning, Legionnaires disease and a host of other illnesses through contaminated water.

The many twists in this sad river tale, meander through very muddy waters. How big money persuaded some so called environmentalists to change from supporting the poor to siding with the State. Against the folk the State are meant represent!

This is what Johnson and cronies are plotting for Scotland. As if a lot of our assets have not been stolen; there is more to plunder. A deal with the USA will allow the experts in turning our Health Service and Social Care into pure profit. Those who can’t pay die.

It’s time we were taught more about how the USA is the most unfair country in the so called Western World: The Tories want to emulate them.

I recall hearing first hand from a lovely gentle giant of a man, he was driving a bus from a car park to the terminal of a major airport across the lake from Flint. He explained how his wife had cancer and could get no treatment due their placing on the economic ladder. He went on to say how America is still the best country in World. Shades of Boxer in Animal Farm come to mind and I still have the image of Boris playing bad nasty Napoleon with Gove as Squealer.

In Scotland “the pigs” are undermining us and there is too much factionalism in the movement to allow Scotland back into the socially inclusive world. We need to unite now, before it’s too late.

Bryan Clark
Maybole

STUART Cosgrove’s article in the Sunday National (21/11/20) about national flags was very interesting and I noted that his favourite modern era flag was the flag of the Bahamas. Yet another area of Stuart’s expertise!

Having lived there many years ago I would like to add that the Bahamas, which was a colony of the UK for around 200 years decided to become an independent nation in 1973, joining the World Bank, United Nations and the IMF in that same year. The population of the Bahamas is circa 300,000 people. The currency of the Bahamas is the Bahamian Dollar and it has been pegged at par value with the US Dollar since 1973.

Brian Nugent
via email

TORY grandee, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, has always fancied himself as something of an intellectual in his self-declared role as the Bertie Wooster of Westminster, yet in his ludicrous statement that Scottish Tories would make a success of devolution a bit part playing Harry Enfield’s Tim Nice but Dim seems a much more distinct possibility.

For the benefit of Mr Rees-Mogg, the Scottish Tories were wiped out in the 1997 Westminster elections and it was only the PR voting system of devolution in 1999 which once again helped them to rebuild and to survive.

There are, to delve into the political history of many Scottish Tory footsoldiers, such as some members of the Renfrewshire Council Tory Group, many old enough to have vigorously campaigned against devolution in the 1979 referendum, so enthusiastic were they about devolution then, and many remain opposed now.

Yet Mr Rees-Mogg drags out the repetitive Tory lie repeated, ad nauseum, of a once in a generation referendum on independence, which has grown from 25 years to 40 years, well over a generic generation.

Scotia Future advises all independence supporters to relentlessly pursue all Scottish Tories in the run up to the next Scottish elections, and get them to answer how Scotland is getting such a poor deal under the Union when a generation in Northern Ireland is only seven years, as the Good Friday Agreement enshrines the right to a referendum on Irish re-unification every seven years, yet Scotland has to wait half a century?

No wonder it seems to increasing numbers of Scots that with unionist hypocrisy like that the precious Union is far more like the worst kind of abusive relationship.

Cllr Andy Doig,
Co Founder and Nominating Officer
Scotia Future

SO bequiffed millionaire Labour leader “Sir” Keir Starmer is dusting down the Better Together lie book and is promising further Devolution.

This is a man who as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) refused to prosecute MI5 and MI6 agents involved in the CIA kidnap and torture programme. Nor did he prosecute Jimmy Savile.

He applauded the efforts to vindictively prosecute young people protesting Tory austerity during the riots in 2011. He upped the sentences for poor people convicted of benefit fraud to 10 years. He was head of efforts to send Jullian Assange to the US.

This is now the man the British Unionists would have the public believe is offering an honest offer of further Devolution.

This is blether, guff and hockum rolled into one. This road has been traveled down so many times its cringeworthy when the Unionists try it again.

In 1885 the Liberals promised Home Rule. In 1968 the Declaration of Perth by Ted Heath made Devolution the official position of the Tories. 1979 Alec Douglas Home promised “something better” if Scots voted no to an Assembly. Thatcher said in 79 a no vote to Devolution did not mean no change.

In 2014 there was the infamous “vow” and Gordon Brown saying a no vote would lead to “federalism”.

In 2016 David Mundell promised Holyrood would get “a bonanza of new powers”.

Every single time a Unionist promises more powers within the UK for Scotland it’s a lie. Its designed to bamboozle people away from indpendence.

The Pilgrimage of Grace was a rebellion against the rule of Henry VIII. In response Henry called on the rebels to disarm and he would listen to their grievances. They did and Henry had them all executed.

Westminster will say anything to stop Scotland leaving but with no intention of keeping their word. Thats why independence is the only solution. Nothing else will be acceptable

Alan Hinnrichs
via email