Dead Space

Been off line living in the dark lands of depression, not interested in engaging with the world, finding eating a chore; in fact ignoring anything that sought to disturb me, as I lurked in the dark corners of my mind seething with anger, worthlessness and self hate.

I could not face any information about the world outside, the occasional peak simply reminded me how ghastly it all is outside of my safe space, an outside where hucksters and confidence tricksters destroy ordinary people under the shabby cloth of politics, capitalist greed and their claims of doing it for the 'public's own good'.

I have this urge to attach signs under the local Tory hopeful's 'Vote for Carson' signs with lines like:

• and keep paupers in their place
• and put my nose on the gravy train for five years
• and kick darkies out of Galloway
• and put Scotland back into the dark ages
• and ensure the growth of fascism

simply to give his current campaign a degree of honesty and openness you will not find quoted in any of his Tory leaflets or erstwhile local papers which are probably edited and printed in Wigan, Huddersfield or where ever else Johnstone 'Tory' Press can get it done on the cheap as a bulk deal along with the Scotsman which they have successfully destroyed.

So I grit my teeth and scrabble to the edge of my self dug pit, pull myself over and squint and the first thing I hear is Scottish Trade Union and Labour politicians whining about getting shafted over BAE Govan by the Tories. Why the shock and outrage? This is a direct result of being 'better together' according to their own political credo.

Anybody who has followed the Type 26 frigate saga has long known that a certain number were being built in India as part of the BAE deal and the probability all the hulls would be built in India and transported to the UK for fitting out, has long been self evident to all following the saga except for the trade unions at Govan and Scotch Labour, it appears. The good people of BAE Govan who believed the 'Better Together' lies have made their own bed of nails and now, sadly, are not simply being asked to lie on it by Ms Dugdale as their brave sacrifice to save the UK Union and put one over the SNP but to do so while a ten ton vibromatic road roller is going over the top of them; driven by Ms 'Trident' Baillie.

The usual gallumphing suspects in the unionist media are all ready stirring their SNP hate glands and crying wolf about saving the very BAE yard their sniveling sycophancy, to a UK Union which is rotten to its core, has brought to its knees. Yet the problem lies not in Govan nor with the SNP nor in Scotland but the MoD in Westminster who are so skint saving up for the new Trident 'willy waver' they can not afford the fuel to put few RN ships that are left to sea. Anyway what would be the point? Due to poor design, MoD corner cutting and trying to get things done on the cheap, the few Type 45 destroyers that are operating will routinely break down courtesy of a lowly stoker plugging his electric shaver in a socket for a shave.

I can imagine it now, standing on a Type 45 destroyer bridge at action stations; Target incoming ..... range five miles ..... 600 knots, anti-ship cruise missile ..... engage with anti missile system ... and all the lights go off, the radar screens go blank and the targeting computers crash because the Captain's steward put the kettle on for a brew. This is the Royal Navy of 'Better Together' and Cameron's Government and is an accurate cypher for HMS UK as a whole whether it is PFI schools and hospitals, welfare policy or the destruction of the NHS in England.

It is tempting to tick off a list of all the things that were going to happen if Scotland voted to be independent which are in fact happening because we are 'better together' but I will not because I fear the pit of despond which I currently teeter on the edge of will suck me back into its morbid and dark maw. 

A list which Dugdale, Rennie or Ruthie 'Tank Commander' can only respond in the manner of; well, aye but ... maybees, it wis all Osborne's fault, this wisnae meant tae happen, we were told it wid be fine, our London bosses hud it aa sorted, honest, if ye'll jist say the magic words 'Better Together', it willnae help BAE Govan but honest ye'll feel a lot better ..... weel it works for us .... for a wee while ..... Oh! Look! Jackie's showin' wee lambs and mair squirrels oan the BBC Scotland News ....

Actually, the pit of despond looks a far happier and more optimistic place than Scotland's 'Better Together' political landscape and self serving media ... I might just slip back in, after all.