For some reason I found myself humming the "Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel when the following words just popped into my head:
".. for a pockets full of mumbles; such are promises.
All lies and jest;
But a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"
Then I thought, Peter, that describes the Brexiteers and the hapless Tory Government's present position. All they have left to offer the UK as a whole and Scotland, in particular, is a pocketful of 'mumbles' - 'all lies and jest'.
The problem remains in Scotland is while fewer and fewer are listening to the 'mumbles' there are still too many hearing only what they 'want to hear', many have a big hurdle to cross as to agree the promises have no foundation means they have to give up on their certainty of the "Union" being best for Scotland, give up on long held beliefs based on their view of Westminster as a kindly hand, looking out for Scotland's best interests as Scotland could never manage to look out for itself.
They cling to the belief the EU is the bogeyman who wrecked farming, fishing, closed down UK manufacturing and caused the collapse of their pension funds with all its red tape. Now all that is left is the financial sector in the 'City of London' and now even that is under threat from EU regulations on tax havens.
It is this intense isolationism in the face of all the evidence which stuns me. It was Thatcher's government which destroyed the UK's industrial base, Ted Heath's Tories sold the fishing industry down the river, as did Thatcher and Major's Tory Governments for behind the scenes "deals" in Brussels. It is the current Tory Government of Ms May which as skimmed off EU funding which was supposed to come to support Scottish Farmers on marginal lands. £160 million has been pissed against the wall by Mr Gove and his chums at DEFRA for no apparent benefit to farming, full stop. Then there is the most, I struggle for a word to define the criminality of successive Westminster Governments since 1972, appalling robbery of all. Just why is Scotland (which produces more oil and gas than Bahrain or Qatar) seeing such levels of poverty in what is a very rich, small nation. Just why is Scotland being made to pay for Crossrail, London's new sewers, HS2 or the Heathrow extension, all of which have negligible, if any, economic benefit for Scotland?
Why are we paying for a nuclear weapon the Scottish people have rejected and want out of Scotland? Not only our supposed "share" of the new weapon's estimated costs but what ever the actual build and operating cost comes out at. The project is already in difficulties because the launch tubes so far delivered have been found to be faulty and returned to Lockheed-Martin delaying the build. Let alone the fact the USA stops any up dating of the Trident system the UK is "purchasing" in 2025 to concentrate on its joint services nuclear program. The USA expects all its Trident systems, currently embarked, to be decommissioned by 2050. This leaves the question of whether the USA will keep the current Trident targeting satellites in orbit after this date. More "pockets full of mumbles".
Even the most Brexiteer, isolationist Unionists can see the fundamental truth that Scotland is being robbed and ruined to prop up Westminster's failed state but they just can not let go of the idea that an independent Scotland would do no better, in their view, Scotland would do worse.
"Hello darkness, my old friend.." indeed.
".. for a pockets full of mumbles; such are promises.
All lies and jest;
But a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"
Then I thought, Peter, that describes the Brexiteers and the hapless Tory Government's present position. All they have left to offer the UK as a whole and Scotland, in particular, is a pocketful of 'mumbles' - 'all lies and jest'.
The problem remains in Scotland is while fewer and fewer are listening to the 'mumbles' there are still too many hearing only what they 'want to hear', many have a big hurdle to cross as to agree the promises have no foundation means they have to give up on their certainty of the "Union" being best for Scotland, give up on long held beliefs based on their view of Westminster as a kindly hand, looking out for Scotland's best interests as Scotland could never manage to look out for itself.
They cling to the belief the EU is the bogeyman who wrecked farming, fishing, closed down UK manufacturing and caused the collapse of their pension funds with all its red tape. Now all that is left is the financial sector in the 'City of London' and now even that is under threat from EU regulations on tax havens.
It is this intense isolationism in the face of all the evidence which stuns me. It was Thatcher's government which destroyed the UK's industrial base, Ted Heath's Tories sold the fishing industry down the river, as did Thatcher and Major's Tory Governments for behind the scenes "deals" in Brussels. It is the current Tory Government of Ms May which as skimmed off EU funding which was supposed to come to support Scottish Farmers on marginal lands. £160 million has been pissed against the wall by Mr Gove and his chums at DEFRA for no apparent benefit to farming, full stop. Then there is the most, I struggle for a word to define the criminality of successive Westminster Governments since 1972, appalling robbery of all. Just why is Scotland (which produces more oil and gas than Bahrain or Qatar) seeing such levels of poverty in what is a very rich, small nation. Just why is Scotland being made to pay for Crossrail, London's new sewers, HS2 or the Heathrow extension, all of which have negligible, if any, economic benefit for Scotland?
Why are we paying for a nuclear weapon the Scottish people have rejected and want out of Scotland? Not only our supposed "share" of the new weapon's estimated costs but what ever the actual build and operating cost comes out at. The project is already in difficulties because the launch tubes so far delivered have been found to be faulty and returned to Lockheed-Martin delaying the build. Let alone the fact the USA stops any up dating of the Trident system the UK is "purchasing" in 2025 to concentrate on its joint services nuclear program. The USA expects all its Trident systems, currently embarked, to be decommissioned by 2050. This leaves the question of whether the USA will keep the current Trident targeting satellites in orbit after this date. More "pockets full of mumbles".
Even the most Brexiteer, isolationist Unionists can see the fundamental truth that Scotland is being robbed and ruined to prop up Westminster's failed state but they just can not let go of the idea that an independent Scotland would do no better, in their view, Scotland would do worse.
"Hello darkness, my old friend.." indeed.
Brilliant as always.
ReplyDeleteThanks, much appreciated.
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