Half way through my 7th decade and I was thinking just what have I learned about life and folk in general?
Dillon, my dog, and I pondered this long and hard during today's walk, philosophied, dissected and bemused ourselves with argument and counter argument and were left with, well; that the basic state of our own and our fellow human's is an existence as sheeple.
Look around you at any group you are in. It is most likely the herd you associate in, your fellow sheeple have similar views, politics, social concerns and the like. There are divergences within the herd but rarely so big the herd breaks apart. Occasionally sheeple in your herd will go off down a scary path to the rest of the herd and more often return to safety. A very small number will never return. This does not worry the sheeple in the rest of the herd because the loss will be justified in a form of words which basically comes down to. "We warned them it was dangerous".
The form of government the herd of sheeple select or have imposed on them is akin to the sheep farmer. A good sheep farmer knows the provision of adequate pasture, shelter and water is what their sheep need and expect Any sheep farmer will tell you their biggest worry is your average sheep's desire to kill itself in the most bizarre way it can and its uncanny ability to achieve its death wish.
Is that true of sheeple?
Sadly, yes, as they are happy to have a warm roof over their head, access to adequate food and be healthy. They do not mind being shifted around by the Government's policies put in place by the equivalent of the political sheep dogs (MPS /MSPs), just as long as their core needs and expectations are met. An occasional ewe or ram will kick against the sheep dogs but never enough to worry our sheeple farmer. By and large the sheeple keep their heads down grazing in what they like to believe is safety brought about by the farmer.
In a nutshell this is how power is wielded in human society no matter what race, colour or religious belief or political bent of sheeple you are.
It is this normal existence as sheeple which means a bad farmer (current UK Government) can trampled over our needs and expectations before we realise what has happened. The reality is the majority of sheeple look around at the new barbed wire fence penning them into an ever smaller area and put their heads down and go back to grazing, after all; what can they do?
Then the bad farmer shears the sheeple as close to the bone as they can, no matter whether the sheeple can keep warm, fed and healthy or not. The rest of the sheeple say, "Thank goodness it is not us"; get their heads down and carry on grazing.
The bad farmer, having weakened the over sheared sheeple with poor grazing, lack of shelter and veterinary care, then argues they are only fit for the knacker's yard and should be put down as they are not fit for anything else. Yet still the rest of the sheeple keep their heads down in case they are next; which inevitably they will be.
By now, I trust you understand what I am trying to say.
Most sheeple prefer a good farmer to a bad farmer which is why support for Scottish independence is growing, even among sheeple herds who would have sworn red and blue in the face that any UK Shepherd was the best for the flock rather than some untried Scots local but six years ago.
My doubts not so little and can be summarised as just who can gain from the continuing "SNP bad" out pourings from supporters of Mr Salmond and independence.
It is not Mr Salmond, I would aver, because those who believed there is not smoke without fire over his admitted misoginistic tantrums with female staff will not be leaving their herd in a hurry. We can add to that, the reality Mr Salmond is not popular among a majority of female voters in Scotland for some unperceived but heart felt reason. The attempts by his supporters to do Ms Sturgeon, down only hardens this particular stance. He may well be right in his consideration he was done down, for political reasons, with the claims of female sexual abuse, of which he has been cleared and is innocent of in the eyes of the law, but not necessarily the court of public opinion.
Who are the main pushers of the "Get rid of Sturgeon" campaign?
The name that is attached routinely to the "Sturgeon must go" campaign, as go to spokesperson, is that of Kenny MacAskill MP, ex- SNP justice minister under Salmond. Mr MacAskill has had his run ins with the SNP Women's Group over a number of potentially misogynist issues over the years. I can not see what he has to gain, as he is yesterday's man in many SNP members minds, unless he is hoping a return of Mr Salmond as SNP leader brings him back into the main game of SNP politics and power rather than some one out on the edge of the tent.
Otherwise the only political power to gain from the current SNP skyeting over the Salmond Affair is the very one Scots increasingly wish to be rid of, the UK.
Meanwhile the sheeple keep their heads down, hope the next dry cough they have will not be the end of them and there will be enough feed to see them through the post Brexit winter.
In all the current "She said / He said" furore within the SNP and Yes cliques over this failed attempt by inept members within the SNP HQ, NEC and Scottish Civil Service to politically skewer Mr Salmond, we need to remember:
This is not as important to the sheeple than the perception of whether it is a good or a bad farmer tending their flock.
