THE Tory government are bringing in the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill through Westminster. The rabid right-wing hardline Home Secretary Priti Patel is seeking to outlaw peaceful protest. This is in response to the vitriolic poison that she and the loony Tory right have thrown at Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter. Patel, it should be noted, has been found to be a workplace bully.
The bill stipulates that people coordinating even stationary demonstrations must give prior notice to the police their intentions. This could allow police to prohibit the demonstration from taking place.
READ MORE: Sarah Everard vigils continue as MPs debate controversial new policing bill
The new powers are being given to the Tory government that outline what they call “serious disruption”. This ensures that the authorities can impose punitive conditions on peaceful static protests such as noise levels or ban them all together. This Tory bill is an attack on the left and is a criminalisation of speech.
The Tories are proposing to bring in voter ID laws. This will have the effect of discouraging minority voters who mostly vote for the Tories’ opponents. They are also going to give undercover agents of the state immunity from prosecution. This is for crimes up to and including murder.
Labour party Unionists say getting them in government, not independence, is the answer. The “Scottish” Labour party hid the McCrone report, rigged the 79 devolution referendum, stood with the Tories to oppose it, remained silent while Thatcher decimated Scotland and stole the oil, and campaigned with and were funded by the Tories to oppose independence.
Under the Union Scotland has become a dumping ground for nuclear waste, a testing ground for bioweapons, a repository for nuclear weapons, and a guinea pig for unpopular polices such as the poll tax and the PFI.
The Union is moribund, corrupt and is on life support. Its end can’t come soon enough.
Alan Hinnrichs
Dundee
IT’S too early to fully comprehend Tuesday’s announcement that the UK Government intends to increase the number of Trident warheads from 180 to a “ceiling” of 260. However, it is important to understand it is no mere technical adjustment. It is much more than a brazen violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to which the UK is a signatory.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson's plan to expand nuclear arsenal ‘completely unacceptable’
This decision will have consequences for what passes as the international architecture of arms control. The United Kingdom officially participates in discussions around nuclear arms verification. How will it be able to do so as it is now government policy to move away from a stated number of warheads? How can the UK government, with a straight face, expect other states to embark upon verification processes?
In case any readers still don’t get it – and in particular I am referring to those who advocate a softly-softly approach to a Trident removal timescale – consider this. The “modernisation” of the nuclear arsenal of the US is to be achieved with increased accuracy and fewer warheads. Meanwhile the “modernisation” of the nuclear arsenal of the UK is to be achieve with a huge increase in the number of warheads.
Bill Ramsay
Convener SNP CND
THE Emperor Boris has announced that we are going to have more nuclear weapons and it will make us all safe, and no doubt they will be stored in Scotland. We are a sovereign nation but we are totally ignored by the arrogance of the London parliament. They think that every part of Scotland belongs to them and they can do what they like.
Shortly he is off to India with the fleet to say to them WE ARE BACK. Maybe they will tell him “we don’t need you – go away”.
PLEASE VOTE FOR INDEPENDENCE IN MAY.
Alistair MacCalman
Muir Of Ord
IT was curious reading your report in the Sunday National regarding Rees-Mogg’s so called “softening stance” on holding an indy referendum again, with the Leader of the House of Commons stating that nobody has said “There will never ever be another referendum again” (Opposition to indyref2 ‘day in, day out’ risky, MP says, March 14). As usual, the sleekit Mr Rees-Mogg is being “cute with words” but any alert Scotindy supporter will easily see through this deception knowing full well that he and his Brexit Tory cohorts want to see several decades of the current stand-off before they, or another Unionist Brit government, allow it to finally happen.
READ MORE: Jacob Rees-Mogg warns Tories of risk of 'stubbornly opposing' indyref2
Allied to the fact that this man has no interest in Scotland whatsoever, such a minor concession doesn’t disguise the underhand methods that are being deployed on a daily basis to “get at” the middle ground of Scottish voters, ie the “don’t knows” and soft voters who would like to find a reason not to vote for a desirable SNP government. Yep, along with the independence movement these charlatans want to undermine the SNP, who they clearly don’t like “ruling the roost” in Scotland and spoiling their unwelcome Brexit plans for the future.
I would suggest to any such voter that one must seriously consider that there is no reputable “government in waiting” to take over from the current SNP government – nothing even close to it!! And also be aware that an SNP government is not accountable to Westminster, or any Unionist political party, in any way or form when it comes to a strong affiliation to Scotland and Scottish interests.
So vote wisely on May 6 and don’t be influenced by false right-wing media claims and Brit government propaganda. Scottish independence is coming – pass on the message and tell a friend!
Bernie Japs
Edinburgh
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