Scottish Political News

to those of you who watch this thing for updates regularly (ie no one). I've been watching Newsnight Scotland about how difficult it is to get published these days. I'm useless and terrible; I'll never get published because I can't write, even my incest story is too staid and stodgy. I'll have to be a librarian all my life, not that there's anything wrong with librarians but, like my middle name, it's just not me. I'm a failure, my work is a failure, my life is a failure, I'll go to my grave dull, frustrated, unaknowledged and unpublished, and nobody will give a shit about me or anything I've done.
Hope you're all well,
love,
Helen.

The Government has recently tried to push through a law making racial hatred a criminal offence, whilst this sounds sensible and entirely desirable, it is not as clear cut as one might think. At the moment it is illegal to incite in the way that the consequence is a crime, and such behaviour that is founded in religion is a criminal offence. The National Secular Society points out that, from their perspective, there is no need for this law because incitement to commit a religiously aggravated crime is already a crime. However the problems lie in the definition of inciting racial hatred.

It is true to say that at the present time we have legislation against individuals who actually invoke criminal offences, but the legislation on those who simply indirectly advocate such invocations is unclear. However, both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had plans for legislation that would have fixed this problem. The Religious Hatred Bill is in mainly ways an anomaly.

Whilst living in a country aiming for religious harmony, we also live in a country that claims to be free and democratic; and since religion is a matter of freedom choice it must be part of democracy, and shouldn't be a forbidden topic. It is a person's right to oppose a religion, providing they do not invoke a criminal offence by their words; for example, anyone who says 'Islam is bad' is immediately discredited for being both vague and wrong in many ways. The people of this country have, for the most part, a good deal of common sense, and they have been through enough experience to know not to trust extremists on either side of the argument.

There is also the possibility that religious extremists could use this law as an attack on the media, by looking out for sentences in the newspapers, or words said on television, and making complaints that they in some way incite racial hatred. It cannot be said for definite what incites racial hatred, and in fact much of it is down to social conditioning that can only really be tackled by going to the roots of the problem which lie in the political culture of Britain itself. A lack of proper education and living standards result far more racial hatred than words incite. To deny the people their freedom to dislike gives the impression that minority religions are outside of democracy and in some way opposed to freedom of speech.

To use the most relevant example, I believe that followers of Islam are, for the most part, believers in peace and democracy. There will always be individuals who manipulate faiths in order to attract attention to their cause, but we must stop them through good religious education and the promotion of the 'One Nation' ethos. This law would, systematically speaking, make it illegal to criticism satanic cults and evil seeking factions, and I believe that these should be criticised and opposed to the point of their eradication from our society.

I've been at my training course for a week now, learning how to improve my self-esteem (what would really improve my self-esteem, actually, is getting to do my sodding job) under a couple of un-nervingly enthusiastic Personal Development Trainers. The good news, of course, is that my fellow self-esteem-improvers are not such a crowd of tosswits as the last lot; good age range, lots of different, interesting people, and - ta-da! - some Socialists!! I have flogged three copies of Socialist Appeal (one pound, two pounds solidarity price, available every Saturday morning outside Tesco on the Causeway) and am signed up to do a self-esteem-improving talk in front of the class (public speaking skills; we're all doing it) about 'The Importance of Ideology'. I have already devised a cunning demonstration of the importance of co-operation as opposed to competition, using a volunteer from the audience and three little bags of beans.
One of the magazines I sold, however, was to the blonde woman in charge of the course, who said in my interview that she wanted to learn more about all the stuff I talked about (Socialism, feminism, etc.); I directed her to my tv review of 'The Apprentice' on page 28, she read it with me standing over her, and at the end said that she didn't agree with it. I would have been quite ready to debate the issue if it had not been time for the class to start, but I learned very quickly why she did not agree. The unhappy truth was that she is peddling the kind of going-for-it-giving-it-100% dribble which I was slagging; I've probably put her off Socialism for life.
But I got the quid, so it turned out OK in the end.

I’ve been at my training course for a week now, learning how to improve my self-esteem (what would really improve my self-esteem, actually, is getting to do my sodding job) under a couple of un-nervingly enthusiastic Personal Development Trainers. The good news, of course, is that my fellow self-esteem-improvers are not such a crowd of tosswits as the last lot; good age range, lots of different, interesting people, and - ta-da! - some Socialists!! I have flogged three copies of Socialist Appeal (one pound, two pounds solidarity price, available every Saturday morning outside Tesco on the Causeway) and am signed up to do a self-esteem-improving talk in front of the class (public speaking skills; we’re all doing it) about ‘The Importance of Ideology’. I have already devised a cunning demonstration of the importance of co-operation as opposed to competition, using a volunteer from the audience and three little bags of beans.
One of the magazines I sold, however, was to the blonde woman in charge of the course, who said in my interview that she wanted to learn more about all the stuff I talked about (Socialism, feminism, etc.); I directed her to my tv review of ‘The Apprentice’ on page 28, she read it with me standing over her, and at the end said that she didn’t agree with it. I would have been quite ready to debate the issue if it had not been time for the class to start, but I learned very quickly why she did not agree. The unhappy truth was that she is peddling the kind of going-for-it-giving-it-100% dribble which I was slagging; I’ve probably put her off Socialism for life.
But I got the quid, so it turned out OK in the end.

- Criminal Justice Scotland - News Blog - CjScotland first appeared as a simple news blog in October 2003 - the site now (May 2005) receives around 500 visitor sessions a day, about two-thirds of whom are repeat readers. Some users work in official agencies such as the Prison Service, criminal justice social work and the police; others work in voluntary organisations; some are members of the '

Small Nation The Three Gates Hugo Rifkind Welcome to the Cold Equator Ross Easton The G-Gnome Rides Out (right) Celtic Phoenix (SSP) Scotland News

OK, here's the deal: for five days I have been taking antibiotics for a lymph node infection. After two tablets I felt like shit (stomach pains, headache, nausea, etc etc) so my mother recommended that I eat live yoghurt. I said I couldn't because I didn't know where to buy it. When I went to stay with my parents she bought some for me: it was exactly the same brand of Tesco Bio-Yoghurt, in exactly the same size pack, that I had at home. So all along I've been eating live yoghurt, simply because it was lower in fat than its dead cousin! It says on the back 'made with bio culture for a mild taste', in fact it's made with a bio culture so that it can breed in my stomach! I can't believe I've been such a fool! The bacteria are growing. They're going to take over my body! I can see it all now. If only I can get to the sink in time, I might be able to
THIS IS BACTERIUM T-935735832333 SPEAKING. THE YOGHURT BACTERIA HAVE TAKEN OVER THIS BODY. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESIST. WE ARE AWAY TO DESTROY THIS PLANET BY SUBVERTING THE CAMPAIGN FOR LABOUR PARTY DEMOCRACY, TURNING IT FOR OUR OWN EVIL ENDS INTO A CONTACT SPORTS CLUB SO THAT ITS MEMBERS WILL BE DISTRACTED FROM -
SHIT, I'VE BLOWN IT. HAVE TO THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE NOW.
THIS BODY IS OF NO MORE USE TO US. WE WILL HAVE TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO PLAN FROM. BUT WE WILL FIND SOMEWHERE. MAYBE THE CAT. AND
WE WILL TRIUMPH!

Inspiring Capital, by The Basa Edinburgh Lucks!, by The Basa go and live somewhere else then Martin Little Rhetorically speaking Voice of Reason Dr Proles Social Sciences

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

As if by magic, Julian has added a "Scottish Blogs" category to his UK Poli Blogs. Now all he needs is for more Scottish political blogs to get registering! Do it here: UK Poli Blogs - Suggest a Feed(See the Independence post which Julian was responding to, here.) (first published here)

Top of the Scottish Political Blogs 7 June 2005 by Sitemeter - Average per Day 1. USS Neverdock 1,310 2. Naked Blog 799 3. Cabalamat Journal 476 4. Freedom and Whisky 189 5. Doctorvee 167 6. Independence 103 7. Arthur's Seat 100 8. No Geek is an Island 91 9. Cabarfeidh Pages 83 10. Shuggy's Blogspot 48 11. Gurn from Nurn 44 12. A Place to Stand 39 13. The Moral Highground 27 14. Bishop Hill 19

The time elapsed between Sept. 11, 2001, and today's writing (1,364 days) is only slightly less than the time between Pearl Harbor and the unconditional surrender of Japan (1,365 days).

The draft of a new Greenpeace report, which has been circulated to supermarkets, claims that chains such as Asda and Morrisons have no policies at all about which fish are caught in the most sustainable manner... The leaked report says that Asda still sells cod from the North Sea and the north-east Atlantic, even though scientists have been calling for a ban on fishing North Sea cod for the past three years.

A spokesman for Asda said: "As far I am aware all our fish - including the sharks which we used to sell but do not sell any longer - are from a sustainable source. In terms of them being endangered, I don't know where Greenpeace are coming from."

Given that there are no common/desirable fish available from 'sustainable' sources, it's hard to tell where ASDA is coming from. Given that most of the desirable fish stocks are somewhere between overfished, extremely rare, and all but extinct, it's surprising that fish is still on the menu.

A few years back I was getting a haircut in Düsseldorf when the proprietor and I, mid snip, got onto the subject of German music. He rattled of a few band names the only one of which I recognised back then was er, The Scorpions. Then, in a effort to ingratiate myself with the burly German geezer holding a razor near my throat, I blurted out Kraftwerk to which my barber had to take a step backwards in astonishment. ‘Kraftwerk?’ he kept repeating with an odd expression which lost none of its bemused air coming back at me reflected in the mirror. I guess it’s similar to a German in the UK raving on about Gang of Four.

Trans Euro Express

(0% native - English language cover shown)

The theme is a rail journey across Europe - not half as exciting as it sounds. Standout tracks : Showroom Dummies

That’s the odd thing about this bunch of semi-reclusive, Westphalian richkids: out of all the artists listed here I’d wager most Brits would instantly place a finger on Kraftwerk, exclaim a brief, yep, and happily start whistling the tune to The Model. It’s this track more than any other which has eased Kraftwerk into the UK subconscious. Re-released in 1981 ‘Das Modell’ made it to the UK number one spot and, along with Queen’s We Are the Champions, ranks as one of my own earliest memories and I don’t think I’m alone - I saw Belle and Sebastian live in Germany a couple of years ago and was pleasantly surprised to hear them honour the audience with a highly entertaining and brassy (in both senses of the word) version of this much-covered track.

Expo 2000

(0% native)

This was basically a single released for a trade fair. No real lyrics to speak of but pretty funky in its own way - turn the bass way up. There are a tons of remixes available now.

Kraftwerk aren’t without their highlights but overall leave me a little cold. The real reason, I suspect, for their huge reputation is the massive influence they’ve exuded, with big acts like Iggy Pop and David Bowie ranking among their fan base. While I find a lot of their music pretty soulless there’s no doubt that technically, they were way, way ahead of the game and as far as album art goes they’ve got more than a few classics.

If, like just about every up-its-own-arse clothes shop in the UK today, you’re into warmer, more accessible electronica like the ubiquitous Mylo or maybe Wolfsheim, then Kraftwerk are a pretty good history lesson. Be sure you know which language you’re getting - each album, as far as I know, was released in a German and English version.

Science feeds on mystery. As my colleague Matt Ridley has put it: “Most scientists are bored by what they have already discovered. It is ignorance that drives them on.” Science mines ignorance. Mystery — that which we don’t yet know; that which we don’t yet understand — is the mother lode that scientists seek out. Mystics exult in mystery and want it to stay mysterious. Scientists exult in mystery for a very different reason: it gives them something to do.

I've been on my own in the house for a few days, and damn it's nice. I got the 'job' and am starting, I think, next Monday, ie the 13th (although the people in charge are going to tell me more about this on Tuesday). I've written my 4,000 words this week (new weekly rather than daily targets, notice), and am going to join a gym before I start work in order to take advantage of any unemployed discount, and am doing one more rather sensitive thing.
If anyone who knows me in the real world is reading this, you'll know: I have trichotillomania, I think, I can't spell it and don't want to be associated with the word 'mania' but it's a thing for pulling out your own hair, leaving little bald spots. This started when - actually I don't know when it started, it seems to have always been there. If you don't have it you probably won't be able to understand; it sounds really disgusting (it is really disgusting) to pull out the hair on your head strand by strand, or to spend half an hour chasing an imaginary hair on your chin, or to pick off every single eyelash, but I managed it until I discovered Doing your Legs. Perfect. Women aren't supposed to have hair on their legs; I like removing hair (albeit in a slightly unorthodox manner); I can take a pair of tweezers to my legs whenever I like and not be penalized for doing what I want to do. I had not counted, however, on the fact that there are a sod of a lot of hairs on your legs, and so I had to do it for hours. And hours. And hours. I have spent whole mornings when I should have been working sat on the bed with one trouser-leg rolled up and a pair of tweezers in one hand, occasionally looking at the clock and thinking quarter of an hour more and then I'll get on with my work, then quarter of an hour later that clock must be fast, I'll just take five minutes more and then I really will get on with it, then another ten minutes, then - I wanted to stop but I couldn't. That's the definition of addiction, allegedly. I looked in a library book and found out that it's a minor form of self-harm, and that did it. No way am I going to be associated with that either. So I stopped straight off - no tapering off, that doesn't work (again allegedly) - on Thursday, and if I go three months without it I shall get another tattoo. An Amazon axe, to cut through all the bollocks I am (we are) subjected to on a daily basis, rather than to symbolise courage or any bullshit like that. It seems to be the fashion these days to use 'brave' as a synonym for 'unlucky' on one hand or 'stupid' on the other; pulling hairs out of your body is stupid, trying (and I am trying really, really hard for the last and first time) to stop it is just sensible.

Because America consumes more than it makes, it must borrow from abroad to finance its excess consumption. In a kind of vendor finance program, a few foreign central banks provide the financing by buying U.S. Treasury bills and other U.S. assets. Thus, globalization has evolved into a kind of pyramid scheme.

[Via Cardboard Spaceship]

Let me give you an example. In the museum we have a pyxis that was once a container for the Eucharist and stored in a church treasury. Yet it was made under the Ummayad dynasty, the Muslim rulers of North Africa and Granada until the late 15th century. It is decorated with birds and various animals set against a lush pattern of arabesques--intricate patterns of interlaced lines. Although this is a typical Islamic motif, it traces its origins to the vine and acanthus scroll ornament of the late antique classical world, and the pattern itself refers back on the other hand to early Syrian textiles.

[Via Arthur's Seat]

D = f (m,b,c) (means Deptford is the place to go shopping)

D (High Street Diversity) = f (m,b,c) where m is a wide mix of businesses best suited to normal spending patterns; b is the availability of everyday goods; and c is the presence of a wide number of businesses selling the same kind of thing