Too Sensible for her Shoes

 

Never underestimate the fickleness of public affection.

And never trust the lying, brutal British Establishment.

After the crushing loss of Scotland’s one opportunity to grab free will, and after acquiring real knowledge of our political and economic situation that came like a great liberation from out a thick fog, it is hard not to be portentous every time you hear good news. The natural reaction of experiencing profound disappointment is to say we are all doomed. We turn away from good news thinking it can only be a harbinger of bad things to come.

Affection has two faces, loved today, loathed tomorrow.

The warm reception from people in England to Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon’s common sense won’t last long. The British press bites its lip and does its best to present her as a revelation but you can hear the squeals of pain as they published their columns. The BBC is already working out how to defame her – a few vox populi interviews with ordinary folk saying uninformed things allows the BBC to say they are only representing public opinion.

The strong, confident contribution made by Scotland’s First Minister to the recent televised election debate confirms she is far too sensible for politics. And her shoes.

After September it did not seem possible Scotland could sustain the United Kingdom’s waning attention, never mind the rest of the world. We were resigned to a state of nothingness again, back to being ignored, or if lucky, cussed. But the one good thing that has come out of the televised debate is how England woke up to Scotland’s socialist credentials, a mass movement of people led by a female politician.

The SNP is not red in tooth and claw, more pink in socialist principles. As its membership swells, (passing 106,000 at this time) more fresh, radical ideas will lift ambition beyond the ordinary. That is enough for the British secret services to upgrade Sturgeon’s categorisation from ‘Person of Interest’ to Public Enemy Number One.

Good people

Of course there are good people among our English cousins. No one is arguing that, only how weak and ignorant they were before. If only they had spoken out against the onslaught, the tirade of invective flung at Scotland during the Referendum. Pleading with us to stay in the Union felt like an abuser telling his victim he really loved her on seeing her pack a suitcase.

Sturgeon seems so nice in comparison to Salmond.

The treacly wave of goodwill toward Sturgeon is based upon what English perceive as her approachability. “She’s doesn’t have the aggressive manner of Salmond,” tweeted one woman. I replied Salmond’s manner could be cocky, never aggressive. The aggression came from the British Establishment, media, press, the odious fear mongering No campaign, and the Treasury. Always on its guard for dissent English governors will bring out the cane at the slightest sound of a sneeze.

Twitter allows a brief sentence; I wanted to add Sturgeon and Salmond are of the same mettle. Sturgeon’s policies are no different from those espoused by Salmond. Nor has she cast aside regaining Scotland’s sovereignty. The only differences are, she can spread out time to embrace more radical ideas now that independence is delayed, and wear a pair of kick ass tartan clad high heels.

Comparisons

Actually, to be accurate, there are some big differences in experience. Sturgeon has never been an MP at Westminster, Salmond has, and that colours his attitude to the corridors of power. It motivates his intense dislike of the English elite’s disgusting self-interest.

He has a prodigious memory for historical facts, is able to assimilate a brief quickly, an excellent turn of wit and humour, and is always knowledgeable about the opposition’s failings. Salmond is not known to be beaten in debate.

A chip off the old block.

Salmond mentored Sturgeon. Soon Sturgeon will experience Unionist duplicity first-hand. In negotiation English politicians have a long history of leaving chaos and cock-up behind them in every country they ever invaded and colonised.

The British elite defer to no one, certainly not one who pronounces world as ‘wurr-ruld’.

Sturgeon, a former lawyer, lacks the wide political experience of Salmond, but has been subjected to the same animosity, twisted facts, and loathing of Labour and Tory grandees. However, she was protected from much of it by Salmond. He took the hits.

Salmond talked sense too. In the latter part of the Referendum Salmond made a few well-placed speeches in London. All were well received. However, Sturgeon’s enthusiastic reception from all quarters of English society comes from a lot of women Salmond repelled. Shame, really. They should have listened to what he had to say.

The song isn’t about her 

On the back of Sturgeon’s lack of vanity, and fierce defence of the welfare state, Twitter is full of requests from those domiciled in England to vote SNP but for obvious reasons cannot. What a turn around from only a week ago. The debate was viewed by over seven million, a terrific platform for an emergent political force. And how gratifying to see so many say they want to vote for the SNP and on a mere few sentences Sturgeon managed to speak in a seven-person debate.

Salmond fashioned an inclusive society making it impossible to deny ‘immigration’ to the land English opponents classed as foreign should independence ever come to pass. But if any do decide to move north for ‘the superior quality of life’ that those already here say they enjoy they should leave their colonial prejudices at the border. We can do without that emotional baggage. Nail clippers, copies of the Telegraph, and England uber alles should be deposited in the bin.

Imperial England

Scotland does not want the dregs of imperialist Britain visited upon it or even visiting it. Why welcome people who praise a nation, elect to live there, and then vote down its aspirations in preference for the nation they left because they found it unlikeable? Efficient deportation should be left to England and the English class system.

The British Establishment is guaranteed to turn its guns on Scotland again. The centre of wealth and power must remain London. The conversion of democracy to a performance with the public as spectators – hardly a distant possibility – will have dire consequences.

Hold the front page!

“Sturgeon has yet to come face-to-face with Unionist duplicity” – barely had I typed that sentence minutes ago when the prophecy comes true! In the process of composing a final paragraph my attention is taken by a news report.

They did not even give her a week’s grace. Sturgeon must be neutralised!

Anybody who wears red must be a commie.

The first  murmurs and grumbles can be heard now – ‘Sturgeon made no mention of her policies,’ followed by the first smear, ‘Sturgeon told French consul-general Miliband is too weak to be a PM’ – she would ‘rather see the Tories in power’ – denied outright by Sturgeon and the same French consul-general. And what a surprise; a BBC Scotland reporter is the messenger.

During the Referendum any number of Labour politicians hoped the Tories would take power in London than see any new SNP MP elected. They hated the SNP that much.

Another SNP myth is created overnight to be repeated endlessly by trolls and desperate, fat-arsed losers hooked on social media, the ones so beloved by Guardian, Telegraph, Scotsman and Mail websites. How dare a nationalist who is not a British nationalist become so popular.

Give me strength. A land of food banks and charity shops and the media fall upon a phony rumour. What a hopeless bunch of boozers they are. The ambition that at least extreme poverty can be eradicated in Scotland before the decade is out seems as unrealistic as ever, not due to lack of resources, but a lack of true concern for the poor.

The campaign to wipe out affection for, and trust in, Nicola Sturgeon has begun. Mind you, it cannot compare with destruction of the lives of Scotland’s future generations to ensure England remains pre-eminent, and its privileged enjoy bigger bonuses tomorrow.

Ah, see? Slipped into a portentous frame of mind again.

(This essay written in combination with ‘Slipping in Westminster Slop.)

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