Killer Xmas

I'm disappointed with Nicola Sturgeon.

Actually, I'm apoplectic at another unusually rare example of her less than common sense based thinking.

Why in the name of all that is holy at Xmas time have she, Mark Drakeford and the unholy alliance across in the northern tip of the island of Ireland agreed to go along with the edict of the populist buffoon that is Boris Johnson regarding mixed households for the Winterval period?

After an extended period of variously enforced and structured restraint, why for goodness sakes are we to let loose the virus into our own homes and exponentially the greater community?

One (1) fecked up Xmas versus a very long deadly January when the inevitable strikes home and cripples the SNHS. 

I hear the repeated argument, if you can call it that, that folk were not going to pay any attention to the rules anyway.  Well that has been well and truly countenanced now.  Conversely, I had absolutely no intention of relaxing my guard and would have hoped sensible compassionate citizens would have done likewise.  There is hope on the horizon with the vaccine.  That is the best present we could all have wished for.  

Patience seems to have been ditched for rapacious celebration.  Of what exactly?  Will many of you cast a second's thought about what Christmas is really about? 

I hear those saying criticising the sainted FM is unfair.  In my view this is her third failure in judgement on an otherwise faultless trajectory of suppression of the virus and the psychology of the masses.  There is time, on this occasion, to reverse this poor decision though.  Keep to the current restrictions until vaccines take effect and the individual regional Levels subside through adherence to FACTS.  For those wondering, her previous errors were the failure not to dismiss CMO Catherine Calderwood immediately, but more significant, and more relevant to the current decision, was the decision to enter into a UK wide approach at the outset and most notably with issues surrounding care homes.  Lessons clearly weren't learnt completely that there should not, quite rightly, be a one size fits all approach. 

And then we have Hogmanay...

Seasons greetings nonetheless. 

Ca cannie.

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BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 

Saor Alba.

© McNoddy 

Published by Toy Town™ Times

Today I will be mainly drinking...

I'm hoping my reader follows me on Bookface.  If they do, they will know I often post a wee selfie of my occasional tipple there with the heading as above. 

I'm told folk are amazed by my alcoholism varied choice of refreshment on offer for consideration.

To be fair, I am particularly lucky to live in a country now blessed with numerous craft ale producers.  Perhaps the biggest newbie of them all being the very local BrewDog.  Since well after I started this blog this company has mushroomed to the point that Toy Town™ has no less than 3 outlets.  I've managed to drop in to do a bit of quality control at their Edinburgh Airport outlet and their city outlets in Berlin and Barcelona. Never disappointed.

However, my favourite Scots craft brewery are Williams Brothers.  From the early days in Tyndrum and heather ale, they now produce a number of stunners.  My personal favourite being the intriguingly named 7 giraffes.  

I'm also blessed to be in walking distance of the world's only adult sweetie shop based in a filling station.  If you haven't visited this place in person or virtually you are missing something special.  Did I mention it's not just beer in there.  There's a richt collieshangie of treats in store.

Something that struck me sampling ales has been the prominence, and in my own top five, of beers from across the pond.  In days of yore I had palpitations at the mention of the poor imitation that was Budweiser and other similar tainted water from Coors, Schlitz etc.  Two of my absolute favourites are Death by Coconut, by the Oskar Blues Company (Think Bounty Bar and stout mix - hold that thought.  It really is way better than even that!).  Then there's the incomparable concoction that is the 2018 brew of Dragon's Milk Banana Coconut.  It blows you away with so many notes you feel there is an orchestra playing in your gob.  If I ever get allowed to fly over to the USofA then I am making a beeline straight for Holland in Michigan to sample some, or preferably all, of the flavours in the Dragon's Den.  I'm also somewhat disheartened to hear that the makers of the above pictured tipple are out of business.  Not that I really wanted to go to Reno.

Whilst I am on it, so to speak, can I give an honourable mention to these three non-beer tipples.  Even Tesco sell them.  Lots of ice and a BBQ helps. 

1 - Crabbies Raspberry Ginger Beer
2 - Crabbies Rhubarb Ginger Beer
3 - Angioletti Italian Cider 

Tomorrow I will mainly be hanging a haveover.  Hic. 


BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

I left...

...but I'm back.

My reader may have noted my absence from this site lately.  Twitter seems to have captured folk's imagination, but there are times when its enforced brevity and the need to unroll lengthy threads just fails to reach the mark.  Sometimes you have things you need to get off your chest and rambling on suits a blog. You will not be disappointed in that respect!

My post's header is a signpost to something I did earlier this torrid year.  I used to exhort my reader to join the Scottish National Party.  I'd still ask you to vote for them as the only viable carriage on the independence train.  But endorsing each and every of their actions is beyond me now.  I feel the need to explain.

Firstly, and somewhat cackhandedly, the final straw for me was the Calderwood scandal.  I have very deep personal reasons to have found her actions baffling and inexcusable.  I also found our First Minister's initial support for her mindboggling and worrying in respect of decision making.  Let me say at this juncture that other than the understandable, but regrettable decision to participate in a four-nation approach to dealing with Covid-19 at the outset, her stewardship of the response to the crisis has been exemplary and rightly acknowledged.  It should be noted that I took an equally robust approach to the Cummings debacle and still do.  Not moving on and all that. 

Secondly, it became apparent that there is a seemingly growing and uncontrolled woke element in the party, who despite THEIR best intentions are doing immeasurable damage to the party and thus to the greater independence movement. 

I rarely, actually never, comment on gender issues.  Largely because it is structurally unsolvable.  I am at a loss to understand the desire to create fissures in the party and wider independence movement over what is essentially people being what they are, diverse.  I find the system of classification pointless.  You are either male or female and all that entails. Those who have made/making the undoubtedly difficult but desired medically approved trajectory to changing their sex should be accepted as the sex they feel they should be.  At the end of the day it makes them happy and in all other respects it has no direct effect on me.  They are the exception.  I have less understanding of those who feel they can call themselves something they clearly aren't, and even less for those that abuse that situation.  Just because you're spaced out it does not make you a Martian!

Then there was the much maligned sectarian laws.  A bùrach from start to finish.  I failed, whilst a Copper, to understand why this only applied at football matches, where its prevalence amongst those from the Central Belt was undoubted but in practical terms virtually impossible to Police.  I'm not saying it shouldn't have existed, but it should have been part of a wider society policy and formulated in realistic terms.   Conversely, those calling for its end rarely spoke in favour of it being widened to cover other archaic demonstrations of this tribal nonsense.  The SNP's dogged resistance to criticism in this area was poorly focussed.

Secrecy.  I sadly have to say that the SNP seem to be seriously hashing up things in this respect even if they have the best of intentions.  I'll say nowt further in great detail, but the inability to defend clearly and robustly what appear to the usual critics to be systems designed to obfuscate, delay and hinder reasonable interrogation of policy making is derisory and damaging.

I've more I'd like to say, but my reader is already reaching for their cocoa.  But I will have the last word.  Joanna Cherry?  What is she playing at?  Undoubtedly exceptionally capable.  But what possesses her to destabilise the current positive groundswell for Independence?  Nicola ain't perfect, as I've already suggested, but she's head and shoulders above all other politicians in this country and the wider UK State.  I say to her and her supporters, "Eye on the prize folks."  Once again the hierarchy of the Party seem unable to get a consensual approach to doing what matters to win Independence rather than petty personal power politics. 

Finally, I said this on Twitter.  I still hold to it, however marvellous our FM has been regarding the single most important issue of the day. 


BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 
Saor Alba.

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Lie in the Sky

Sometimes the British media need called out for their collective lies.  Scotland needs to tell these shysters that we are no longer on our knees and that their allegations are well known to be false and manufactured. 

Not one word of truth uttered.  Just bile.

 




© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Bide at Hame

Two messages...

 




© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Canteen Mythology v.2

Keeping this simple. Polis piece times and locations have reared their heads again over on Twitter.

I have written about this before, but I welcome this corroboration.

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Park Life

Over on the Twitters a debate has opened about the upcoming #AUOB march in Edinburgh and the 'use' of Holyrood Park.

I'd quite like to add my two penny worth. 

Firstly, it's clear by my political party membership that I endorse the general theme of promoting self-determination and independence for Scotland.

Secondly, marches, demonstrations, and meetings are the life blood of political movements and a part of open democracy, even if the participants are in your view a collection of.... (add your own epithets). 

But, some observations. 

Whilst the anticipated attendance may be considerable, it is unlikely that the marchers will constitute in themselves any challenge to the authorities other than traffic management and the monitoring of those undemocratic few who vehemently oppose these marches. If previous city marches are anything to go by, it will be the content of the banners at the front of the parade that will upset some and I get it. Calling Tories 'scum' is almost as bad as Ian Lavery calling for all 'Nationalists' to be killed off. It does nothing to further your cause because believe it or not we still have to live amongst those who disagree with us and those who don't give a flying fig.

Historic Environment Scotland, a public body, have decreed the march as 'political' and as such have imposed conditions on the 'assembly' of walkers on 'their' territory.

I will start by throwing in a curve ball to the shadowy organisers of the march and ask 1) Is/was an alternative assembly/'debrief' locus considered? 2) How much notice was given to HES?

Now onto HES.

'Political'?  An interesting distinction made here given all the other events held in the park, some which others might call 'political' in nature.  Also somewhat bizarre given the proximity to two pillars of political establishment in Scotland/UK in the Scottish Parliament and Holyrood Palace. I could argue, and indeed have, that such expressions of nationhood or constitutional aspiration is natural and that preventing or restricting same is tantamount to supporting the status quo, which in itself is a political position. I'll leave that there.

HES have 'allowed' the march to use its road and path network. I should hope so as they have no right to prevent such access unless damage is caused. Just because folk arrive in thousands, waving banners and making a noise does not trump the right of access guaranteed under Scots Law. Imagine a collection of ramblers being told to foxtrot oscar. Would not happen. Rightly so.

HES have denied the installation of stalls, portaloos etc. Fair do as this is technically encampment and covered under some very old Trespass and some not so old Land Reform legislation. However, some rethink about loos might be welcome. 

If the stalls etc. remain banned under the 'political' reasoning, be sure the future use of the park will come under intense scrutiny and let's remember who actually 'owns' the park.

As a footnote many will remember the caravan and tent 'Yes' encampment at Holyrood. Again a shadowy group, with a lot less endorsement, and I wonder if their protest was a vote winner in all honesty.  It looked shabby to me. The Holyrood Park 'furore' looks similarly manufactured to me. If HES want to win support, approval for loos might be the way forward, because otherwise civil disobedience may be the only way to resolve the matter and that will not be a good look for anyone.

Yours Aye,

McNoddy

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 
Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Nuts, whole hazelnuts....

During a debate about the Polis hierarchy on Twitter, the High Priestess of the controversial SIU came out with a blinder, which I took a screen-shot of.

Not long afterwards, the originator of this debate tweeted this equally befuddling 'update'. 

But then his job description is just print/tweet anything #snpbad.

Better Together my posterior. That 'precious Union' seems to be an inconvenient state of affairs to this pair. They wish only subjugation.

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Alternative viewing

http://www.trulyscottishtv.com/

I can think of 100,000 reasons not to watch the Beeb's distorted Britnat news. 

The problem is there's no real alternative in Scotland's media churniverse.

Or is there?

You could give this start up a try - TSTV.

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Saor Alba.

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Paradise & Paupers

I should have written this blog in April on my return from a glorious week in Barcelona.  

Much has happened since, not least in Catalonia's Capital.

However, my observation then is even more pertinent in the wake* of the issue of the #paradisepapers.

So just what did I observe?

On a pleasantly warm day, Mrs McNoddy and I promenaded down by the marina in Barcelona. The 'yachts' were resplendent in the sunshine each, and everyone, flying their port of registration flag denoting a puzzling 'home port' in the British West Indies. Well, it's not really puzzling if you follow the money. 

Just yards (sorry metres) away numerous presumably migrant individuals were dodging the local Guardia Urbana and Mossos patrols as they laid out their pitiful wares onto their flattened swag bags on the sidewalk leading to the beach area.

The contrast was jarring and sobering.

(* apologies for the 'unintentional' nautical pun) 

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.  

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Now is not the time

A couple of thoughts.....

It would appear that material changes have occurred. I mean why else would we have another General Election after just two years?

I take it Ruth Davidson's bunch will be asking themselves, "How's that day job going?" I also take it the 'walk out' is cancelled.

If I was cynical, I might suggest the dawning true consequences of an inevitable 'hard' Brexit might have destroyed any potential for a Conservative & Unionist Party General Election win in 2020.

"Now is not the time."

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.

Saor Alba

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

The 3rd option

Not everything is a binary choice.

Fàilte to another convert to Yes.

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.

Saor Alba. 




© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Styx

Back in April our companion of nigh on 16 years bowed out.

Our regular reader will have known her only as Bumpy, but she preferred her true name of Ellie.

Can Seo

Over on Twitter the low oxygen level up yon munros has clearly got to Muriel Gray.

I like Muriel Gray.  I bought her books.

Can I refer all involved in the resultant furore to this evidential work.

Back in the very early eighties, following Varsity, I worked as a Field Researcher and Analyst for a very similar and indeed the first National Opinion Survey on Scots Gaelic under the auspices of An Comunn Gaidhealach. I can only say read the research and findings there. 

I also found this article to sum up what needs saying. 

Am I a native Gaelic speaker? Chan eil. 
Do I speak Gaelic? Tha, beagan.

But back to the hyperventilation over at Twitter.

Some observations:

• Many countries have bilingual road signs where there is a significant linguistic rationale for doing so. Off the top of my head I recall Magyar script on Eastern Austrian road/village signs. This pleases me because my family name is Hungarian, although admittedly our lot emigrated back circa very early 18th century and well before UKIP!
• Gaelic was, and indeed is, spoken well past (i.e. south) Inbhir Nis agus An Gearasdan for the information of a few so called intelligenti of the SNPout coven. 
• My recollection and the stats confirmed that the attitude to Gaelic was surprisingly favourable even in the most unlikely spots such as Kirkcaldy and East Kilbride!
• The comments on Muriel's tweet, and the significant follow up blog by Paul Kavanagh, have now become a political football with #SNPbad and rabid nationalism attributes being flung about in relation to the well intentioned actions to reverse the decline in the language due to the linguistic colonialism of English. This is all the more disappointing as it was George Younger, aye him, Thatcher's Secretary of State for Scotland, that was at the forefront of pushing Gaelic to the forefront as he had a deep affinity to, and what I like described as, the Gaelic Community. (Jen Topping was deceptively close with her assertion that it was The Iron Lady herself that was the promoter of Gaelic back in the early eighties).  Language has no direct political hue.
• My forebears on three sides were undoubtedly Gaelic speakers (from Rothes, Strathdon and Scalpay, Harris), the late MiL was a downtrodden native speaker and I have a significant past supporting what I liked to jokingly call the Gaelic mafia. My view was simply that the language, and the cultural strings attached, were being trampled on by the Beurla stampede and some significant positive discrimination was needed. 

Finally, the author of our 1981 survey had this to say to the Leveson Enquiry about Gaelic. If you've ever heard Ken speak in depth about Gaelic, his Rayleigh accent knocks you right off your stot! More fun even than that was myself and his loon (nepotism alert!), whilst surveying in Castlebay, entering a local hostelry and abidy hearing our accents (mine is a Heinz 57 mix of mainly Buckinghamshire and a few other RAF airbase twangs coupled with couthy Doric and his; piercing Essex) and the patrons yapping to each other in Gaelic clearly believing we hadn't a scooby what they were saying.  Like I say, I speak a little Gaelic, but wasn't letting on. My cohort, however, despite the foregoing is fluent. He timed the reveal to perfection. Oh and we both have a particularly appropriate first name for that particular island. Mine is the standard English spelling. Unsurprisingly, Ken's loon is the Gaelic version. The jungle drums went feel thereafter........

Chan eil aon chànan gu leòr.

UPDATE: Auntie and the PnJ have now had their say too.

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Canteen mythology

There has been a wee bit of a kerfuffle recently over at Twitter in regards to Polis eating habits and canteens.

Ever prescient, I offer you this piece (sic) from 2008. 



BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Jockalypse

Jim Murphy wisnae best pleased fan he had a wee keek at 'his' Daily Ranger.

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 

Saor Alba. 

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Election Eve Message from Toy Town™

#voteSNP projection @HyperlapseApp #GE15 pic.twitter.com/wEuPywKoFq

— Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) May 6, 2015

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 

Saor Alba. 



© McNoddy 
 Published by Toy Town™ Times

Complete Mayhem

Combining two of my least favourite things gives you this ludicrous apocalyptic vision of the future.

There's democracy for you.

Funnily enough we Scots ain't feeling the love anymore......

You may wish to check out the Twitter hashtag #WorstCrisisSinceAbdication

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.

Saor Alba.

© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ 

Sea change

I apologise, well no I don't actually, to my usual reader as I am about to get all Political.

I can imagine reader that you have just planted your forehead firmly on your desk schoolgirl stylee as I suggest this, but.....

I have had an enforced 30 years away from open and public politicking and even more so from an open allegiance and membership of the SNP.  I have lot of catching up to do and sooooooooooo much to say.

Stay with me!

There will be plenty musings to follow in the run up to the General Election and next year's Holyrood elections, but a wee tale to start us off.

I live in WAK (or Toyland if you prefer) and this has been a FibDem / Conservative and Unionist marginal for all the time I have known.  Liebour and the SNP have never really had a shout, such that many (including myself) voted tactically to keep the least worst option out. 

Recently in the Euros and Local elections the SNP have made patient and gradual progress into a challenging position, but I am now told it's a two horse race here in #GE2015. Literature delivered by the FibDems and Tories confirm this as so and that it is the FibDems that are the inferred and 'preferred' challenger for those voting tactically. 

Two observations follow on from this:

I voted partly to keep a party out of this constituency/government last time and then the turncoats entered into an unholy alliance - you can call it a coalition if you wish.  I also voted partly for the individual as he was an old classmate at Varsity and thus a decent enough chap you'd have thunk.  My cautionary tale for tactical voters is - you don't always get what you vote for with second choices.  Stay true, whatever your leanings are.  

Secondly, and much more importantly, I was sat aside a gent some maybe 10 years older than me in the local barbers this morn, when I overheard his conversation with the not overly stretched stylist regarding the forthcoming vote.  He was regaling the lassie with what he appeared to suggest was an awakening to him (and may I suggest the nation) that "that Nicola Sturgeon came over really well and she seems to have some good policies." This was clearly a surprise to him and not the statement of a paid up member of the SNP, but the one next to him was fair chuffed, especially when the lassie agreed. 

There is a sea change happening......

BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.

Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today. 

Saor Alba.

© McNoddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times

Endex

Dinna fash yersel.  No finished on here, jist being a bobbie.

Busy daen naithin a noo, bit fan I'm ready tae yap, look oot. Nae holds barred ye ken.

© Noddy 
Published by Toy Town™ Times