Wings Over Scotland

I have not worn a poppy for years. I contribute my small change most days in the local shop which has an Earl Haig collection tin which sits on the counter most of the year. The women in the shop do not understand why I never take a poppy for my apparel.

I think having seen them on fighter jets and found them being made with various parts of munitions has reinforced my reluctance . They have become commercial with such items as cufflinks , scarfs and ties being marketed.
Only last week I heard that Tesco were selling a “poppyroni” pizza. It is too much.

The poppy also singularly fails to symbolise ALL the war dead, who did not die in action ,but who were murdered and butchered just the same without any” glory” in how they died. Afraid ,alone and abandoned.

The military appear to have consolidated remembrance day into their ranks,but it does no justice to those citizens who lost their lives for either being the wrong religion,the wrong race,or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sadly poets like Rupert Brooke almost glorified war and they are the ones most quoted.

Sad how much of the wrong we remember instead of the right. 🙁

I find the whole undignified industry that’s recently grown up flogging tacky poppy branded tat extremely distasteful.

So while we remember the horrors of last century, let’s consider for a moment the sentiments being expressed today. Trump says he will deport Mexicans. Why? Because they are to blame for anything and everything, just like the Jews were. And Muslims – they also are to blame.

In the UK, it’s immigrants. Will we deport them? Well maybe if our negotiations with the EC don’t go well. They are a bargaining chip. Let’s not consider for a moment that they are also human beings with lives to lead.

The similarities between the simplistic solutions of today for society’s problems and the final solution implemented by Germany are too great for my liking.

I’m told our FM is a ‘shameful ignoramus’ for leading our nation in remembrance at St Giles rather than in London. WTF.

All of us remember our dead especially the conscripted troups of the first and second world wars, but we should also remember the families, the children and those whose lives were changed forever by acts of war on both sides of every conflict – I feel the marching and the gloryfying of war is too much for me to take especially when you see how much of the charitable giving is eaten up in administration and ridiculous salaries for CEO’s etc (not just in military charities). We have an obligation to look after people who have been damaged phycially or mentally by conflict. How many ex-soldiers and now homeless. If government call servuces to conflict they should have a responsibility to look after them for as long as they need help, homes, money and care.

Maybe more of us should be wearing a white poppy and have a real longing for peace – which does not mean doing nothing but speaking out when we see wrongdoing, bullying and aggression and governments misusing their power. For evil to prevail good men only need to do nothing. Truer now than ever.

… and it came from within the Jewish community

I don’t wear a poppy because it has been hijacked and demeaned by britnats.

When I was a child growing up in Glasgow there were eight houses in our close. Three of them were occupied by elderly spinsters. The men they would have married were killed in the Great War.

Heartbreaking.

I, like many others lost family members in camps in Germany. I also had family members on my other side die in service and in the Quintinshill crash.

I refuse to wear a poppy- I never have as I feel it is not representative of my beliefs. The symbolism of the poppy has been seized upon and at this time of year, it appears almost mandatory to wear one. I may not be popular for this, but seeing old service men in full regalia and disabled ex service persons selling poppies leaves a bad taste. A personal opinion, but it sends me in the opposite direction.

I’ve never seen a white poppy for sale. I would buy one.

OT kind of
Given the clip above makes any right thinking person wonder what they would do if a group were targeted in that way here and in these times?
I thought it might be appropriate to give a shout out for the Safety Pin campaign.

It’s mostly an American response to Trump but it’s still a good idea.

What you do is attach an ordinary safety pin on your jacket.
We have all got them you don’t need to buy anything!
This is a visable signal to immigrants and Scot’s of colour that you are safe,they don’t have to try to work out if you are likely to abuse them,and you would not join in with any who would.
You know the kind of thing,like choosing a friendly face to sit next to on a bus ect.

That’s what is attached where my poppy would have been.
For me that’s the way to really honour the war dead,and for more than just one day.

Shiregirl@5.06
The Gellions Bar in Inverness have them.

McBoxheid 5.13pm.

That’s one of the things that sickens me about the British State. They talk about “heroes” and “our boys”. Then when they’re finished with them they are kicked aside without a thought.

It’s ok though, Harry has a new girlfriend.

When Trump was elected I thought he won’t be that bad. The apparatus of government will restrict his excesses and rein him in. If he starts to renege on his promises he will be out of office so fast.

But then I looked back at Hitler’s time in Germany just as he was elected and how his eccentric behaviour was normalized and appeased by governments and how he immediately used his power to surround himself with even worse people who could quietly get on with doing the worst things imaginable.

I don’t wear a poppy but is there any point now? We have forgotten all the supposed lessons associated with that time.

How dare foul Britain leave the care of their wounded partially to charity. How many other so-called modern, wealthy countries do this??

I too reluctantly bought a red poppy [not offered the white], feeling that it is wrong to be forced out of doing so by the hijacking of it by hysterical media etc. And because the service personnel do still need our help because the government refuses to accept the responsibility. I’m sure when Scotland is independent we will do better.

At our village memorial ceremony today it was rather worrying that the Saltire was missing – only the Union flag and the British Legion were displayed.

‘War is a racket’.

In case anyone has not read this.

link to ratical.org

Willie Fae killwinning 6.06
It would be pretty to think so.
Sadly a fair few canny see it like that anymore.
The poppy has been co-opted by those with nae honour.
And some would not dis honour the war dead by wearing one.

Watchmen…?

Something else Alan Moore wrote once: a bayonet is a tool with a worker on both ends of it.

THIS MORNING- Church of Scotland service to the intro theme of “in Englands green and pleasant land….” we are all brits. Flags brought in British Legion, BB, Guides etc no saltire anywhere…the sermon– british fought for freedom in both World Wars (I think I am on safe ground to argue against that stance for WW1) then some more british propaganda, then God Save the Q… Po faced Church member asked why I hadn’t sung GStheQ as if it is a legal requirement. They way things are going we might be forced too. I responded that I wont sing a so called hymn that basically castigates my nation. Minister preaches Love and at the same time supports those in armed conflict. Poppy politicised ? Certainly, but I wear it for the fallen and dare I say to get up the nose of those who think Independence supporters, Greens, Socialists and others have no rights. It annoys them. Maybe next year they will play Highland Cathedral.

Phronesis says:
13 November, 2016 at 6:37 pm

“all those whom the war failed to make known and robbed thereby, not of their achievement, but of their human dignity”

It is truly shocking how many were just obliterated by shellfire, no body, no grave, nothing. In fact in the British army its 526816, almost half of those killed.

And for what exactly?

link to 1914-1918.net

Skybolt,

‘I always struggle to believe that the powers that be did not know what was happening (and where).

My mother was at a small, secular school. As most schools were christian they had a high proportion of jewish girls.

The school trip for ’36, which had been planned a few years earlier, was ‘The Great Cathedrals of Germany.

In ’35 they a sent a letter to all the parents saying that in view of the situation that they would not be able to take any girls with even one jewish grandparent, regardless of their name of appearance because the risk was too great.

If an insignificant, wee, girls’ school knew…

O/T, or maybe not:

This is how Waitrose, that workers’ co-operative beloved of the chattering classes and devoted to decent values, responds to a polite request to withdraw advertising from the hate-filled Mail, Express and Sun:

“Thanks for getting in touch.

I’m sorry that you’re disappointed that we advertise in certain newspapers.

This is an issue which has generated a lot of passion recently. However it would be wrong for us to take a view on the editorial positions of the media in which we advertise.

For every strongly held belief on why we shouldn’t advertise, there would always be others who have equally strong views about why we should continue, or why we shouldn’t advertise with other totally different media.

So, our position is that it’s not right for us to be a judge – we simply target our advertising towards media which our customers or potential customers are likely to see and respond to.

I can appreciate why you feel like this and you can be assured that your comments have been taken seriously.

Kind regards”

What’s that quote again? The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing?

I don’t need the Queen or a government to tell me when is the right time to remember something awful I’m pretty capable of that myself, I also don’t need them to tell me about my outpouring of grief and how much grief that should be

It’s sadly become like Easter egg buying day or Halloween get your monkey nuts day “Poppy Day”
Youngsters today don’t really know and some of us oldies (although know well) don’t want to know because it’s all too horrible

What is true is the Imperialist glorification of something so horrible has almost turned it into a cartoon event because of the commercialism and deliberate missing of the real point and the finger points directly once again at the Great British medias portrayal of history in that it’s the one day a year when it’s OK to forgive the germans…………… but not the rest of the year!

so to that end we’ll fill the telly up with war films for days on end to make sure all you public out there don’t forget

That’s why Engerland must beat the Gerries at football at trade at being nicer at being anything as long as Great Britain doesn’t lose to the bad germans even though we played them at football on Christmas between the trenches in the war, but more importantly who won?

It’s at times like these I wish Scotlands National Party didn’t have National in the name because as is their way the Brits turn it into something unpleasant
Then I think, it really wouldn’t matter what the name was the Brits do this with everything in order to breed bitterness and then keep it going by making an occasion of it

It’s right to remember and or commemorate but it all looks more like a sordid black mass now with more uniforms every year and it seems to me armed military parading is the last thing a lot of folks would want to see
My own brother was a military man he doesn’t go to these turnouts in his uniform, he just goes stands and leaves

And now I’m expecting the respect police to batter down my door and take me in for……….see how easy it is for a country to be manipulated

Never the peoples fault

going way OT here – but its an illustration of how easily narratives can be changed by a change of emphasis.

I visited Buchenwald concentration camp twice. First time was in the early 80’s, communist era. There were some displays detailing how well-known German companies, still big in West Germany, had profited from the ‘industry’. There was also an emphasis on how socialists and communists were incarcerated as well as Jews.

Second visit in around 1990, just after the Communist regime ended – all those displays had vanished, to be replaced by new ones detailing how the Soviets had continued using Buchenwald after 1945 as a camp for dissidents.

Some of the companies are listed here

link to remember.org

I too used to buy and wear a poppy every year out of remembrance of my great grandfather who died in September 1916, howeverlast year I purchased a white peace poppy and a purple poppy for the millions of innocent animals that have died during conflict.

The reason for this is that I feel that the act of remembrance had slowly lost its true meaning after The Falklands conflict and was hijacked by Westminster and has now been politized and commercialised.

I also feel that the burden of care for veterans in the 21st century should be made by the governments of the time who sent these young men snd women into unnecessary warand not ordinary citizens of the country.

However as I once posted on Facebook. “I have no problems with a person whether they wear a poppy or not as to like or not like a poppy. To wear or not to wear a poppy is a personal choice and each person does not have to be criticized for the decisions they make”

Effie Deans, whoever that person is, has truly gone beyond decency to say that it does not matter what age they died. These were not professional soldiers who knew to some extent what was ahead of them. These were indeed the ‘flower of youth’, a generation who could have done not just ordinary things but maybe great things and had a life and been part of others’ lives.

My grandfather signed up in WW1, faking his age, and was immediately sent to France where he and most of his battalion were captured and interred in a PoW camp for 4 years. His attitude to Earl Haig cannot be repeated. He learned much about tolerance and comradeship in the PoW camp from Russian soldiers whose kindness he never forgot.Like many, he watched in horror as WW2 developed before his eyes. He felt great regret and sadness at how the East and West polarised after 1945.

I feel we are watching something similar unfolding. While Slab and the Tories, Kevin McKenna and other apologists yell insults at the SNP and say all’s fair in the name of the Union and business is business, we have to be vigilant because everything has changed and it feels like there are very dark days ahead.

On Friday 11th, most news headlines included a clip of Prince Harry, ‘..leading the nation in remembrance on Armistice Day as he read the poem, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke…”

Ignoring the sycophancy of the commentary about his “own front line experience in Afghanistan”, the choice of the poem was an extraordinary one on several fronts.

Rupert Brooke was from a privileged background and a Cambridge graduate. He joined the RN Volunteers reserve in 1915 and was posted to Antwerp. He saw no military action, but in 1915, he was on a ship bound for the Dardanelles when he contracted blood poisoning from an insect bite, died and was buried on a Greek island in the Aegean.

Brooke wrote “The Soldier” in late 1914 as part of a group of sonnets expressing the hopeful idealism and enthusiasm with which Britain entered the war. “The Soldier” is an unashamedly patriotic poem of its time.

However, the trench warfare of 1916 and 1917 led to unseemly deaths on such a staggering scale that even by the end of the war, such patriotic feeling – and Brooke’s poetry- was viewed as foolish and naive, sentimental and unrealistic. and gave way to war poets such as Graves, Owen and Sassoon.

It strikes me that remembering the war dead is a fairly hollow exercise unless it is accompanied by a resolve not to let these things happen again and graphic and biting poems like Owen’s “Dulce et decorum est” are far better suited to such a task but would obviously not fit the established Armistice day orthodoxy.

“The Soldier” is essentially an expression of English patriotism. Just read the words. And while it is undoubtedly a well crafted poem of its time, it is an extremely insensitive choice in the current day for an occasion and personnel tasked with representing all parts of the British Isles and reflecting on the tragic deaths of soldiers and civilians in Scotland, Ireland and Wales- as well as England – particularly given the disproportionately high toll of Scottish deaths in two world wars.

And lest this be taken as anti-English bias, I speak as an English person.
Those of us who have made Scotland our home will not be surprised at the insensitivity. However, any who continually conflate “Britain” and “England” as interchangeable terms will simply not be aware that there is even an issue.

Bob Mack says:
13 November, 2016 at 7:52 pm
@Scottish Psyche,

Apparently Effie Deans is a lecturer in Aberdeen University. Go figure.

For an academic, she doesnt half write a load of rambling, incoherent and nonensical pish. I dont think Ive ever managed to reach the end of one of her articles.

Croompenstein says:
13 November, 2016 at 7:21 pm
“It’s Volkstrauertag in Germany today, their soldiers thought they were fighting for freedom on 1914,,”

You may find the following poem relevant

link to allpoetry.com

jomry says:
13 November, 2016 at 7:53 pm
On Friday 11th, most news headlines included a clip of Prince Harry, ‘..leading the nation in remembrance on Armistice Day as he read the poem, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke…”

why dont they read something like this, Dulce et Decorum est, by Wilfred Owen??

link to poetryfoundation.org

I went into a public ‘ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, ” We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ ” Tommy, go away ” ;
But it’s ” Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s ” Thank you, Mister Atkins,” when the band begins to play.

—

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ ” Tommy, wait outside “;
But it’s ” Special train for Atkins ” when the trooper’s on the tide
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s ” Special train for Atkins ” when the trooper’s on the tide.

—

Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap.
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an` Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul? ”
But it’s ” Thin red line of ‘eroes ” when the drums begin to roll
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s ” Thin red line of ‘eroes, ” when the drums begin to roll.

—

We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an` Tommy, fall be’ind,”
But it’s ” Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s ” Please to walk in front, sir,” when there’s trouble in the wind.

—

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an` Chuck him out, the brute! ”
But it’s ” Saviour of ‘is country ” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An ‘Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet that Tommy sees!

By Rudyard Kippling.

No further comment required.

@Bob Mack

I heard another rumour that they were admin Staff at NesCol (the Aberdeen college group). Whatever they are, they do themselves and their employer no favours.

Imagine your child was being taught by someone with views like Deans, Tomkins and Stephenson? I read an article today, which I cannot find, laying a lot of the blame for the shift to RW politics on the credence given to academics who try to put their daft theories into practice.

@Glamaig,

Effie Deans is apparently a man. Unionists seem to occupy positions of education like our man Scott Arthur. Highly educated bigots. Never averse to twisting facts to justify that bigotry.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Effie should look at the recently released letters from WW1 soldiers.

The truth is far removed from what goes on in Effies tortured mind.

There was never a more appropriate description than ‘educated beyond their intelligence’ for Yoons with academic titles (and blogs).

Cearc @ 6.53
Oh they knew ..it’s us … The people…who didn’t…
The one’s with the power to do something had to know.
That’s where I was coming from when I said earlier,we all have to ask ourselves what we would do if it started to happen again.
It’s not as if we could say that killing factories were the stuff of fantasy!!
That’s what the poppy’s were supposed to be for,so we remember all that war can do.
The lady in the film,rembers helping her friend to report to the officials.
She has the excuse of not being able to imagine.
We don’t.
WE REMEMBER..
And please forgive the obvious..we must never forget.
So I am not just disgusted with they way remembrance’s day has turned out,I am suspicious of it.

Hey Liz g @ 5:12 pm ~

I liked that idea above of the wearing of a blank safety pin, very fitting.

Understandably, as many more Scottish people now find the wearing / displaying of a poppy on themselves negative by association, maybe it’s time for a positive 21st century update?

We’re Scottish, respectfully, does it have to be a poppy.. could we not represent and mark the occasion by wearing something else instead?

Why not proudly wear a broach or small cutting of a thistle on your lapel? The thistle represents Scotland, is beautiful and comes with no baggage.

Wear whatever you want to (or not,) forget about the finger-pointers.. it’s what it matters and means to YOU.

We must find a way to move forward positively from this, or the next hundred anniversaries from now until the year 2116 are gonna be much the same feeling and more awkward than they need to be. 🙂

Scotland.
X.

OT soz

interesting article about the psychology of political campaigns

link to uk.reuters.com

‘Repeatedly priming voters’ minds with concepts, whether supportive of or detrimental to candidates’ appeal, builds their chronic accessibility – the ease with which these ideas shape voters’ opinions.’

I think we are all familiar with this technique thanks to Better Together and the BBC…

Siegfried Sassoon’s 1917 protest about the war saw him, (a gallant officer, who could not be Court Martialled because of the attention that would receive), diagnosed with “shell shock” and sent for psychiatric treatment at Craiglockhart because, you know, he was obviously not thinking straight:

“I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the War is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it.

I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this War, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest.

I believe that the purposes for which I and my fellow soldiers entered upon this War should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation. I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.

I am not protesting against the conduct of the War, but against the political errors and insincerities for which the fighting men are being sacrificed.

On behalf of those who are suffering now, I make this protest against the deception which is being practised on them; also I believe that I may help to destroy the callous complacency with which the majority of those at home regard the continuance of agonies which they do not share, and which they have not sufficient imagination to realise.”

Re; Robert Peffers@9.07

And in fact the unionists in WM still insist on calling the SNP ‘The Scottish nationalist party’. It is not a mistake, it is quite deliberate.

I had a friend say she wished the SNP would call themselves something else, ditch the ‘national’ bit. It is a word which can be doctored to suit the masters, the britnat agenda, and clearly is every day regards Scotland.

@jomry says: 13 November, 2016 at 7:53 pm:

“On Friday 11th, most news headlines included a clip of Prince Harry, ‘..leading the nation in remembrance on Armistice Day as he read the poem, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke…”

Indeed, Jomry, there is no doubt that, consciously or not, the choice of poem was, if nothing else, very insensitive and a slight on not only the war dead of Scotland, Wales and Ireland but also Jersey, Guernsey, Man and the entire British Commonwealth.

Not to mention the Free French, Free Poles and many others. I post the poem here for those Wingers who may not be aware of the text it contains :-

The Soldier. By Rupert Brooke

IF I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

The problem I have is when they often say:” All the brave men and women who gave their lives for our nation in all the conflicts”.

Every war since world war 2 has had absolutely nothing to do with protecting the nation. It is about money, oil, politics and corruption. Carpet bombing Syria and killing thousands of families and children. Is the brutal unforgiving reality of illegal wars.

I will never support the British Military.

At lunchtime I passed a Scottish trucker with a giant plastic poppy on the front grill. Inside the cab was an led Union Jack and behind it a Rangers flag. Now tell me the Poppy is not political!

France. Scribed in pencil in a WW1 tunnel.

“If in this place you are detained. Don’t look around you all in vain, but cast your net and you shall find, that every cloud is silver lined. Still.”

Down in that place, waiting, listening, but still with hope. I’d wear a poppy for him.

@Robert Peffers

If you read what I said Robert you’ll see I did not make distinctions one to the other I talked about others doing that
I’m rather proud of my party whatever it’s name, and I fully understand the difference between the two comparisons you make, which I did not, I once again pointed to those who do

Lets see, I think I remember this after 45 years or so.

Good morning, good morning the general said
as he passed us last week on the way to the line,
now the soldiers he smiled at are most of them dead
and we’re cursing his staff for incompetent swine.

He’s a cheery old card grunted Harry to Jack,
but he did for them both with his plan of attack.

Apologies to Seigfried Sassoon

I’ve posted some details of this on WoS before but it seems appropriate to do so again now.

On the early morning 23rd April 1916 my Great Uncle John was at the small oasis of Dueidar just east of the Suez Canal at the edge of the Sinai Desert. It was held by 156 men; 120 from the 1/5th Battalion (Ayr) of the Royal Scots Fusiliers.

He had already fought at and survived Gallipoli. In January 1916 they had been evacuated to Egypt and on 2 March they took over section of the Suez Canal defences.

John was a ploughman from Muirkirk and that cold misty morning, he and his mates were a long way from the farmlands of Ayrshire. They had adopted a stray dog which began barking at something out beyond the barbed wire. The dog ran out into the mist and attacked someone. The alert was sounded and the guys took their positions. The Turks attacked in force.

They were saved by two things, the dog which died alerting them and the mist which prevented the Turks using the light artillery pieces they had brought.

The Scots held off the assault until relieved by Australian Light Horse at 13:30, who drove off the Turks. This action was part of the wider Battle of Katia. The Scots sustained 55 casualties and John Murphy from Muirkirk died of wounds received in battle next day on 24th April.

Not anonymous people. Real people. Our families. John’s grave…

link to twgpp.org

link to i29.photobucket.com

The clip of the deportations from the Channel Islands reminds me of this thought provoking and disturbing book:

‘Modernity and the Holocaust’ by Zygmunt Bauman

Bauman’s thesis is that in a modern society with bureaucracy, technology and power structures, it is all too easy for a holocaust to happen – millions of small, rational acts by ordinary individuals contribute. Each act is so far removed from its ultimate consequences that it seems in itself harmless.

There is nothing structural in modern society to prevent a holocaust – on the contrary, the very nature of that society, where extreme division of labour distances an act from its consequences, makes the holocaust possible.

Also,

‘The lesson of the Holocaust is the facility with which most people, put into a situation that does not contain a good choice, or renders such a good choice very costly, argue themselves away from the issue of moral duty… adopting instead the precepts of rational interest and self-preservation.’

‘Evil needs neither enthusiastic followers nor an applauding audience – the instinct of self-preservation will do, encouraged by the comforting thought that it is not my turn yet, thank God: by lying low, I can still escape.’

The good news is that ‘it does not matter how many people chose moral duty over the rationality of self-preservation – what does matter is that some did. Evil is not all-powerful. It can be resisted. The testimony of the few who did resist shatters the authority of the logic of self-preservation. It shows it for what it is in the end – a choice. One wonders how many people must defy that logic for evil to be incapacitated. Is there a magic threshold of defiance beyond which the technology of evil grinds to a halt?’

Of Peffers and Poppies

First: my admiration to Robert Peffers. His energy and resolve is astonishing, his knowledge always a good read. I don’t congratulate him anything like enough.

Second, the last time I bought a poppy, almost two decades ago as a callow yoof, it was to help pay for facilities to look after war wounded.

There was an unspoken presumption that in time no one need sell poppies, British war maimed and injured being a thing of the past.

It appears we were mistaken. War is to be an endless industry.

Lenny,
WW1, was my thing for a while while I was young, it would take a very long time to explain the political circumstances, but essentially you had superpowers, that fought their arms and technology superior to the others, that had territory world wide carved up, so when a small opening appeared, a weakness perhaps the immediate rush to fill the gaps lit the fuse, neither side would back down.

An easy way to explain it is as having put so much effort into war, it was easier to fight than to find a solution.

We have wars because we are good at war, and we are good at war because we have wars! It’s a profession don’t you know, a military industrial complex.

Remember Einstein, “I don’t know how the Third World War will be fought, but the fourth will be with sticks and stones”.

Liz g says:

Jeezz 25 …my son will be 25 next birthday.
I don’t know how those mum’s ever lived with it.

His mother, my great grand mother who I never knew of course, was apparently never the same again. The rest of the family were miners and life would have been hard. But the news of John’s death far away was too much for the poor woman.

I suspect they never actually discovered as much detail about his death as I have. They would never see a photo of the grave. With the Australian Light Horse was a war correspondent. So online there are lots of written details and photographs taken on that afternoon.

Liz g says:
13 November, 2016 at 10:21 pm
Galamcennalath @ 10.08
Jeezz 25 …my son will be 25 next birthday.
I don’t know how those mum’s ever lived with it.
To keep the toffs where they were …how did it ever be allowed to happen??

Well yes. My son is 20. My grandfather was 20 when he was in the trenches at Gallipoli. Makes you look at war a bit differently.

@Cactus & other friends –

I still believe a wee ivy leaf could represent so much for us.

‘I Voted Yes’ encompasses many decent causes and beliefs, including appropriate remembrance as well as concern for generations to come.

The reason the English don’t correct others when they say England instead of Britain. Is because they don’t need to. Their identity is not being ignored or taken away. It’s only our identity.

I donate annually to Erskine but do not wear a poppy.

IMO it has become politicised by the increasingly jingoistic/fascist British State for some years.

OTish

Harping back to Yoon complaints about Nicola’s comments re Trump I would like to remind you of this fairly recent quote by our current Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson:

“The only reason I wouldn’t visit some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump”

Little wonder we have Farage stepping in as first point of contact.

Beams, motes and all that.

Chic. Nicola is aligning herself with the rest of Europe. While distancing herself from Trump and Brexit England.

She is looking to a future where Scotland is in the Eu and England is begging the Us,for trade deals. Right versus left. England is on the way to total isolation.

@ Lenny Hartley – the best, and funniest, explanation of WW1, causes of, is Robert Newman’s “History of Oil”. A stand-up comedy routine which is also a great history lesson.
Spoiler- it’s about oil.
45 mins on yputube.

youtu.be/2DCwafIntj0

Well said, Lochside. You sum up my thoughts pretty well. I’ve been fortunate enough in recent years to visit St Valery-en-Caux, Albert, Bayeux and Beaumont Hamel. It leaves you empty and pretty disgusted at the same time. How many of the WWI troops even had the vote? Yet they died for “freedom/democracy”.

And Churchill abandoned the 51st Highland Division to their fate after Dunkirk without a qualm. They fought with De Gaulle until the end.

And, as usual, we seem to have borne the brunt.

It’s the Union Dividend.

link to scottishrepublicansocialistmovement.org

The great general Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmany Melchett(Blackadder Goes Forth) brush and dustpan in hand sweeps a significant number of toy soldiers up and bins them.How many lost he enquires of captain Darling, I think around 10,000 was the figure quoted and our advance he asks? 6ins the reply. Thank you Ben Elton

IMO the greatest ever anti-war lyrics by Scot, now Australian, Eric Bogle.

All The Fine Young Men

They told all the fine young men,
“Ah, when this war is over,
There will be peace,
And the peace will last forever.”
In Flanders Fields,
At Lone Pine and Bersheeba,
For king and country,
Honour and for duty,
The young men fought and cursed and wept and died.

They told all the fine young men,
“Ah, when this war is over,
In your country’s grateful heart
We will cherish you forever.”
Tobruk and Alamein,
Bhuna and Kokoda,
In a world mad with war,
Like their fathers before,
The young men fought and cursed and wept and died.

For many of those fine young men
All the wars are over,
They’ve found their peace,
It’s the peace that lasts forever.
When the call comes again,
They will not answer,
They’re just forgotten bones,
Lying far from their homes,
Forgotten as the cause for which they died.
Ah, Bluey, can you see now why they lied?

Strangely. but then maybe not, I could no longer find a youtube of Eric Bogle singing this but Mary Black does a good version.

link to youtube.com

@ galamcennelath

My great-uncle (also in the RSF) died at Ypres in 1917 at the age of 20.

Tomorrow when I go to buy The National at the Co-op, I’ll cross the road and check out the Victory Park memorial and do a bit of remembering for both our relatives we never knew.

I’m ex forces. Many of my family and ancestors were also in the forces. They fought in various wars or, as they call them now, “conflicts”.

To my mind, Remembrance Day has now been corrupted into mere jingoism.

We now see Brexiters wearing poppies the size of Tea plates to display their “patriotism”, all while spouting the kind of bile that my family fought and suffered to destroy.

I’m done with it.

Why do fund raisers not just put on an account no and sorting code for an Appeal. Or an address to send a cheque for those who want increased anonymity or for whom the links don’t work. An total increased amount would be raised. Re the Brains Appeal etc.

The starving, empoverished Russian people wanted no involvement in the 1WW (or the 2WW) They viewed it as a ‘capitalists’ conflict and campaign. Calls were made to advise the working people of Europe not to take part in them. For working people to unite and resist the conflict.

They Russian saved the West in the 11WW. They made the greatest sacrifice. 26Milkion Russians died and Russian was devasted. It resulted in a Militarily Defence State to protect it’s borders. Create a buffer. Lest we forget.

1WW was caused by the European Royals. (The dominate British Royal family and their relatives) No universal suffrage, but ‘the divine right of Kings’ protected by ‘God’. Reined over, Some absolute monarchs and their interdependant ‘Treaties’ and rivalries, The European Royals were inbred. Cousins married cousins.The Royal cousins, the Czar, Nicolas 11 the Kaiser Wilheim and the ‘Bertie’ King of England. A philanderer of disreputed character. Queen Victoria’s daughters, sons and grandsons, There was remarkable physical resemblances between them, Queen Victoria’s mother and husband were German. Millions died to protect this archaic system.

A Including the intransigent Czar who helped caused the conflict and his family, Wilheim lost his position and was demoted eventually dying. The British Royal family managed to survived and rewrite the dialogues. ‘Long’ live the King’. To misrule ‘Us’? Russian Revolution 1917. The Bolshevik Revolution. The Russian people were starving and had been completely denied workers rights and any kind of equality. The Industrial Revolution had brought changes in the late 1890’s but did not bring sufficent changes to safeguard the society or economy.

More people died during the 1WW of illness than of conflict. A ‘Spanish’ flu epidemic wiped out half of the population of Europe. Culled the people. The 1WW led to an imbalance of gender within the population and resulted in Womens’ right to vote. Universal suffrage came in 1928.

There is an argument for a constitutional monarchy but only if the Head of State is totally unbiased. Slims down and bows out. Often that is not the case.

Use your vote wisely. Know the details. To change the path of history.

Andy Murray’s a sporting hero. No 1. Folk can’t get enough of him.

And so it begins. Tory donors and ‘leading businessmen’ are urging May and the Right Wing Junta to use Farage as a go-between with Trump to rebuild this ‘special relationship that the London Barrow Boys want to maintain between the Holy London Empire and the US of A( Wall Street, the American Military, the Neo Liberal Republicans and Democrats, and the US Military and Industrial Complex).
Meanwhile Trump announces that he will be deporting or imprisoning 2, no, make that 3, million illegal Mexicalis who are rapists murderers and/or drug dealers; oh, and the wall might not all be of brick, some of it may barbed wire fencing, or palings.
May is about to hand the Government of the UK over to Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson in the most blindingly obvious coup d’état in UK history, to a fanfare of Mail Express Sun and Telegraph hack trumpeters, declaring that it is the overwhelming will of the British People; well, 17 million of Them anyroads.
We are well down the road to Orwell’s dystopian world now.
Our only hope is that enough Scottish citizens will opt for self determination as an independent state within the European Community.
Or when England starts rounding up hundreds of thousands of ‘illegals’ and transporting them via ‘holding pens’, ‘back where they came from’ will we stand by and watch while the newly formed UK Border Protection Brigade mushrooms into Farage’s Personal Army?
The clip of the Channel Islands Occupation is chilling to say the least.
England seems to be lost to right wing zealots now.
Self Determination for Scotland is looking like our only escape pod.

Obama/Clinton the total failures. Made false promises and did not deliver. Every country in the world seeks to secure it’s borders and prevent illegal immigration. The trouble is US/UK and France caused the mass migration and suffering of people into Europe. Caused by bombing the Middle East to bits for years.

Obama played the race card and Clinton played the gender care to win. They both were complete dangerous failures. Lying warmongers who killed innocent men women and children for their own gain.

Trump has more ability and outlook to see through the outcome of their vacant, destructive decisions of which American people paid the price. Obama/Clinton et al have cause destruction and anxiety around the world.

Trump’s family are hardworking, decent people. They have no airs and graces as they pass through Aberdeen/shire, They are pleasant and engaging with everyone. Taking routine flights and driving ordinary cars to the driving ranch. Pity about the small no of compulsive, lying Green opponents and few, lying hypocrite neighbours. They maliciously fed the lying, ill researched Press with bias and misinformation of excess of bias intention, Never gave the majority opposing view. Causing the prestigious Development to stall. Ignoring the wishes of the majority of neighbours who whole heartedly supported the asset to the community and the region.

The Greens and neighbours bullied Trump to order to line their pockets. They are despised in the locality and region for their greed, avarice and malicious intention, The Greens will never be endorsed for their culpable intention to hold back prosperity, economic growth and invention. The ‘crofters’ brother does not support his position and despises him for the malicious avarice intentions,

Since Trump arrived Golfing holidays in Scotland have doubled. At least Trump flies in his own jet not illegally in Airforce 1, like Clinton paid for by US taxpayers. A complete abuse of power. A terrible, terrible person. Drain the swamp. Trump called them out for what they were and they sure did not appreciate it. The American people did.

Many wealthy people can be encountered by hangers on and sycophants who want to relieve them of and benefit from their money. They can give malice account to achieve their endeavour. Every man and woman on the Planet has been subject to inappropriate touching of various degrees. For mild offence to total trauma. There are provision for appropriate recompense through the Law and legal system. From apology, to recompense or imprisonment for total trauma or violence, Even through the civil system. All touched by this can appeal through this system till proven.

The Churches are involved in cover up of malicious violent molestation, including of children. In Boston there were covers up. When victims came forward they were either discredited, maligned or killed in fatal ‘accidents’. In order that the accusations were withdrawn with not further scrutiny, Film ‘Spotlight’ won an Oscar. An account of when the Press held up the case of criminal justice with research and diligence. Unfortunately that is not always the case. Peddling double standards and suppressing information because of status. Saville etc.

Prince Andrew and Clinton were allegedly involved in rape of molestation of underage, young girls at meeting organised by their associates. JF Kennedy etc.extra activities with Billy Jean. Elton Johns related accusation. D notices. Double standard. Swept under the carpet. A special relationship.

Statistically Trump has a one in five chance of lasting 4 years. A quite low 20% chance of survival. Thatcher ‘ boys will be boys’. The Unionist Parties involvement in routine molestation and targeting of vulnerable people. The Routine cover up. Keith Vaz, Sewell, Osbourne, Blair, Johnson etc.

Not forgetting Trident. The obsolete false weaponry of Mass destruction while people in the world starve.

Links

Group of refugee children from Calais Jungle arrive in Scotland
link to archive.is

link to welfareweekly.com

Trial to begin of man accused of murdering Jo Cox before Brexit vote
link to archive.is

link to aljazeera.com

From ‘Mrs Miniver’.
The Wilcoxon speech is frequently cited in books about Hollywood’s World War II films as exemplary of the kind of filmmaking that helped mobilize the United States to war in defense of its ENGLISH allies.
The Vicar:

“We, in this quiet corner of ENGLAND, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us– some close to this church: George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only one hour before his death, of the Belding Cup for his beautiful Miniver rose; and our hearts go out in sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only two weeks ago.”

@ Ian Murray, is this the same Trump who never paid his taxes? well I never! billionaire refuses salary!

Ot…

He was serious then…. link to euronews.com

The only saving grace for us all is that I don’t believe Trump has the focus and sociopathic single mindedness to be a second Adolph Hitler.

Trump is no Hitler incarnate, he’s an idiot showman who now has to make good on his idiotic rhetoric.

It isn’t Trump that concerns me. It’s the new world order apparent where xenophobia, racism, and vilification are mainstream agendas which are casually accepted as legitimate. We have all moved to a different point on the spectrum.

If you took Trump and Farage out of their present circumstance and placed them both in the same Used Car Lot in Dagenham, the dangerous rift in the time and space continuum would be healed and natural order of the universe restored.

Don’t worry folks… I’m sure Dr Who will be along to fix all of this any minute….

That was the worst ‘look the moon’ distraction yet.
BBC guest scientist just said..

‘for reasons we don’t fully understand.. the moon looks larger when lower in the sky.

Had never considered why the White Poppy wouldn’t go down well other than the obvious thought that it might be seen as a criticism of the Red.

Brief reading up on it,

link to books.google.co.uk

and

link to ppu.org.uk

Shows they campaigned in Northern Ireland in the’70s and against the Falklands war.

The NI would have them line up with the “Troops Out”

Not only that but they’ve strong links to the Coop movement and Labour.

Personally I don’t wear either poppy these days.

On other news, I don’t seem to remember seeing so many “commemorative” programs about WW1 recently. Perhaps because by this time we’ve definitely got into “Black Adder Goes Forth” territory.

Nana:

Good Morning, thank you for your links,my day is complete.Kettle’s on.

Peace Always

“Just heard BBC TV news announce a week of programmes looking at how unequal/equal Scotland actually is. Wages, education, health and so on!!”

Aye, terrific.

Nice and safe now; the BBC would never broadcast such facts before the Referendum when it mattered!

They must be pretty certain there isn’t going to be another.

Grousebeater, is that yhe same Ian Murray that lives in Morningside and works in London? Lol.

For I’ll go no more waltzing Matilda, all around the green bush far and free
To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs-no more waltzing Matilda for me.
So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, and they shipped us back home to Australia.
The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane, those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay, I looked at the place where me legs used to be.
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me, to grieve, to mourn, and to pity.

ERIC BOGLE – AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA
I cannot sing along with this painful song written by a Scottish émigré in the 70’s.
Since 2014 the BBC and the English Establishment has gorged itself in Commemoration Poppy Porn.
Parades and guns; Blood and Guts; the Glory Days. For Queen and Country. Oh Christ, preserve us from these nuts.
They are hell bent on destroying the world.

Ian Murray @ 5.54am
Go check out Dr Ben Carson,Ian
I don’t think for a minute that him being black does anything to indicate to me Trump’s view on race.
Dr Carson is a full on Kids , Kitchen & Kirk type
Raging pro lifer…and don’t get me wrong I would never insist that he have a termination,or anyone else who thinks that it’s a sin.
My issue is with those who force that position on others.
Trump doesn’t need to be racist or Misogynistic himself,it really matters not.
What actually matters is that he will legislate for those who are..Why do I say this??? Because I have heard him promise to,a few years back on Info War’s.
Go check it out.

Alex Rowley states that Westmonster cannot deliver the sort of social society he envisages. Hey ho join the club. Is Alex thinking of deserting the sinking labour in Scotland ship?