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The Silence Of The Sacrificial Lambs

Posted on February 07, 2022 by

Should disabled children be used as props to make men with sexual fetishes feel better? It doesn’t seem like a difficult question, does it?

“At no point, while I was coming to terms with how my [severely disabled] daughter’s future was set to unfold, did I expect to find myself in a position where I would be forced to remind my elected representatives about something as basic as my vulnerable daughter’s need for same-sex care.

Anxieties about her having to endure acts of negligence, or maybe even cruelty, at the hands of an unprofessional person, once I am gone, have haunted some of my sleepless nights. However, I have been consoled with the knowledge that regulations and safeguarding policies would be in place to offer her protection from bad actors.

But what happens when somewhere along the line the differences between the sexes become artificially blurred, and the safeguarding that was in place can no longer be relied upon because of proposed reforms to current law?”

The above quote is part of the heartfelt plea of a mother of a disabled daughter. We know that women and girls are vulnerable to male sexual violence, we know that men commit 98% of sex offences and we know that disabled children are three to four times more likely to experience abuse.

We just don’t seem to care.

The United Nations Population Fund has highlighted how “in a study by the African Child Policy Forum of violence against children with disabilities, nearly every young person interviewed had been sexually abused at least once – and most more than once”.

Once they reach adulthood, the statistics according to research by DAME Magazine are terrifying:

“Eighty-three percent of disabled women experience rape or abuse, often at the hands of caretakers. And without a way to report their violations, the [perpetrators] frequently go unpunished.”

The magazine’s Victoria Brownworth argued that (in the US) “77% of rapes and sexual assaults were not reported to police. The enormity of that number suggests that within the context of disability, where so many victims may not even have access to language, or where the person they would report to is the same person perpetuating the assaults (and on whom they depend for their most basic care), the number may be perilously close to 100 percent.”

Alongside the significant risk of sexual violence, we know that girls and women experience an indignity and a trauma when they are forced to allow a male to undress them and touch their vulva, breasts or anus when they do not consent and do not want this touch. Sex is important.

Having become disabled as a teenager myself, it can feel like society has sentenced you to suffer at the hands of men. The figures and the possibilities of your future are stark. People look away at the obvious risks, they deny that you too need dignity, they claim “not all men”.

And while it isn’t all men, it’s also not just seven bad ones – they wouldn’t have the time to abuse all of these children and women.

‘In Ireland, a report analysing data from 14 rape crisis centres shows that almost half of the surveyed survivors with disabilities disclosed that they were subjected to sexual violence during childhood (48%), while one in ten disclosed that they were subjected to sexual violence both as adults and as children (10%).

Individuals with disabilities who use rape crisis centre services are more likely to have been subjected to multiple incidents of sexual violence than those with no disabilities (39% compared with 25%).”

Although it’s difficult to obtain data on disabled children as previously it hasn’t been seen as important enough to collect, the data which is emerging is showing a similar pattern across nations. Very vulnerable children and adults, particularly those who struggle to communicate, are seen as targets by predators. These predatory males will use careers where they can have access to these vulnerable children in order to abuse.

For example, evidence was given to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry that a potential sex offender was being employed and moved around children’s homes, including a home for disabled children.

“Mr Dolan, former assistant area manager for the Glasgow South social work team, told the hearing in Edinburgh: “a man, who I don’t want to name, worked as a residential care worker for the local authority. He is now a convicted sex offender.”

Staff were expressing concerns about him and it seems that he got moved from a children’s home to a home for children with disabilities in the Pollokshields area and they were concerned how he had managed to get this. I am aware that this individual seemed to be very close to one of the most senior managers for the residential establishment”.

Frequently men will move into positions where they can have access to their targets. In May 2021 Dorrion Etienne was imprisoned for targeting and sexually abusing two learning-disabled girls at their school.

In August 2021 a former deputy headmaster and a head of care at a special needs school in Lincolnshire who raped and assaulted girl pupils over the course of 12 years were jailed for more than 23 years.

In November 2021 Robin James Elms was convicted and sentenced after he “targeted a child with special needs during a campaign of abuse in private homes where he worked as a freelance nanny and babysitter. He picked on children he thought were too young to speak up or who had learning difficulties and autism, grooming entire families in order to commit his abuse”.

Also in November 2021 it was reported that George Holden, “a former Derbyshire teacher and professional clown expects to die behind bars after being jailed for abusing young children. The court heard his previous convictions included sexually abusing blind and disabled children while working as a teacher at a special school”.

In December 2021 Brian Rudgley, an 83-year-old retired head teacher with years of experience working with children with special educational needs was imprisoned for sexually abusing a learning-disabled girl.

We have seen this pattern in institutions like sports clubs, charities and the Church to name just a few. Predators will move to where they can get to their prey. Yet still, politicians are behaving like such behaviour is beyond the realms of possibility. I am sick of them playing dumb and putting the wellbeing of the disabled at risk.

Indeed, it is once again being proposed by politicians that male feelings and male egos need to be prioritised and protected by law above the needs of the vulnerable, and those who too frequently experience sexual abuse at the hands of males. We are not even allowed to name the pattern – male sexual violence – in case it offends men.

Language had been changed to obscure reality. Parent P, who wished to remain anonymous, pointed out that “lots of people won’t think twice about a form only asking about gender, not sex too and also think these terms are interchangeable. The erosion and hijacking of our rights is so insidious”.

When it’s a form deciding what adult will be touching your child’s genitals, the difference between sex and gender identity is put in much sharper relief. Same-sex care is the most basic of safeguards and provides dignity, we should be able to choose it for ourselves and our relatives.

However, it commonly appears that NHS policies have been written according to Stonewall’s version of the law rather than the Equality Act 2010. NHS Lanarkshire’s “Supporting Trans Staff in the Workplace” dictates that employees:

“ensure Trans staff are treated as being of the gender in which they are living irrespective of whether they have undergone any hormonal or surgical treatment or have a Gender Recognition Certificate. It is unacceptable for colleagues and managers to refuse to recognise, for any period of time, a member of staff as belonging to the gender in which they are currently living.”

Translated, a cross-dressing man who gets aroused in women’s clothes is to be treated as a woman, and this includes allowing him access to disabled girls’ naked bodies.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it acceptable to discriminate on the basis of sex if there is a legitimate aim – this is known as a General Occupational Qualification (GOQ). If women and girls are to be naked it was widely accepted, before Stonewall poisoned the well, that a GOQ would automatically apply.

NHS Lanarkshire has pre-empted challenge on this point and commanded staff that male feelings come above the law in this regard. It declares that:

“the Equality Act 2010 provides limited exemptions for GOQ positions to restrict access to members of a particular gender [wrong, read “sex”]. These exemptions can only be applied in order to achieve a legitimate operational need.

All efforts should be made to enable Trans employees to work in positions, including those covered by General Occupational Qualifications, consistent with the gender with which they identify.

Where a person has a gender recognition certificate they must be regarded as being that gender for the purposes of GOQ positions. As the gender history of an employee is a matter of strictest confidentiality, this information should never be shared with service users.”

This secret-keeping about (mostly) males’ true sex, identity, and past means the scenario could arise that parents place their severely disabled non-verbal teenage daughter in a short respite care, thinking she will receive intimate care and be attended to at night by a woman, when in reality a man who gets aroused by cross-dressing has put on women’s clothes and is repeatedly washing the girl’s vulva.

Is that sexual abuse? The young girl will feel violated, will feel abused, will be traumatised. The parents will feel lied to, and wonder if they can ever trust the care of their daughter to Lanarkshire NHS again.

Allan Petrie, the chairperson of Glenlaw Parent/Carer Support Group, has written to Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government to raise parental concerns around the care of their disabled children, noting that “trans” is now an umbrella term encompassing all manner of groups including drag queens, crossdressers and “midlings”, whatever those might be.

(Googling produces nothing useful.)

It’s also argued within the LGB/T/Q/+ community that a range of extreme (and even illegal) sexual practices grouped under the term “kink” belong under the trans/LGBTQ+ “umbrella”.

The Q in LGBTQ+ (the official preferred term of people like the Scottish Greens) already stands for Queer, a term which organisations like Stonewall are very shy about defining in any meaningful way but appears to implicitly embrace “kink”, as being outwith “perceived norms” and “specific labels”.

Or put another way, it means whatever you want it to mean. Christina Richards – a transwoman who is Lead Psychologist and Head of Psychology at the UK’s foremost “gender identity clinic”, the Tavistock in London – has called for many extreme and violent sexual practices to be normalised and no longer classified as paraphilias – conditions “characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving extreme or dangerous activities”.

(One such practice is “ageplay”, which Richards describes as “an adult identifying as a baby or young child, and is also known as adult baby/diaper lover (ABDL) or infantilism. There may be a sexual aspect… associated with humiliation”, while denying it has any link to paedophilia.)

Mr Petrie explained that to the minister:

“Our children are some of the most vulnerable children alive, they are non-mobile and non-verbal, they require 24 hour care including intimate care, as such we require to put our trust in professionals, at the moment we use the equality act to ensure that care is carried out by the same biological sex as our child, this is not just about safety but also our children’s dignity.

However if the Scottish government continue with this Act then ANY man can self-identify as a female be given a job within the care sector and if we refused to allow them to give our child intimate care on the bases of their biological sex then we could face prosecution under the proposed Hate Crime Bill.”

Research by NSPCC Learning together with Coventry University and the Ann Craft Trust presented the universalism of these parental anxieties around the care of their disabled children. One parent respondent described how

“We had respite at home and we installed cameras in the house for that reason, until they went. Nothing ever happened but it was just for me for those 2 hours while they were there. My son was so young, he still wouldn’t be able to explain. So I would check it every time that I would come home. Just so I knew he was safe.”

The research highlighted how “parents whose children had complex needs raised particular concerns regarding how incredibly difficult it was to teach their children about issues such as safe touch in their intimate care, puberty and changes in their bodies and about sexual abuse. Their greatest fears were that their child would not be able to communicate if they felt unsafe. One parent explained that her son used Makaton to communicate, yet there were no staff in his school that could use Makaton. As a result the child had no means of communicating with anyone”.

The sexual abuse of disabled children and young adults is so widespread that the NSPCC alongside the charity Triangle has developed a communication system for children to express abuse. Triangle highlighted that before their intervention, children who used symbol vocabulary to communicate could “communicate about the national curriculum but cannot say ‘leave me alone’.”

Due to the fact that disabled children did not have access to specific symbols which could communicate sexual abuse, safeguarding experts and investigators would sometimes have to hand draw images and thus accusations of coaching the child could be made. This added to non-verbal children being perceived as weak witnesses and subsequently cases not being prosecuted.

Consequently it increased the targeting of such children by perpetrators. Triangle has enabled disabled children and young people to get legal redress for crimes committed against them, by enabling disabled children to tell someone what’s being done to them. As part of developing the images, Triangle

“asked experienced interviewers about how young children and nonspeaking children have communicated about abuse. [They’ve] included images for a range of words that children use when they don’t know the ‘right’ word.

For children being interviewed using AAC, it may be more appropriate to offer them non-specific images rather than explicit ones which could be perceived as leading or coaching the child. For example, although the image set includes ‘erection’ and ‘ejaculation’, for young children it may be more appropriate that they have access to the images for ‘willy’, ‘hard’ and ‘squirt’.”

Yes, in our society we’ve had to develop a way for severely disabled children who may have mental ages of 6 to 8 to say “willy”, “hard” and “squirt”.

Once communication has been enabled the struggle to participate in the justice system doesn’t stop there. As well as access to communication, physical access to the courts is still a barrier as just 2% of UK courts are currently accessible to disabled people. This, frankly, is a denial of fundamental rights and what exclusion really looks like.

Alongside the obvious safeguarding issues and the need to maintain dignity for the disabled is the fact that a male carer would retraumatise disabled girls who have already been sexually abused by men. Ann West commented that “our disabled daughter was seriously sexually assaulted. We were assured she would always have women support staff especially as she needs assistance with all her personal care. Well I’m not remotely reassured, in fact I’m terrified for her future. This is so wrong on every level’.”

It is generally understood that women and girls who have been sexually assaulted and or raped by men find the presence of and touch of men re-traumatising, and this is no different if the women or girl has a disability. In fact it may be exaggerated because that man might be touching your vulva, breasts and other parts of your body. The statistics on abuse are stark – UNICEF estimates that children with disabilities are three to four times more likely to experience physical and sexual violence.

Why would a man want to do this? If he doesn’t care about the potential serious impact he will have on the disabled girl or woman, should he be in a caring position at all? Since when has it been acceptable to use disabled children as props to arouse men?

To most people it is astonishing that questioning a man touching your non-verbal disabled female child’s genitals could be a criminal offence, yet in Scotland it is about to become a hate crime.Why are politicians willing to re-traumatise potential abuse victims to fulfil men’s fantasies?

.

Dr EM is a disabled, feminist writer and historian. She writes under a pen name due to threats to her safety and tweets as @PankhurstEM.

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gregor

INews (2019): ‘SNP will insist Jeremy Corbyn takes a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to anti-Semitism’:

The SNP will insist that Jeremy Corbyn takes a “zero tolerance” approach to anti-Semitism if it lends him its support to make him Prime Minister, Nicola Sturgeon has said….

…the First Minister said she “deplored” his lack of leadership…

Jewish leaders in Scotland …telling Ms Sturgeon that she would be “doing a deal with the devil” if she helped Mr Corbyn enter Number 10….

…any party leader who wanted the support of the SNP to make clear its zero tolerance approach to anti-Semitism, to Islamophobia, to any form of prejudice and racism…”:

link to archive.ph

NationalScot (27/06/2022) ‘Jeremy Corbyn faces libel trial over remarks on Andrew Marr show’:

“…Detail of the claim emerged at earlier hearings.

During the interview, Corbyn was asked if he was an antisemite and shown a recording of a speech he made in 2013 in which he referred to “Zionists” who “don’t understand English irony”, judges have heard…

Corbyn says he was defending himself against allegations of antisemitism when he made the comments…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Andrew Marr:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Nicola Sturgeon:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Joe Biden:

link to archive.ph

gregor

JewishTelegraphicAgency (2020): Joe Biden: My plan to fight anti-Semitism:

“…Sadly, anti-Semitism takes many different forms and cuts across ideology, political party, group and nation. So we must remain vigilant and speak out every time we see the persistent evil of anti-Semitism rear its ugly head…

Silence is complicity, so we must speak out — every time. We must call hate by its proper name, and condemn it…”:

link to archive.ph

GoodReads (Miranda Devine): ‘Laptop from Hell: Hunter Biden, Big Tech, and the Dirty Secrets the President Tried to Hide’:

Hunter Biden, quote:

“…idiot fat Jewish kid…”

link to archive.ph

gregor

DailyMail (27/06/2022): EXCLUSIVE: ‘I think you’re clear’:

VOICEMAIL from Joe Biden to Hunter about NY Times report on his Chinese business dealings proves he DID speak to his son about his relationship with criminal dubbed the ‘spy chief of China’:

“President Joe Biden spoke with Hunter about his business dealings with a Chinese criminal his son dubbed the ‘spy chief of China,’ a voicemail to his son reveals.

The president has repeatedly denied personally and through his press secretary that he ever talked about Hunter’s foreign business with his Hunter – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Now, in a voicemail left on Hunter’s iPhone, the evidence has come from POTUS’ own mouth…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

Nature: Age and sex-specific risks of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid-19 messenger RNA vaccines (Published: 25/06/2022):

Abstract:

“Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported following the receipt of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines. As vaccination campaigns are still to be extended, we aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the association, by vaccine and across sex and age groups.

Using nationwide hospital discharge and vaccine data, we analysed all 1612 cases of myocarditis and 1613 cases of pericarditis that occurred in France in the period from May 12, 2021 to October 31, 2021.

We perform matched case-control studies and find increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis during the first week following vaccination, and particularly after the second dose… The largest associations are observed for myocarditis following mRNA-1273 vaccination in persons aged 18 to 24 years. Estimates of excess cases attributable to vaccination also reveal a substantial burden of both myocarditis and pericarditis across other age groups and in both males and females.”:

link to nature.com

gregor

Wiley: (Published: 26/06/2022): Real-world evidence from over one million COVID-19 vaccinations is consistent with reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus:

Abstract:

“…Recently, reports of cases after COVID-19 vaccination have arisen… The aim of this study was to assess whether the frequency of HZ is found to increase after COVID-19 vaccination in a large cohort, based on real-world data.

The initial cohorts of 1?095?086 vaccinated and 16?966?018 unvaccinated patients were retrieved from the TriNetX database and were matched on age and gender in order to mitigate confounder bias.

After matching, each cohort accounted for 1?095?086 patients. For the vaccinated group (Cohort I), 2204 subjects developed HZ within 60?days of COVID-19 vaccination, while among Cohort II, 1223 patients were diagnosed with HZ within 60?days after having visited the clinic for any other reason (i.e. not vaccination)…

The risk of developing shingles was calculated as 0.20% and 0.11% for cohort I and cohort II, respectively. The difference was statistically highly significant…”:

link to onlinelibrary.wiley.com

gregor

BBC (2014): Sturgeon vows to be ‘most accessible’ first minister ever:

“…Her plans include a monthly Facebook question and answer session with members of the public. Ms Sturgeon will also stage regular town hall public meetings…

Sturgeon:

“For too long the conversation between politicians and the public has been reduced to 30 second soundbites and stage-managed public appearances.

The referendum campaign changed all that, bringing citizens and politicians closer together than at any previous time in our nation’s history.

That might not always be comfortable, but it’s exactly as it should be in a healthy democracy. And this level of accessibility and direct contact is perfectly possible in a nation of five million people and should be the standard all of the time…”:

link to archive.ph

DailyExpress (25/06/2022): ‘Secrecy surrounds Nicola Sturgeon’s trip to Italy as government refuse to confirm how she got there’:

“The SNP leader attended a Global Women Leaders’ Summit in Bellagio on Monday and Tuesday…

It was hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation and Georgetown Institute for Women and Peace and was reported to have explored issues of gender…

The Scottish Daily Express asked the Scottish Government twice about how Ms Sturgeon travelled between Bellagio and Scotland but were told this information would be published online “proactively.”

However, the web page which we were directed to has not been updated since October 2021. The same issue occurred when we sent a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Scottish Government asking for details about the First Minister’s trip to America last month…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

ScotGov: Information about Ministerial engagements, overseas travel, car journeys, domestic travel and gifts received:

“Introduction:

Due to COVID-19 routine publishing may be slower than normal:

Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts: October 2021 (most recent public information)”:

link to gov.scot

gregor

Michael Stenger’s (Senate sergeant-at-arms) testimony re. admitting there were paid agitators at January 6th , and that investigations should be considered:

link to tinyurl.com

gregor

Independent (28/06/2022): ‘Senate sergeant-at-arms in charge of security during Jan 6 riot dies’:

“Michael Stenger, who served as the Sergeant at Arms for the United States Senate during January 6 riot at the US Capitol last year, has died, Fox News’s Chad Pergram reported.

Mr Stenger’s death comes amid the House of Representatives’s attempt to investigate the riot at the US Capitol last year…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

Wikipedia:: Nancy Pelosi:

“…Currently in her 18th term…

Pelosi announced the launch of an impeachment inquiry against Trump on December 5, 2019, after the inquiry had taken place, Pelosi authorized the Judiciary Committee to begin drafting articles of impeachment…

The day after the January 6, 2021… Pelosi demanded that Trump either resign or be removed from office…”:

link to archive.ph

Wikipedia: United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack:

“…Its membership was a point of significant political contention.

Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who both voted in favor to impeach Trump, were the only two House Republicans to serve on the committee, and the Republican National Committee eventually censured them for their participation…”:

link to archive.ph

Wikipedia: Liz Cheney:

“…an American attorney and politician…

In July 2021, Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Cheney to the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Two months later, she was made vice chair of the committee…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

YahooNews (04/06/2022): ‘Is Donald Trump a R… spy? Unpacking the conspiracy theory’:

“…there are many who believe that “R… spy” should also be added to his long list of exploits…

The theory was reignited in 2020, after former FBI agent Peter Strzok published a bestselling book claiming that R… had been grooming Trump as an asset.

Despite the rumours, Trump himself has always maintained that he has not entered into any kind of unsavoury agreement with R…, labelling claims of collusion with the country a “hoax” and “witch hunt” orchestrated by his political rivals, namely the Democratic Party, and mainstream media…”:

link to archive.ph

Rep. Liz Cheney (21/06/2022):

“During these hearings, I urge all Americans not to be distracted by politics.

This is serious. We cannot let America become a nation of conspiracy theories and thug violence.”

link to archive.ph

gregor

Edelman (2022): Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Distrust:

“The world is failing to meet the unprecedented challenges of our time because it is ensnared in a vicious cycle of distrust…

Government-media distrust spiral:

Two institutions people rely on for truth are doing a dangerous tango of short-term mutual advantage, with exaggeration and division to gain clicks and votes.

Excessive reliance on business:

Government failure has created an over-reliance on business to fill the void, a job that private enterprise was not designed to deliver.

Mass-class divide:

The global pandemic has widened the fissure that surfaced in the wake of the Great Recession…

Failure of leadership:

Classic societal leaders in government, the media and business have been discredited…”:

link to edelman.com

gregor

BBC (29/06/2022): Charles charity cash donation ‘would not happen again’:

“The cash donation accepted by the Prince of Wales …would not happen now, a royal source says.

“That was then, this is now,” the source said, following reports Prince Charles had accepted around £2.5m in cash in a suitcase and carrier bags…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum (2022): Agenda: How digital payments are enabling a shift away from the cash economy:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum (2020): Klaus Schwab and Prince Charles on why we need a Great Reset:

link to archive.ph

gregor

…According to the world economic forum, its great reset will…

Determine our future:

State of our global relations.

Direction of our national economies.

Priorities of our societies.

Nature of our business models.

Management of our global commons:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Forum Members:

“Membership is by invitation only and a result of a diligent review of selection criteria…

Forum Members are fully integrated into the World Economic Forum vision…

…contribute to the Forum’s Regional, Industry and Global …initiatives and projects…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Nicola Sturgeon:

link to archive.ph

gregor

Independent:

“Not subject to control by others.”

“Not affiliated with a larger controlling unit.”

“She has an independent mind.”

link to merriam-webster.com

gregor

Pete Wishart’s Blog (2021): MEET THE BLOGGERS….:

“Meet the anti-SNP ‘indy’ bloggers. A more curious assortment of irascible and irritable bunch of contrarians you’re never likely to meet…

There are of course numerous independence bloggers. There are those who offer justifiable criticism, who raise legitimate concerns, who wish to discuss salient issues and want to share their insights. Then there are our friends the anti SNP ‘bad’ bloggers…

To them I am the hilarious…

Cue the bloggers…

To them all we have to do is ‘use the mandate’ ‘get off our knees’ and ‘just do it’. The ‘plebiscite’ is their favourite just now but if that’s not dead end enough for you then there are various UDIs aplenty…

The biggest difficulty for the bloggers is that they are exclusively confined to Twitter and Twitter bears little resemblance to the real world…

The days of the reign of the bloggers might be coming to an end just as they think it might be taking off. It can’t come soon enough…”;

link to archive.ph

gregor

Plebiscite:

“A vote by the people of an entire country or district to decide on some issue, such as choice of a ruler or government, option for independence or annexation by another power, or a question of national policy.

In a plebiscite, voters are asked not to choose between alternate regimes or proposals but to confirm or reject the legitimacy of a certain form of government or course of action…”:

link to archive.ph

NationalScot (28/06/2022): Scottish independence: Nicola Sturgeon gives indyref2 date in major announcement:

“…Should the Supreme Court reject the bill and the Prime Minister again block a Section 30 order, Sturgeon pledged to fight the next general election on the single issue of independence, saying this would make the vote “a de facto referendum”…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

Twitter: @Pete Wishart (29/06/2022):

“Still the hate, still the puerile name calling. They want to be part of a mainstream campaign but they just can’t help themselves. It’s up to them.

…stop the hate and the characterisation of us as ‘("Tractor" - Ed)s’ and ‘sell outs’…”

Public response:

“Pete pointing out that you have previously dismissed out of hand what Nicola Sturgeon announced now as SNP policy is not hate.

You might not like being reminded that you attacked others who promoted the new SNP policy but its not hate. It proves others were right all along.”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

NationalScot: Wings Over Scotland: Political website most read by Scottish Government staff:

“Wings Over Scotland blog is the political website most accessed by Scottish Government staff, a freedom of information request has revealed…

…Wings Over Scotland, which is run by Stuart Campbell, was accessed almost 1100 times by Nicola Sturgeon’s officials in the six months…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

BBC (30/06/2022): Cost of living crisis: Third of Scots cut back spending on essentials:

“A third of Scots are cutting back spending on food and other essentials due to the cost of living crisis, according to a new report.

The Fraser of Allander Institute is also warning that Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic is starting to falter…”:

link to archive.ph

BBC (30/06/2022): Scottish ministers pledge £65m to… war effort:

“…with foreign affairs reserved to Westminster, it is highly unusual for Scotland to contribute to UK government spending in this way…

…funding is to assist U… armed forces to fight R…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

CNN: Davos 2022: Prince Charles: We need a new economic model or the planet will burn:

link to archive.ph

TheWeek (27/06/2022): Prince Charles, the sheikh and a suitcase of cash:

“Prince Charles is facing an investigation into payments to his charities after reports claimed he had accepted a suitcase containing a million euros in cash from a billionaire…

“…Prince Charles had personally received three lots of cash totalling €3m (roughly £2.5m) in a series of private meetings between 2011 and 2015 with Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani:

link to archive.ph

gregor

Elsevier (23/06/2022): Serious Adverse Events of Special Interest Following mRNA Vaccination in Randomized Trials:

“Abstract:

Introduction: In 2020, prior to COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Brighton Collaboration created a priority list, endorsed by the World Health Organization, of potential adverse events relevant to COVID-19 vaccines. We leveraged the Brighton Collaboration list to evaluate serious adverse events of special interest observed in phase III randomized trials of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines…

Results:

Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events of special interest, with an absolute risk increase of 10.1 and 15.1 per 10,000 vaccinated over placebo baselines of 17.6 and 42.2 (95% CI -0.4 to 20.6 and -3.6 to 33.8), respectively. Combined, the mRNA vaccines were associated with an absolute risk increase of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 (95% CI 2.1 to 22.9). The excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest surpassed the risk reduction for COVID-19 hospitalization relative to the placebo group in both Pfizer and Moderna trials (2.3 and 6.4 per 10,000 participants, respectively).

Discussion:

The excess risk of serious adverse events found in our study points to the need for formal harm-benefit analyses, particularly those that are stratified according to risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes such as hospitalization or death.”:

link to papers.ssrn.com

gregor

Nature (22/06/2022): How COVID has deepened inequality: Troubling data show how the pandemic has exacted an unequal toll, pushing tens of millions into poverty and having the greatest effects on already-disadvantaged groups:

Nature details how the pandemic has worsened existing inequalities and exposed others in terms of income, health, safety and more:
The global picture:

“The past two years have been particularly challenging for the world’s poorest people, and this is just the beginning. By the end of this year, at least 75 million more people will have been pushed into poverty…

Researchers at the World Bank have estimated how the number of people in poverty has changed over the past few years…

…World Bank reveals how the people with the lowest incomes have had the largest financial losses…

In England in 2020, the COVID-19 death rate in the most deprived areas was double that in the most affluent…”:

link to nature.com

gregor

WallStreetJournal (22/06/2022): The Revenge of the Locked-Down Voters: The Covid pandemic revealed how complicated the private economy is — and how easy it is to wreck it:

“…bad news for Joe Biden, well, let’s just say he’s got company in the disapproval dumpster. All over the world, voters are engaging in what can only be called payback to the national leaders who ran their lives during the pandemic.

After Mr. Biden’s two years at the top, some 70% of the population think the country is heading in the wrong direction, an astonishing number…

The current global discontent with economic life is overwhelmingly a function of one other word: lockdown. Lockdowns are normally associated with prison riots, not the world’s economies…

leadership essentially let the public-health bureaucracies take over their countries’ economic life…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

The Alan Turning Institute: Devi Sridhar:

“Devi Sridhar is a Professor at the University of Edinburgh

Her books include ‘Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World…?

She served on the board of …the World Economic Forum Council on the Health Industry…

Her work is concentrated in three areas: international health organizations, financing of global public health and developing better tools for priority-setting…”:

link to archive.ph

ScotGov: Scottish Government COVID-19 Advisory Group:
Members:

Professor Devi Sridhar, University of Edinburgh:

link to archive.ph

gregor

The Alan Turning Institute: We are the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence:

“…We are pioneers; training the next generation of leaders, shaping the public conversation, and pushing the boundaries of these sciences for the public…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributors:

Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe: Visiting researcher, The Alan Turing Institute:

link to archive.ph

Wendy Tan White: Board trustee for The Alan Turing Institute:

link to archive.ph

gregor

University of Glasgow (27/04/2022): Scottish Council on Global Affairs is officially launched:

“A dynamic new forum for global affairs in Scotland is being officially launched today.

The Scottish Council on Global Affairs (SCGA) will provide a non-partisan hub for world-leading expertise on international issues.

The SCGA has been set up by a group of Scotland’s leading universities, and will look from the beginning to form new partnerships…

The SCGA’s founding partners are the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. The new Council aims to forge new partnerships in Scotland and beyond with the aim of creating a global affairs institute…

Its creation as a fully independent institute of international affairs has been supported by all major political parties and was in the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish National Party manifestos…

Strong relationships have already been established by the Council with the Scottish Government and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

Angus Robertson said:

“The new Scottish Council on Global Affairs, Scotland’s first global affairs institute, will be marked by its academic freedom…

this initiative is independent, supported as it is by parties across the political spectrum, making it truly non-partisan…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

NationalScot (2019): Angus Robertson: We should introduce a Scottish Digital Citizenship:

“Science fiction fans know that the future has already arrived…

Thank goodness much of the dystopian world in the movie has not come to pass…

Like it or not, the pace of change appears to be accelerating …”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Nicola Sturgeon: Office of the First Minister of Scotland:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Jane Calvert: Professor of Science and Technology Studies, The University of Edinburgh:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Luke Bisby: Arup Chair of Fire and Structures, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Edinburgh:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Pete Kingsley: Research Fellow at the Centre of African Studies, University of Edinburgh:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Alan McKinnon: …Professor Emeritus, Heriot-Watt University…:

link to archive.ph

ImperialCollegeLondon:Diego A. Oyarzún:

“Diego is Reader in Computational Biology at The University of Edinburgh, where he holds a joint appointment at the School of Informatics and the School of Biological Sciences.

Diego was appointed Global Future Council Fellow by the World Economic Forum to serve in the Council on Biotechnologies…

Diego also serves in the Scientific Advisory Board for the WEF Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution…

…He also has a number of relevant roles at Edinburgh.”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Forum Members:

“…have been selectively sought by the World Economic Forum…”

“…are fully integrated into the World Economic Forum vision…”

“…Membership is by invitation only…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Global Shapers: Edinburgh Hub:

“…young leaders that connects potential and generates practical solutions to maximise social impact…

Our mission:

We will facilitate mutually beneficial collaborations and encourage activism…

We will act locally and think globally…

We are committed. We focus on our objectives …to work towards achieving our collective vision…

22 Members:

Florian Niederseer; Peter MacPhail; Hammed Kayode Alabi; Laurent Bélanger-Lowe; Michael Bryan; George Burton; Beth Guest; Porai Gwendere; Hadi Khan; Liya Khaziakhmetova; Beatriz Morganti Brandão; Ann-Kathrin Müller; Lauryn Mwale; Sandhya Narayanan; Jack Nevin; Leonard Niesel; Annietha Raj; Nishad Sanzagiri; Thomas Schönberger; Sadikchya Singh; Lisa Zengeni; Emily Capstick.”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

CNN (01/07/2022) asks Joe Biden’s Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, what he’d tell Americans who can’t afford to pay high gas prices for months/years if military analysts project the… war to go so long:

Brian Deese

“…this is about the future of the liberal world order and we have to stand firm…”:

link to twitter.com

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

BlackRock:

link to archive.ph

CityWire (2021): BlackRock names new sustainable investing boss:

“BlackRock has tapped a White House veteran to lead its sustainable investing group, replacing Brian Deese, who left BlackRock last year to join the White House.

BlackRock has hired Paul Bodnar to lead its sustainable investing platform after the division’s former boss left the asset manager to work at the White House…”:

Deese was one of several BlackRock alumni to join president Biden’s or vice president Kamala Harris’s teams.

Another BlackRock alum, Adewale Adeyemo, joined Biden’s team as deputy Treasury secretary, and in early January, BlackRock chief investment strategist Mike Pyle let the firm to serve as chief economic advisor to Harris. BlackRock named Wei Li to replace Pyle in early March…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

OFCOM (2021): Why independence matters in regulating TV and radio:

“…people know Ofcom for our work in regulating UK broadcasting…

As the UK’s independent broadcast regulator, we oversee content…

Every year, we assess thousands of programmes on TV and radio, to see if they’ve broken our rules. ..

…our decisions are always reached independently and impartially…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Melanie Dawes: Chief Executive, Office of Communications (Ofcom):

link to archive.ph

gregor

@BBC/Twitter:

“The annual World Economic Forum is opening in Davos. For the latest coverage follow our BBC team…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Danny Cohen: Head of Television, BBC News:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Sally Bundock: News Presenter, World Business Report, BBC News:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Lyse Doucet: Chief International Correspondent, BBC News:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Tim Davie: Director-General, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC):

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Zeinab Badawi: Presenter, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC):

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Tanya Beckett: Presenter, BBC News:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Andrew Marr: Political Editor, BBC News:

link to archive.ph

gregor

BBC (15/11/2020): Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator:

“The impact of a new Covid vaccine will kick in significantly over summer and life should be back to normal by next winter, one of its creators has said.

Prof Ugur Sahin, BioNTech co-founder, also raised hopes the jab could halve transmission of the virus, resulting in a “dramatic reduction in cases”…

In an interview on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show, Prof Sahin said he expected further analysis to show the vaccine would reduce transmission between people as well as stop symptoms developing in someone who has had the vaccine.

“I’m very confident that transmission between people will be reduced by such a highly effective vaccine – maybe not 90% but maybe 50% – but we should not forget that even that could result in a dramatic reduction of the pandemic spread,” he said…”:

link to archive.ph

BBC (01/07/2022): Covid in Scotland: One in 18 people had virus last week:

“Scotland again saw a rise in Covid cases last week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It estimates about 288,200 people – one in 18 – had the virus in the week ending 24 June and is the highest figure since early April.

That was up on the previous week when about 250,700 (one in 20) had Covid…

…people testing positive was likely being driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

They are not thought to be more lethal than any other form of Covid but they do appear to be spreading more quickly…

‘Continued increase’:

…ONS head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “Across the UK we’ve seen a continued increase of over half a million infections, likely caused by the growth of BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

“This rise is seen across all ages, countries and regions of England…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum (22/06/2022): Pfizer CEO on the COVID-19 vaccine effort and what’s next for the pandemic:

“…at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla talked to founder Klaus Schwab about what the effort really required, including the type of trust and collaboration that could rely on verbal agreements in the short term when there was no time to waste on traditional contracts…

Klaus Schwab: “So you are becoming really a global health provider…?”

Albert Bourla: “…I don’t think I would be able to do it alone …that’s why I’m calling everyone that has something to offer in that space — The World Health Organisation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carter Foundation. Other organisations, non-governmental — Doctors Without Borders — that have the resources. We would like to partner together.”

Klaus Schwab: “I have to say, as an observer, when I look at your cooperation with BioNtech in such a setting, you feel that there must be tensions, but you always really acted as twins cooperating. Can you say something about that?”

Albert Bourla: “I think it is the best partnership we ever had. I think the trust starts from the top. Thank God, we bonded immediately with Ugur Sahin, who is the founder.

The first thing that we exchanged when we made the agreement was that it’s going to be an oral agreement for the next couple of months because you don’t have time to sign contracts. We started the work immediately…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Ugur Sahin: Chief Executive Officer, BioNTech SE:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Albert Bourla: Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO):

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partner:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Neema Kaseje: Surgeon, Médecins Sans Frontières: …She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2017, and was recently appointed as the focal point for the World Health Organization Programme…:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Els Toreele: Executive Director of the Médecins Sans Frontières Access Campaign:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Hans Rosling: …Co-Founder: Médecins sans Frontières…:

link to archive.ph

Dan

gregor says:
30 June, 2022 at 10:50 pm

World Economic Forum: People:

Luke Bisby: Arup Chair of Fire and Structures, College of Science and Engineering, The University of Edinburgh:

link to archive.ph

Potential break up of World Economic Forum as a richt auld stramash kicks aff between its Scottish members after a certain individual’s “government” suggests cutting a few inches aff the arse of fire doors to increase drafts to help *spread / diffuse deadly covid virus.
* Delete as appropriate after listening to your preferred scienz of choice

gregor

@Dan re. WEF freak

The public backlash will be much worse than any backdraught…

gregor

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Thomson Reuters Foundation:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum (2019): Stonewall 50. Where next for LGBT+…:

“When Tree Sequoia joined hundreds of LGBT+ people rioting in downtown New York 50 years ago…

…Exclusive data analysis by the Thomson Reuters Foundation showed while more countries are using legal clout to recognise LGBT+ rights…

…We’re witnessing an important moment in history…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

BBC (02/07/2022): Live: Revellers fill London for biggest Pride ever:

“It’s official – this year’s Pride parade was the biggest ever in the capital…

Mayor Sadiq Khan has said..

Organisers of Pride in London have said there are “very real concerns” within the LGBTQ+ community about “police homophobia” and have asked police officers wearing uniforms not to join.

…”clearly, those taking part in the parade from the police service won’t be wearing the uniforms…”:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Sadiq Khan: Mayor of London, City of London:

link to archive.ph

gregor

“The Partnership for Global LGBTQI+ Equality is an initiative of BSR, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Economic Forum.”:

link to global-lgbti.org

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality (PGLE):

“The Partnership for Global LGBTQI+ Equality is a coalition of organizations committed to leveraging their individual and collective advocacy to accelerate LGBTQI+ equality and inclusion globally…”:

Partners:

Accenture
Best Buy
Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Cisco
The Coca-Cola Company
Edelman
Deloitte
Deutsche Bank
EY
Glaad
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)
Johnson & Johnson
Kerry Group
Mastercard
Medtronic
Microsoft
Novartis
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
OutRight Action International
PepsiCo
Procter & Gamble
PwC
Salesforce
Scotiabank
Stonewall

BSR: “provides executive leadership and secretariat support for PGLE”:

link to weforum.org

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

BSR:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Accenture:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Boston Consulting Group (BCG):

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

The Coca-Cola Company:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Edelman:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Deloitte:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Deutsche Bank:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

EY:

link to archive.ph

GLAAD: World Economic Forum:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Kenneth Roth: Executive Director, Human Rights Watch:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

ILGA World Youth Steering Committee:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Gabriel Galil: Senior Programme Officer, ILGA World:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Johnson & Johnson:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Mastercard:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Medtronic:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Microsoft:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Novartis:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Lene Wendland: Chief, Business and Human Rights Unit, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Eimear Farrell: Human Rights Officer: Human Rights in the Digital Age; Business and Human Rights; FoRB., Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Michelle Bachelet: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: People:

Maria Sjödin: Acting Executive Director, OutRight Action International:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

PepsiCo:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Procter & Gamble:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

PwC:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Partners:

Salesforce:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Scotiabank:

link to archive.ph

gregor

DumaGov (30/06/2022): Irina Yarovaya reported on the progress of the parliamentary investigation into the activities of the US biological laboratories in…:

link to duma.gov.ru

gregor

GoingConcern (2021): EY Rakes In $40 Billion In Global Revenue, Will Try Not to Suck So Much At Auditing:

“…EY has come under pressure to invest in its business to strengthen audit processes.

It has suffered a series of setbacks including its failure to sound the alarm over a fraud that toppled Wirecard, a company it audited for a decade, and its work on collapsed FTSE 100 medical group NMC Health…”:

link to archive.ph

Independent.IE (13/06/2022): Sturgeon: Scotland can be global hub for purposeful business:

Nicola Sturgeon:

“…at a time where inflation is at the highest level we’ve seen in more than a generation – indeed, higher here in the UK than it is in any other G7 country – (and is) having a terrible impact on individuals and families the length and breadth of the UK…. It is, of course, contributing to the increasing cost of doing business…

Ms Sturgeon said that despite there being “no shortage” of issues to confront, there were grounds for optimism in the country’s economy.

The SNP leader cited a “glowing” Ernst & Young (EY) report on Scotland’s success in attracting overseas investment, telling delegates: “That doesn’t happen by accident…”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

ConsultancyUK (2021): Scottish Government spending on external consultants soars:

Biggest pay-outs:

“Analysis of the information released reveals that Deloitte received a total of £15.7 million in the space of the last five years – including £5.4 million over 2020/21 when it helped develop systems for Social Security Scotland; a project it banked £1.3 million from the year before.

Big Four rival EY was the next biggest winner from the contracts, having brought in bills of £5.4 million since 2016/17. This featured more than £1.5 million for internal audit services, and almost £2.5 million for projects in the energy sector – while it has also been handed over £168,000 in public money for “fuel poverty and energy efficiency” costs. Meanwhile, PwC also received £1.8 million of public funding for consultancy costs over the same period…”

TUC General Secretary:

“We have previously raised concerns at the use of such consultancy companies rather than the expertise of Scotland’s civil service.

Many of the companies listed have a direct interest in the private provision of public services and are hardly banner carriers for the kind of policies we need to rebalance power and wealth in favour of working people and the communities they live in.”:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: People:

Nicola Sturgeon:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Ernst & Young:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Agenda Contributor:

Robert Patton:Vice Chair, Ernst & Young:

link to archive.ph

gregor

World Economic Forum: Partners:

Deloitte:

link to archive.ph

World Economic Forum: Partners:

PwC:

link to archive.ph

Scott

Fun fact

The likelihood of the “majority” of visitors to a ‘retired’ website being here to read btl comments is small, unless they’re only here to do such a thing.

Give Rev Stu at least some credit for his archive, Ellis, ya crank. Life doesn’t revolve around you, so shut the fuck up. For someone who’s not that bothered about the language of other’s you don’t have go radge about being called a cunt. You are a cunt, deal with it, ya Walter Mitty, moonhowling, rancid pile of pork shite.

You made a jibe about ‘analysing btl comments’ – I’d happily compile a report and create a blog for the purpose of publishing it, and call it something like…

http://andyfuckingellis.blogspot.com

I won’t though, even though I’m good at it.

Scott

‘etc etc etc’ appeared earlier for the first time in a long time.

It used to make a regular appearance, until that time I pointed out that Ellis, Boyle, Main, A N Other were the only “folk” to use it. And they all randomly stopped doing it at the same time, simultaneously in tandem with each other, apparently.

And Boyle confirmed he is a Jambo, as guessed by me but never responded to. It’s a free country, as it was in 1986 when Celtic won the league and Hearts didny. Owen Archdeacon played for us then haha Paul McGugan anaw. I’m sure Rev Stu enjoyed the cup final the week after Albert Kidd’s heroics. I hate Hearts, ngl. I stood in the corner at Tynecastle among the home crowd listening to cunts that lived in places like the Spider Flats, Gilmerton, Wester Hales and Niddrie singing ‘in yer Glasgow slums’, the sash and the diet billy boys, (McGhee & McAvennie put their gas at a peep)…bigots then and now scum…Alex MacDonald wanted a square go with me in the car park after a game in Dumfries one night…he was easy to wind up too. Mark Mcghee could’ve played Hearts on his own, and they’d still be lucky to get nil. Whenever someone even remembers ‘Henry, Henry, drop the ball…’ George Fowkes pishes his breeks, or so the story goes. And finally, when I worked in Diggers, I wore a badge with Albert Kidd’s face on my barman’s jacket, but hidden behind the lapel. Arseholes on a Saturday used to moan because I had a shamrock badge on show, bought at a Pogues gig, that I shouldn’t wear for reasons. Bill Farmer was a great boss, but he was also a bigot. Black-hearted bastards, y’ask me.

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