IMAGINE IT WAS SCOTLAND

Introduction.

I am fully aware that this article will anger some of my readers. This is my blog and I write about issues that matter to me. I don’t charge money and I am not looking for votes. If it upsets you, ignore it, bin it, whatever. My views are formed by my life experience, it really annoys me when people who have never been near Eastern Europe, who have never had the opportunity to live and work amongst those people and who have never sat and listened as they explain their experience of what being part of Soviet Russia and living under the subjugation of Moscow for decades was like, are still happy to make excuses for Putin’s aggression. These people will never accept rule from Moscow again. They dreamed for decades of freedom, in the early 90’s they experienced it for the first time. They will fight, to the death if necessary to hold onto it, if that is what it takes. Of course they would much prefer to live in peace with nobody invading THEIR country. I believe in their right to be Independent. I believe in their right to exercise freedom of choice. I support Ukraine! ( except when football is involved).

Just imagine if it was Scotland.

Imagine this situation. 

Scotland has been independent for thirty years. Scotland elects a Government, left or right wing that our large neighbour England does not like. We offer no threat, we have 9% of the population of our large neighbour but they feel “threatened” and feel we are undermining their status as a World power. They want to station their nuclear weapons on our land and reestablish the submarine base at Faslane 

While most Scots are outraged, a grouping blame America and decry US programmes such as Friends and Frasier as being subversive. They think the English are only being aggressive because they lost the American Revolutionary War centuries before. Excuses are made that the English are sadly misunderstood and the 25% of the World they occupied in previous centuries was an enlightening process for the entire world and was motivated by a genuine desire to civilise rather than any interest to profit themselves. God knows how they suffered as they removed vast fortunes from countries around the globe.

The Scottish Government reject being bullied and the Borders region of Scotland which has seen huge population change through incoming English immigration in the years before Independence wants to secede and join the powerful English neighbour. The Scottish Government reject their plan making clear they consider the Borders an integral part of the Independent and Sovereign nation of Scotland.

Not accepting rejection England amasses a big army near the Scottish border, describing this as defence exercises. Meantime they put further demands before the Scottish Government threatening military action and invasion if Scotland does not bow to their demands. English agents are extremely active, encouraging and where possible and necessary offering Scots decision makers bribes to get their support.

If you never studied the history of Scotland you would probably think the above is all very far fetched but in fact it is exactly how Scotland was bullied and bribed into the Union with England in the first place. We are witnessing the same bullying in Ukraine today.

Ukraine has been Independent for around thirty years. It is recognised by the United Nations as a free, independent nation. It’s people have benefited from Independence they have no desire to allow themselves to be bullied by their aggressive large neighbour back into the Russian fold. They like democracy, they chose the Government they wanted. They want freedom of choice. They like freedom of the Press, freedom of religion. They like making their own decisions about what happens in their land. As is being made abundantly clear they are willing as a people to take responsibility for that, to the death if necessary.

People may be surprised at this courage and determination. I am not,  I have sufficient friends in Eastern Europe to know that having experienced freedom, after decades of Russian subjugation, it will not be given up lightly.

What confounds me is those Independence supporters in Scotland whose Twitter feeds are full of anti US rhetoric, providing excuses for Putin’s aggression rather than outrage at Russia’s disgusting attack on an Independent neighbour. How does that serve the innocent Ukrainians today? I have no problem with those who argue the US,indeed the EU, have not been helping over the years but some of it is just ridiculous. NATO has expanded because all these newly Independent countries, free of Soviet control, wanted to join. Nobody forced them, joining Nato had overwhelming public support in every country that joined.. Perhaps it would help if I explained why.

These newly independent countries, after years of being subjugated, against their wishes by Soviet Russia resolved it must never happen again. Now they were Independent NATO offered their best chance of them staying Independent. The article 5 commitment was crucial to them.

They all need to rebuild their economies, how could you possibly attract foreign inward investment unless investors could believe their investment was secure and that it wasn’t just going to disappear anytime Putin decided to invade again? That is why joining NATO was crucial HOWEVER and this is where it could have been handled by NATO better, assurances should have been secured that it would be illegal to station foreign missiles on these new members soil, other than in times of war. That was insensitive and foolish and should be corrected as part of ending the conflict in Ukraine.That would of course have to include the missiles the Russians have placed on the borders of NATO countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Poland through being situated in Belarus,

World pressure on Russia offers the best hope of a peaceful end to the war. Sanctions, despite denials, are having an effect on Russia..

Some absolute guff is being promoted. They call Ukrainians Nazis and it is true around 250,000 of them joined the German army in 1941. No doubt because in the 1930’s the Russians stole and emptied Ukraine’s food stores creating a major famine where 3.8 million Ukrainians starved to death. 4.5 MILLION Ukrainians joined the red army. That is right for every Ukrainian who joined the Nazis EIGHTEEN joined the Red Army. Indeed after 1944 the Ukrainian members of the Red Army consisted of around 40% of the entire strength of the Red Army. Yes the same Red Army that forced the Germans back to Berlin and destroyed the Nazis. Another fact is Ukrainians made up over 40% of the Soviet Union casualties in WW2. Nobody did more to destroy Nazism, it’s pure propaganda to call them Nazis today.

What about the far right in Ukraine today then? Well the high point for them was in 2012, under the previous mega corrupt President who left in a hurry in 2014 after over 100 demonstrators were murdered. The far right recorded 10% of the vote at that time. Under the next President it fell to 5%. Under Zelensky it fell to just 2.5%. There is undoubted propaganda on both sides but I am truly shocked at the easy and lazy acceptance of much of Putin’s propaganda in some countries. Not Eastern European countries, they know and have experienced living under Moscow. They all support Ukraine other than the Moscow puppet state of Communist Belarus. Who knows what their view would be if they were allowed free comment?

Scotland can help by ramping up our oil and gas industry and help our European allies in being less reliant on Russian energy. Worldwide oil producing nations should do the same.

Who knows where we will be by the time this article is published. We live in dangerous times but those times are made much more dangerous when there is an outbreak of whitabootery and all too many ready to provide excuses for the aggressor. These are Russian shells, fired from Russian guns, bombs from Russian planes, ordered by Putin. He had no respect for NATIONAL or PERSONAL FREEDOM. He seeks to re enslave the population of the Independent nation of Ukraine. He lied to us all about his military exercises, he insisted he had no plans to invade Ukraine. Even today just calling what is happening in Ukraine as a war sets you up for a fifteen year jail sentence in Russia.

I tell you this for certain, if instead of living in comfort and safety in Scotland you were one of Putin’s neighbours you would be scared about your future freedom and safety and you would be hoping the World can stop him. Freedom is a very precious commodity and people, particularly people who have lost it before, will do whatever it takes to ensure it never happens again. Putin is learning this, he thought he could take Ukraine in a week. He never anticipated the casualties, the huge expense, the World reaction against his actions. He has now retreated to the Donbas region trying to still win the Lithium reserves and other mineral and gas reserves he covets. 

He should be opposed by all independence supporters who believe in the rights of self determination and national and personal freedom. Making excuses for Putin is a very damaging look for those of us who seek the Independence of Scotland. 

I continue to hope he has bitten off more than he can chew.

I am, as always

Yours for Scotland.

BEAT THE CENSOR

Sadly some websites that claim to be pro Indy have turned out to be only Pro SNP sites and have sought to ban any websites that dare to question SNP Policy or tactics. They seek to avoid the public being aware that alternatives to waiting for Westminster to “grant” Scotland a Section 30 to hold a referendum exist. Issues like the flawed franchise, the Claim of Right route, the work of the SSRG and Salvo fill them with dread. As this blog promotes all routes, including alternatives I am banned from these sites and am therefore very grateful to my readers, who knowing about these efforts to ban and suppress go out of their way to subscribe and to share my articles far and wide. It is a good thing that attempts to restrict free speech and censor are defeated in this way.

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