Brian Finlay Holyrude Left Politics Neil Anderson Political Philosophy Scotland Scottish Independence Ungagged Podcasts Val Waldron

Holyrude Ungagged – Season 6 – Ep4

Neil Anderson @BikerNeil hosts with Val Waldron @scribblingval and Brian Finlay @WeeSociologist. This week’s topic starters; 1) Indy Ref 9th Anniversary & SNP conf motion, 2) Highest Scottish population ‘ever’! And Scots views on immigration, 3) Fergus Ewing MSP & SNP/SGP BHA – acronym heaven 🙂 4) Helix Park – Falkirk 10th Anniversary – Kelpies […]

Brexit Conspiracy Theories Culture wars Democracy Elections Equality & Inclusion Fascism Left Politics Politics of Hate Scottish Independence SNP Val Waldron

Autoimmunity Within the Independence Movement

The obstacles to our independence are not all about media-led rabid unionism, or floating voters. We have a problem within the movement, something really toxic. It resembles a kind of auto-immune disease, a drive to eat away at the host and make barren the soil it depends on; the movement itself.  The dreaded anniversary of […]

Campaigns Conspiracy Theories Corruption Democracy Elections Equality & Inclusion LGBTQIAP+ Politics of Hate Scottish Independence SNP Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

A Stiff Kicking into the Long Grass by Val Waldron

Voters for Forbes or Regan were aware that GRR would be kicked into the long grass, serving as precedent for a power grab at any piece of legislation deemed unpopular    I never found it particularly difficult to understand why the Red Wall had fallen to the Tories in 2019. We’ve been living under the […]

Conspiracy Theories Elections Equality & Inclusion Fascism Feminism Holyrood Election 2021 Human Rights Left Politics LGBTQIAP+ Media Political Parties Scottish Independence Trans Rights Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

The Grass was Greener by Val Waldron

As for the grass roots, we pull out the tough old weeds and start again. Pick up our movement from where it left off. It’s already happening along the lines of single issues when it comes to protest against buffer zones, GRR threat, climate change, visiting fascists, immigration raids. No need to carry a saltire […]

Brexit Conspiracy Theories Coronavirus Disability Rights Equality & Inclusion Health Mental Health NHS Poverty Scottish Independence Trans Rights Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

A Hill to Die On by Val Waldron

“The political and media exploitation of an under-resourced NHS and the scapegoating of our Health Secretary for political gain undermines the real need for cross party work towards progress. Let’s hope that the newly formed Long-Covid Inquiry group is well intentioned. We cannot afford to take our eye off the ball when it concerns the […]

Corruption Disarmament Poetry Privilege Tory Corruption Ungagged Writing Val Waldron War

The War in Black and White by Val Waldron

I thought that ‘The War’ was fought in black and white, that soldiers, sailors, airmen soared bravely into victorious flight or landed on beaches handsome, intact not a finely coiffed hair out of place. That they survived to marry a beautiful virgin sweetheart and lived happily ever after. I didn’t realise that it was mostly in […]

Brexit Campaigns Climate & Environment Democracy Elections Fascism Immigration Politics of Hate Scotland Scottish Independence Tory Corruption Trade Unions Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

As Close to Federalism As The Moon

If the federalism shills couldn’t see this coming, they really weren’t looking. This move essentially leaves Labour without even the pretence of argument for the reformable UK that we’ve been promised since 2014. We’re as close to federalism as we are to the moon, and thus concludes the centre ground arguments against independence.  Take time […]

Brexit Climate & Environment Conspiracy Theories Equality & Inclusion Fascism Human Rights Immigration Media Politics of Hate Scottish Independence Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

Bad Hair and Bad Faith by Val Waldron

Populism is all pervasive. It’s amusing…has bad hair and tin-foil hats. It has the Flat Earth Society, Covid Deniers and Chemtrails. It also radicalises people to think that transphobia is about women’s rights, that the pandemic is over, that vicious deportation policies are about targeting people smugglers, that the French and other foreigners are responsible […]