On witnessing the first ever atomic bomb detonation American theoretical physicist and "father of the atomic bomb" J. Robert Oppenheimer is reputed to have said, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds!". He was quoting the Hindu scripture, Bhagavad-Gita and more particularly referencing the Hindu god Lord Shiva, who represents the concept of constant change, … Continue reading The possibility of life
What Nicola Sturgeon doesn't seem to be aware of is that British Labour is no more likely to accede to her demand for a Section 30 order than it is to revoke Article 50 or dismantle the British state's nuclear deterrent. All of these belong on the same list as Nigel Farage's image appearing on a commemorative €100 note - the list of things that just aren't going to happen.
We will be stuck with Trident for a while. Let's all get used to that idea. But Scotland would be in a position to dictate the terms on which Trident remains on Scottish soil.
When someone, such as shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith, speaks of getting "value for money" from weapons of mass destruction then it is time to question, not merely the political acceptability and military wisdom of the Trident project, but the mental well-being of those who promote it. How would one begin to measure "value for … Continue reading The bargain
"UK Labour's official policy is to maintain the continuous at sea deterrent albeit at the cheapest price; Scottish Labour's policy is to scrap Trident. Jim Murphy, the party leader in Scotland and a former Shadow Defence Secretary, supports keeping Britain's nuclear deterrent, stressing that he is a multilateralist."CND snapshot of Labour election hopefuls shows three-quarters … Continue reading Labour’s mystery package
Colonel Blimp (Photo credit: psd)Apparently, a bunch of mothballed military types have seen fit to write a threatening letter to Scotland's First Minister.Where have these people been for the last two years? Why are they talking about negotiations on currency etc. being "complex and difficult" when the UK Government has already ruled out negotiations? Well, … Continue reading Hot air from blimps
Ben Riley-Smith, posing as a political reporter in The Telegraph, appears to imagine that "wriggle room" is a terrible thing. However, if we were to use less pejorative terminology we'd see that what he is actually talking about is "options". And options are among the most valuable commodities in politics.Ben Riley-Smith actually seems to take … Continue reading Journalist or propagandist?
Knee jerkIt doesn't take much to get some knees jerking!A piece by Nicholas Watt in The Guardian (Independent Scotland 'may keep pound' to ensure stability) has prompted a wee storm of speculation and a flurry of conspiracy theories.What is the identity of the "Mystery Minister" who has spilled the beans on the British parties' posturing … Continue reading Mystery Ministers and Jerking Knees
Peter A Bell 