Scotland and Trivia

So, why is political debate in Britain so trivial?

The Official Secret's Act has prevented the press from investigating corruption in Government and the Civil Service. Blair would have been destroyed by his corrupt practices had it not been for the lack of a free press in Britain. The press accept it. Journos might even go to the lawyers of the D-Notice committee and ask if what they want to publish is ok. They may well be told that if their news isn't new then it probably will not result in action against the publication. Mmm, yesterday's news might be ok but we can't promise anything. Papers have to break laws to break stories. European Law didn't help much either allowing for 'national security' concerns, decided by the government, to limit press freedom. The situation is that there may not be action but the threat keeps journos in their place. As reknowned investigative journalist, Greg Palast said:

How fitting that in the land of George Orwell, the law bars the Government's controlling the press - unless the Government decides to do so.

That's how the British system protects its elite. And what do we get instead of a real press? Obsession with trivia.

In Scotland we know that Neu Leibour's corruption is regularlarly concealed from public view. Such is the cosy relationship that exists between Downing Street and complaint and timid newspaper editors. The establishment won't protect the SNP though. As such we have the farcical situation whereby criminal proceeding being brought against Labour MP's is downplayed by the likes of Das Herald Sturmer whilst trivial nonsense about Alex Salmond's fund-raising lunch is splashed over the front pages and referred to by Labour 'spokesmen' as a "cash for access scandal"

The SNP can offer up plenty of information about the real 'Cash for Access' scandal. What about PowerGen, Brown and Geoffrey Robinson? Where Margaret Beckett got moved aside so that PowerGen could go on the aquisition trail? How much were Neu Leiber's coffers filled with for that neat little trick? Or what about how Blair and Mandy got Tesco a 'waiver' from paying their 'car-park tax' saving them GBP 20 million per annum? After that fix GBP 11 million was gifted to the Millenium Dome by PowerGen. All done through 'lobbying' firms - New Labour's conduit to the corporate world that Blair and Brown now are beholden to. Where any of these properly investigated by Britain's press? No, the papers all printed how it was simply about loud-mouth lobbyists exagerrating thier influence.

And so many of our citizens turn to the internet for 'real news'. Blogs promised to throw open the democratic debate. However the oppressive and stale reek of what passes as political debate has infected blogs too. Petty party political commentary is often passed off as real political debate.

Scotland needs to think big and consider her place in the world. A virulent strain of aggressive global capitalism threatens the economic stability of the West and beyond. As a nation we must consider our options. Alas, such debate is eschewed in favour of such giant democratic issues such as telling the poor what they should and shouldn't be drinking cheaply..

And the consquence of the dumming down of politics? CCTV cameras, balloons in the sky watching the population, the offer of tazer-guns to the police, why? The establishment is genuinely afraid that people are waking up to the fact that their country has been stolen by Blair's and Brown's corporate sponsors.

However, in Scotland we have the great campaigning nationalist party. It is now engulfed in a unionist choreographed 'scandal'.

It does have to be said that that lunchgate was naive. However, the real reason this has happened is because the party has become fascinated by the corridors of power. Salmond and Co just love showing off that they're in power. So? They fundraise by auctioning lunch with the First Minister in parliament. We just can't get over ourselves.

That's what happens when you stop being a campaigning vehicle for independence; You get caught up in the trap of vanity politics and trivia.

At a time when Gordon Brown has single-handedly destroyed the British economy the SNP, awash with financial experts are on the ropes in an election. And why? They have allowed the agenda set by the corporate elite to define their horizons. Well, I'm sorry but just because the SNP are in power doesn't mean Scotland is, yet.

Britain is bankrupt yet the SNP allow themselves to face attacks based on the basis of not doing enough about the recession. The idea from the leadership is that going on the attack makes you look like an opposition rather than a party of governance. The SNP was never supposed to be about finding a place in the British establishment - it is a campaigning movement. We should not be indulging in the dumbing down of our people.

Stuff reality tv, soap operas and celebrity obsession. Scots are waiting for a real debate to take place about the future of their country. The small details of the chattering of Scotland's excuse for a political class must be sidelined to make room for the great democratic debates which need attention now.

We have to move on as a people, think freely and boldly and for ourselves!