What the hell is happening in the Scottish blogosphere?
Recently there have been some blogs disappearing from amongst our midst, such as Advanced Media Watch, Wardog, Moridura, and even Jeff at SNP Tactical Voting is wondering what the end game for bloggers is.
And now another day and another blog has shut down. Today it is the turn of Subrosa and to be honest this is all becoming strange and somewhat weird now. It appears someone has discovered Subrosa's identity and she wants to ensure her family is safe.
I blogged on Sunday about Mike Russell MSPs former staffer Mark MacLachlan who had been "uncovered" as a blogger who also hid behind a pseudonym.
Now I appreciate that losing Mark MacLachlan's blog, and some say the same of Wardog is no great loss.
I say as I find. I enjoyed Wardogs blog and although I really disagreed with some of the postings it was an interesting read. Mark MacLachlan's blog was rude and just angry rants and to me just causing trouble. Advanced Media Watch and Subrosa I really did enjoy, didn't always agree but the debate was always inspiring.
I am pleased that Jeff is continuing because that blog going on top of AMW and Subrosa would not have been good for Scottish blogging.
I know some of this does have history and there is some people in Scotland really should be ashamed of themselves over this whole sorry matter.
Friday, 4 December 2009
Highland Cattle Rescue Appeal - calling all animal lovers
As many of my readers know there are generally three things in life that keep me posting - politics, obviously, LGBT issues and animal rights.
The herd includes 6 pregnant cows with calves at foot, Hillside have been working with the owner during this year visiting the animals, leaving food and tending to their needs.
Today, it is animal rights I want your help with.
One of the many charities I actively support and help is the Hillside Animal Sanctuary which mainly operates from Frettenham near Norwich. They don't put the animals down unless they really have to or it is better for the animals welfare.
So, last year Hillside took on a family of Highland Cattle from an elderly owner who began to struggle to look after them, there are 19 remaining with the owner who has now approached Hillside to see if they will take the whole lot.
The herd includes 6 pregnant cows with calves at foot, Hillside have been working with the owner during this year visiting the animals, leaving food and tending to their needs.Hillside have the room to take them on and this is obviously something they are keen to do but it really does place a massive additional burden on what is really quite a small charity especially in the winter when their feed costs increase.
You can read more about the family of Highland cattle here.
Which is where I hope you come in. You can help by ordering some Christmas cards direct from Hillside, or purchasing a 2010 diary or just a simple small online donation.
This is the link. To make an online donation scroll right down to the bottom and follow the instructions, if you are asked for a sanctuary number you enter 5090631, please, please do try and help us rehome these 19 beautiful Highland cattle.
The alternative is unthinkable.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Catholic Cardinal in homophobic rant - shock!
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, a leading Catholic cardinal and retired head of the Vatican's Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers has today said that gay and trans people "will never enter the kingdom of heaven".
Now, I will be honest, and this is purely my own opinion, I don't give a damn what he thinks.
However, there are many people who respect and listen to the Catholic Church and that is where I therefore get angry about things such as this, because people like Cardinal Barragan get listened to and can sway opinion, although the Vatican is distancing themselves from Cardinal Barragan, they are on the whole as bad.
Cardinal Barragan went on to say; "People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence.
Now, I will be honest, and this is purely my own opinion, I don't give a damn what he thinks.
However, there are many people who respect and listen to the Catholic Church and that is where I therefore get angry about things such as this, because people like Cardinal Barragan get listened to and can sway opinion, although the Vatican is distancing themselves from Cardinal Barragan, they are on the whole as bad.
Cardinal Barragan went on to say; "People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence.
"It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God."
Now, for those who know me, will know I have known I was gay for years and years, in fact I recall at least from 7 years old that girls did not interest me as they did other school friends. So I really do disagree, because yes I was born gay (and am very proud of it).
Now slightly in his defence, he sometimes does talk a little sense, back in 2006, Cardinal Barragan reportedly said that condoms could be the lesser of two evils if one partner in a marriage was HIV+.
Now, although on its own that does sound awful, now see what the Pope himself said "don't use condoms - even to prevent the spread of Aids".
Not only is he ill informed but then he went on to say "the traditional teaching of the Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids".
Utter crap.
When all said and done though, the Catholic Church is sort of split on this, like any organisation there are individuals who have their own opinions, but they really do need to think what they are saying here, as their opinions are listened to and acted upon.
Safe sex should always be practised and I am afraid Cardinal Barragan and Father Lombardi gay people are gay, as Stonewall say "get over it".
Utter crap.
The Vatican have stepped in on the Cardinal Barragan comments and Father Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, has said that the official Vatican stance was that while homosexual acts are sinful, gay people have a disorder and should be treated with respect.
The Times have reported that it was "highly unusual" for the Catholic church to indirectly criticise a high-ranking Vatican official.When all said and done though, the Catholic Church is sort of split on this, like any organisation there are individuals who have their own opinions, but they really do need to think what they are saying here, as their opinions are listened to and acted upon.
Safe sex should always be practised and I am afraid Cardinal Barragan and Father Lombardi gay people are gay, as Stonewall say "get over it".
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
The Wave in Glasgow and Copenhagen
This coming Saturday in Glasgow there will be thousands of people marching to support the fight against climate change including many Scottish Liberal Democrats with Alison McInnes MSP, Robert Brown MSP and George Lyon MEP.
The Wave is going to be sending a message to our government that they have to take climate change seriously and stop setting silly targets and just talking about it.
I am very conscious that I play a very small part in this fight against climate change, but every little bit really does help.
I recycle, in fact we only throw out two carrier bags worth of rubbish per week, and most of that is cat litter, but as we have no garden there is nowhere else to dispose of that.
I either walk or travel by bus, to be fair I cannot drive (yet) but Edinburgh City Council run an excellent city car hire scheme so I will only drive when absolutely needed.
On visits to my work around Scotland I travel by bus or train, yes flying would be easier and sometimes even cheaper, but that's the price you pay.
We are using low energy light bulbs and often just have a lamp on, we do not leave anything on standby, as I say all small things, that add up.
George Lyon MEP, will be fighting Scotland's corner in Copenhagen and has set up a great campaign page on his website here.
So far 19 of the 38 people on the UK Government's official delegation have committed to flying to get there, that really does defeat the object a little. Both Simon Hughes MP and George Lyon MEP are travelling to the summit by train. With the Copenhagen Conference itself expected to generate 41,000 tons of CO2 (roughly the same amount emitted by Morocco in one year), it would be nice if the UK's delegation could set an example!
If Europe is to play its part in combating climate change, then Scotland must be at the forefront of those efforts.
Sadly the SNP and Labour have spent most of the run-up to the summit bickering about who gets to sit at the top table. This is an all too familiar problem. While they engage in a political arm wrestle others are concentrating on the job in hand - creating the jobs and investment in renewable energy that will see Scotland out of recession.
The constant playground arguments between Labour and the SNP do a disservice to Scotland. It is not good enough both for our economy and for our environment.
Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon is going to the Summit to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard and we get the investment we need to deliver our renewable energy future.
Scotland has the potential to be Europe's renewable energy powerhouse. It is estimated that 25% of Europe's renewable energy capacity could be generated in Scotland through our wind and tidal reserves.
Send Gordon Brown a message today that he cannot ignore.
The Wave is going to be sending a message to our government that they have to take climate change seriously and stop setting silly targets and just talking about it.
I am very conscious that I play a very small part in this fight against climate change, but every little bit really does help.
I recycle, in fact we only throw out two carrier bags worth of rubbish per week, and most of that is cat litter, but as we have no garden there is nowhere else to dispose of that.
I either walk or travel by bus, to be fair I cannot drive (yet) but Edinburgh City Council run an excellent city car hire scheme so I will only drive when absolutely needed.
On visits to my work around Scotland I travel by bus or train, yes flying would be easier and sometimes even cheaper, but that's the price you pay.
We are using low energy light bulbs and often just have a lamp on, we do not leave anything on standby, as I say all small things, that add up.
George Lyon MEP, will be fighting Scotland's corner in Copenhagen and has set up a great campaign page on his website here.
So far 19 of the 38 people on the UK Government's official delegation have committed to flying to get there, that really does defeat the object a little. Both Simon Hughes MP and George Lyon MEP are travelling to the summit by train. With the Copenhagen Conference itself expected to generate 41,000 tons of CO2 (roughly the same amount emitted by Morocco in one year), it would be nice if the UK's delegation could set an example!
If Europe is to play its part in combating climate change, then Scotland must be at the forefront of those efforts.
Sadly the SNP and Labour have spent most of the run-up to the summit bickering about who gets to sit at the top table. This is an all too familiar problem. While they engage in a political arm wrestle others are concentrating on the job in hand - creating the jobs and investment in renewable energy that will see Scotland out of recession.
The constant playground arguments between Labour and the SNP do a disservice to Scotland. It is not good enough both for our economy and for our environment.
Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon is going to the Summit to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard and we get the investment we need to deliver our renewable energy future.
Scotland has the potential to be Europe's renewable energy powerhouse. It is estimated that 25% of Europe's renewable energy capacity could be generated in Scotland through our wind and tidal reserves.
Send Gordon Brown a message today that he cannot ignore.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
World AIDS Day - remembering absent friends
Today is a day of remembrance for me, as every World AIDS day is. I came out twenty five years ago when AIDS wasn't even talked about so many of my gay friends that I grew up with or people on the Nottingham gay scene that I knew like I were oblivious to this awful disease.
My thoughts today are especially with the family and friends of Trevor and Jason, two very good and close friends who I shared time with in Torquay.
Over the years I have lost friends and colleagues to AIDS and it is always a constant reminder to me how important sex education is, which is why I get angry when people in influential positions such as the Pope who said "don't use condoms - even to prevent the spread of Aids".
Not only is he ill informed when he went on to say "the traditional teaching of the Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids".
It is such a load of crap, condoms can and do help to prevent the spread of AIDS and HIV.
So, please take a moment today and remember those no longer with us because of this awful disease.
My thoughts today are especially with the family and friends of Trevor and Jason, two very good and close friends who I shared time with in Torquay.Trevor gave me a job at The Double Two Night Club and Summerlands Hotel nearly twenty years ago now and it really was the best year of my life topped only by meeting Roger one night, at the very same nightclub.
Jason was a really good friend who many people rejected and warned me against getting close to, his HIV+ status meant nothing, it was his friendship I valued.
I miss you both.
Detention for Fiona Hyslop as Tavish Scott goes top of the class
So, Alex Salmond has today sacked Fiona Hyslop as Education Secretary and moved her to a non cabinet position covering the external affairs and culture portfolio and to add insult to injury the responsibility for the constitution has been removed from the post.
Mike Russell (previously Environment minister sacked for proposing to sell off 25% of Scotland's forests) has now been moved from Culture minister to Education Secretary. Let's hope his first idea isn't selling off 25% of the schools!
This reshuffle has come about partly because of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
On Saturday, Tavish Scott informed all four main parties in the Scottish Parliament that he was intending to propose a motion of no confidence in Fiona Hyslop as Education Secretary in the allocated Liberal Democrats opposition day in Parliament on Thursday.
Alex Salmond obviously didn't want to go through the pain of a debate where the Liberal Democrats launched a full frontal assault on Education, so he has pushed Fiona Hyslop rather than be publicly humiliated in Parliament.
Although as Tavish Scott rightly points out, this isn't about Alex Salmond, Fiona Hyslop or even Mike Russell it is about the children, it is about all of those children going through school.
There are 54,000 children across Scotland in P7 classes who face the start of the new Curriculum For Excellence next August. Yet, here we are only eight months away and teachers still have not had the details of the assessments and the exams that they need to do their job properly and ensure our children have the best start.
Without a fresh approach and some new thinking, the new curriculum will be under-planned and under-resourced and I am sure the SNP will blame the local councils and teachers alike if this happens.
As I blogged on Saturday there is a crisis not only in teacher numbers but also the relationship between the government and the councils. The latest figures show there are 1,300 fewer teachers than this time last year and class sizes continue to rise.
Fiona Hyslop threatened to nationalise every school in Scotland and remove any role for local government. No-one believes that the Minister in Edinburgh can possibly run every single school and nor should they, that is why we elect local councillors and employ good staff who implement the education strategies.
The other bizarre part of this re-shuffle is that the First Minister has now personally taken responsibility for the forthcoming bill on an independence referendum.
Why?
The First Minister should be way too busy to take a bill through Parliament. So, is this decision because no-one else is with him? Not enough talent in the SNP benches? Or just that Alex Salmond isn't busy enough and this will help fill his day?
Seriously though, I do not think the First Minister is sending out the right message if he has to personally oversee a Bill through Parliament at the time we are going through a major recession.
Mike Russell (previously Environment minister sacked for proposing to sell off 25% of Scotland's forests) has now been moved from Culture minister to Education Secretary. Let's hope his first idea isn't selling off 25% of the schools!
This reshuffle has come about partly because of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
On Saturday, Tavish Scott informed all four main parties in the Scottish Parliament that he was intending to propose a motion of no confidence in Fiona Hyslop as Education Secretary in the allocated Liberal Democrats opposition day in Parliament on Thursday.
Alex Salmond obviously didn't want to go through the pain of a debate where the Liberal Democrats launched a full frontal assault on Education, so he has pushed Fiona Hyslop rather than be publicly humiliated in Parliament.
Although as Tavish Scott rightly points out, this isn't about Alex Salmond, Fiona Hyslop or even Mike Russell it is about the children, it is about all of those children going through school.
There are 54,000 children across Scotland in P7 classes who face the start of the new Curriculum For Excellence next August. Yet, here we are only eight months away and teachers still have not had the details of the assessments and the exams that they need to do their job properly and ensure our children have the best start.
Without a fresh approach and some new thinking, the new curriculum will be under-planned and under-resourced and I am sure the SNP will blame the local councils and teachers alike if this happens.
As I blogged on Saturday there is a crisis not only in teacher numbers but also the relationship between the government and the councils. The latest figures show there are 1,300 fewer teachers than this time last year and class sizes continue to rise.
Fiona Hyslop threatened to nationalise every school in Scotland and remove any role for local government. No-one believes that the Minister in Edinburgh can possibly run every single school and nor should they, that is why we elect local councillors and employ good staff who implement the education strategies.
The other bizarre part of this re-shuffle is that the First Minister has now personally taken responsibility for the forthcoming bill on an independence referendum.
Why?
The First Minister should be way too busy to take a bill through Parliament. So, is this decision because no-one else is with him? Not enough talent in the SNP benches? Or just that Alex Salmond isn't busy enough and this will help fill his day?
Seriously though, I do not think the First Minister is sending out the right message if he has to personally oversee a Bill through Parliament at the time we are going through a major recession.
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