|
The 10th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament reconvening in 1999 was marked by an event at Holyrood to which Queen Elizabeth was invited and more importantly for the cause of the democratic right of the Scottish people to elect our own head of state, there appears to have been a partly organised, partly spontaneous boycott, snub or mass stay-away by 48 Members of the Scottish Parliament in total being absent from the occasion of the Queen's address to parliament on 1st July 2009. 48 out of the 129 MSPS, 37% of MSPs - which under some republican constitutions would be enough to defend an elected president in office where a 2/3 majority of parliament was required under the constitution to remove an impeached president - did not attend on the Queen to attempt to surrender the sovereignty of the Scottish nation to Queen Elizabeth, did not sit there as traitors while the rights of the people of Scotland were defied by Elizabeth Windsor, imposed on us Scots as head of state. So it was an encouraging day for Scottish republicans and to mark the event, I have called the Scottish Republican Roll of Honour 2009. I require further information to complete the roll in detail which I intend to write to MSPs to seek - in particular, which members who did not attend are republicans, and which are not. |
 Christine Grahame M.S.P. |
16 deaths in a North Sea helicopter crash
The reckless pursuit of oil and gas industry profits, as approved by the UK state, the Queen and her ministers, claimed 16 lives and made April fools of all North Sea workers. 1st April 2009.
BBC: Helicopter crash probe continues
Bastard Salmond, Bastard Brown and the Bastard Queen all expressed fake concern for the lives of 16 workers lost but it was their fault they died.
Oh sure, BP and Bond Helicopters are to blame too - but they operate with the agreement and under the regulations set by the state.
The UK state passes no regulation, imposes no fine, which ever threatens the profits of the oil companies. That is the fault of the head of state, the Queen and her ministers of state - Prime Minister Brown and First Minister Salmond and their governments.
Do Scottish, British and other workers want to die for these bastards? I certainly don't. You wouldn't catch me commuting to an oil rig via helicopters which drop out of the sky like a stone when they fail.
Oh helicopters can be made safer than that - if you are willing to pay. You don't often hear of "Marine One", the helicopter which carries the US President or the Queen's flight helicopter crashing with all lives lost, do you?
But then the heads of state can spend the money on the safest helicopters, maintained and piloted in the safest possible way. Not so in the oil industry.
When BP hands out the contracts for helicopter transport, do they choose the safest or the cheapest? They will SAY "safety is the priority" but we all know that profits are the priority so they will opt for the cheapest contracts they can get away with which save money at the expense of safety.
If the North Sea industry can't afford to fly helicopters safely then they should ferry the workers by ship.
Not forgetting the "Herald of Free Enterprise" ferry disaster of 1987 wherein 193 passengers died and the Titanic before that of course. So ships can be dangerous too, if you allow royalists any say in the way they are captained.
With a stupid head of state, refusing to sack stupid ministers, you must expect stupid people in charge to cause death and disasters regularly.
The only coherent solution is to have an intelligent head of state, a good president of a republic and a republican revolution to overthrow the monarchy and the UK is the right way to go. Workers could strike and demand a republican revolution to better their conditions of employment.
If instead Scots and Britons insist on keeping on working for these royal twits then "be prepared to die in avoidable accidents" would be my warning.
The Right to Freedom of Assembly
Film/TV-programme starring Scottish republican Peter Dow becomes available to download from the internet from Tuesday 9 December 2008.
 The Right to Freedom of Assembly - view it on YouTube The Right to Freedom of Assembly starring Peter Dow, directed by David Graham Scott |
| Video Resolution: | Low | High |
| File Size: | 39MB | 150MB |
| Dimensions: | 428 x 240 | 856 x 480 |
| Player Bit rate: | 520 Kbps | 2060 Kbps |
| Time to download @ 300 KB/s | 2 min 13 sec | 8 min 33 sec |
| Time to download @ 167 KB/s | 3 min 58 sec | 15 min 15 sec |
| Time to download @ 129 KB/s | 5 min 7 sec | 19 min 40 sec |
| Time to download @ 43 KB/s | 15 min 30 sec | 1 hour |
| Time to download @ 16 KB/s | 41 min 36 sec | 2 hours 40 min |
| Links to download from this server | ||
| Right-click on the download link and Save Target As.. | Download low res | Download high res |
| Try to download from a file hosting service | ||
| Store & Serve | S & S low res (5min 30sec) | S & S high res (21min) |
This (wmv format) video file is not streamed (it is not played AS it is downloaded only afterwards) so the 39MB low resolution version will take possibly a few minutes and the 150MB high resolution version about 4 times longer (depending on factors such as the load on the server and the speed of your internet connection) to download before it can be played.
The highest resolution version of this video is a 150MB file (that is bigger than most free website hosting services can cope with) so we are fortunate if it is available here. The lower resolution version of this video should certainly be available on 3 of the servers which serve this website from time to time.
These large video files have also been made available for download from a file hosting service as well. Hosting these large video files separately enables, if needs be, the main website and forum files to fit within the limitations of other free website hosting services.
The New 10 Commandments - BBC TV broadcast
BBC2 Scotland 22.50-00.30 Sunday 7 December 2008.
|
BBC2 Scotland has scheduled a broadcast of The New 10 Commandments a Scottish-produced human-rights documentary for Sunday 7th December 2008 starting at 10.50pm following the network-wide programme of Match of the Day 2. Then, whereas viewers in England and Northern Ireland will see Graham Norton Uncut and then Heroes, in Scotland those programmes are delayed by 100 minutes to make room for the New Ten Commandments featuring real-life Scottish heroes but with no special powers I am sorry to say. BBC2 Scotland is also broadcast on Sky Satellite television channel 990. |
 Details from the BBC website |
Those standing up for human rights in Scotland appearing in the different chapters of the programme include -
- Peter Dow's republican protest against the Queen at Holyrood
- Aamer Anwar, lawyer, defending a contempt of court charge
- Jim Swire, campaigning on Lockerbie Pan Am flight 103 bombing
- Anti-slavery-sex-trafficking, Suicides-concerned and Asylum-seekers campaigners
- Kenny Richey liberated from death-row. Scotland's 20 years he missed
- Enhanced interrogation techniques - the sheep's perspective
- A narrated comic about a man who liked to ride his bike in private
- Thespian musings
The New Ten Commandments
The Edinburgh International Film Festival showed the world premiere of a Scottish -produced documentary about human rights. Saturday 28 June 2008.
Pride of Place
Well I was delighted both by how our "Freedom of Assembly" chapter turned out and the fact that our chapter was right at the beginning of the documentary - pride of place I would say.
... The documentary is the idea of Scottish film maker Nick Higgins, who had originally planned to make an international film marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Then Alex Salmond intervened. Higgins said; "By serendipity, I ended up being invited to Bute House after last year's Edinburgh International Film Festival and I met our first minister and he was asking me why I was the only Scottish film maker with a feature-length documentary at the film festival. And it got me thinking perhaps I could make this film a Scottish project. Perhaps in a politically-maturing nation, this is a good time to make a film about human rights." |
What precisely this means in terms of Salmond's input into the film beyond something he said to Nick Higgins, I don't know but I gave Salmond the benefit of the doubt on this occasion and commented on the Sunday Herald page as follows -
That's interesting that you are reporting that Alex Salmond had a personal role in supporting this film. Well thank you Alex Salmond if that is indeed the case although I wonder if he might regret his support once he sees what is in the film? Often when you are defending human rights, you are defending them against abuses by the state, or failures of the state to act promptly to defend human rights. In Scotland that may mean challenging the Scottish government - Alex Salmond's own administration. So if First Minister Salmond is helping to provide a platform for his critics then gosh - that certainly is good democratic practice! I saw the film yesterday and if Alex Salmond has not seen the film yet he may be surprised to know that the film opens with the short 10-minute documentary (Director David Graham Scott) featuring my Scottish republican protest at Holyrood on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 3rd session of the Scottish Parliament 30th June 2007 which in the context of this film illustrates the Human Right of Freedom of Assembly - and how difficult and problematic asserting that right can sometimes be, when assembling to protest. |
The directors, producers and stars assemble with photographers for the photocall before the World Premiere of "The New Ten Commandments". Our team - David Graham Scott (left) & James Alcock (center, in the grey shirt).
David Graham Scott, Director (left) & Peter Dow, Star (right) of the "The Right of Freedom of Assembly" chapter in "The New Ten Commandments".
More photographs from the day can be found -
On the Edinburgh International Film Festival website -
The New Ten Commandments Photocall- 28th June 2008 (6 photos - Nick Higgins, Aamer Anwar etc.)
and on the Edinburgh International Film Festival Facebook page -
Fan photos (I've added 8)
Film review by Peter Dow
To sum the film up - human rights is a really important subject material - that is true for each of the human rights featured in each of the 10 chapters in the film. However, each chapter is unique in its own film-making style and deserves to have its own reputation as an individual 10 minute short film, whether of the highest calibre or not quite so high!
My opinion was that our chapter was the best, of course! I liked the chapter with Aamer Anwar in which Tommy Sheridan made an appearance and I thought I even caught a glimpse of Mick Napier at one point! Nice to be sharing the silver screen with you comrades!
The chapter about asylum seekers was good too. The chapters which made specific political points identifying actual people I could relate to, who were fighting for their or other people's human rights, I liked the best. To be honest in one or two chapters I was scratching my head and fidgeting in my seat because I found them too obscure or arty-self-indulgent and apolitical for my interests.
There were also a good number of laughs throughout which helped to lift the mood thankfully, given the grim seriousness of the subject of human rights.
I think the plan is that there is to be a showing in Glasgow sometime and it is to be broadcast on TV in December maybe. I would keep an eye on the Ten Commandments website or watch this space for news about that. Highly recommended viewing!
Kenny Glenaan, Douglas Gordon, Nick Higgins, Irvine Welsh, Mark Cousins, Sana Bilgrami, Alice Nelson, Tilda Swinton, Doug Aubrey, David Graham Scott, Anna Jones / Scotland / 2008 / 105 mins There is no such thing as a "pure" culture. The horrors perpetrated during
the Second World War in the name of such a mistaken belief led largely to the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The United Nations adopted this
document in an attempt to make human rights a reality for everyone. Every
single person has rights and each one of us has the duty to stand up, not just
for our own rights, but also for those of others. |
Anyway the particular interest to my Scottish Republican News webpage is that one of the 10 Scottish filmmakers contributing to the documentary, David Graham Scott featured my protests and so on with regard to highlighting the human right of freedom of assembly in Scotland, which was very nice.
I haven't seen the film yet myself and because hours of original footage has been edited down to David's 10 minute slot for the documentary, I'm not precisely sure what has been left in and I'm looking forward to the premiere. I wonder if they will have a red carpet out?
Production team: left - my house, Aberdeen; right - Cardonald College, Glasgow
David Graham Scott, left. James Alcock, right
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Smart Alex
Two-timing Salmond kisses our new American sweetheart Nancy Pelosi before rushing back to his Queen Elizabeth.
House Speaker & 3rd in line to the US Presidency, Nancy Pelosi
Salmond kisses top American woman. No passion though.
Dearest Nancy,
That Alex Salmond doesn't really love you as he should Nancy. You deserve to have a better Scotsman than him to come a wooing you on Capitol Hill too. I'd try to chat you up myself but I'm so busy trying to woo Condi from afar at the moment that I have very little time left for other women in America. Of course, that would all change if you were to visit Scotland when you'd become my number one woman while you were here. Fair enough?
You wait Nancy. Turn your back on the wee fat git for one moment and Salmond'll be back over here tickling his Grim Reaper Queen Elizabeth again like there was no Scottish independence, which with him as Scotland's First Minister, there isn't. He'll betray you Nancy just like he betrays the Scots.
Was he even hard for you Nancy? I'm so sorry that he wasn't. What a limped dick disappointment for you! No "Shagger" he. Not that you'd even know, Nancy, when the chubby chappie cuddled you standing up because his pot belly got in the way, right? Oh the shame of it. To think that that flaccid flop is supposed to be Scotland's "First Minister". "I will stand up for Scotland", Salmond has boasted. Well, Nancy, now we both know that although he can stand up, that is all he can get up when it matters in international diplomacy.
You Americans were generous enough to invite the Scots to a tartan festooned fuck festival and the most Salmond had to offer you was oral. Did you take him for a private meeting to see if he was even gentleman enough to get down on his knees and offer to lick you out Nancy?
We Scots can't take Salmond anywhere without him embarrassing us by being cold, stand-offish and disinterested to our most dearly beloved friends. The cad has no manners and has no concept of the Scottish-American "special relationship" so if you did ever get him alone then I guess he'd most likely want to bore you with talk all about generating power from waves or some such small talk when the only waves he should have been interested in was wave after wave of your multiple-orgasms.
Nancy, Americans shouldn't ever take that kind of disrespect from Alex Salmond. You should tell the President that if he has to waterboard anyone then it makes more sense to start with that wee shit Salmond until he learns proper respect for top American women.
I am so sorry Nancy. The truth is that the people of Scotland love the people of America very much and so it is because Salmond is inadequate in the extreme in showing our love for you all, even on Tartan Day, that it is my duty to write an open letter to you in such explicit terms.
Lots of love from Peter Dow and the people of Scotland.
Tartan Day: Proclaiming the march to a Scottish Republic
Attention Americans!
Stop the Cuts demo Aberdeen
5th April 2008. Thousands march along Union Street, Aberdeen to demonstrate opposition to the City Council's heartless cuts to essential services for the city's most vulnerable groups of people.
Stop the cuts video hosted on this website
Stop the cuts Demo. TV News reports
I, Peter Dow, was on that Aberdeen stop-the-cuts demonstration too carrying the Scottish National Standard, the Lion Rampant, and it was very well attended considering the dreadful cold, wet and windy weather for April. (What happened to that "global warming" we were promised?)
Although there was a rally at the end of the march, the public address system was poor and it was impossible to hear most of the speeches from the speakers from the various services being cut unless you were at the front right next to the speakers. Most of the crowd could not hear so it was no wonder that most of them drifted away.
 Councillor Kate Dean, ACC Leader |
 Cllr. Kevin Stewart, ACC Deputy Leader |
 Douglas Paterson, ACC Chief Executive |
The elected politicians responsible for this financial chaos cheekily turned up and got a hearing too and they were ever so keen to blame the other parties as per usual without pausing to consider that their own party's support for the Queen's state misruling Scotland for so many years, has left Aberdeen in such a budget mess.
At least I couldn't blame one of the speakers for supporting the Queen's state - Neil from Sheridan's Solidarity - as I guess that Solidarity may be falling out (and not before time for a Scottish republican socialist) with the Queen's courts now that Sheridan is up in court on perjury charges arising from the most unwise court action he initiated before the Queen's judges in Edinburgh?
It was particularly surprising that the Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council Douglas Paterson got away so lightly, with few calls for him to go, after mismanaging the city for so many years and being utterly unable to advise the councillors competently.
Now since it does seem to be an emergency situation for my home city of Aberdeen, if the Council does get round to sacking the Chief Executive, I would be prepared to step in to serve the city on a voluntary, temporary basis as a stand-in Chief Executive in place of Paterson until such time as these essential city services were re-instated. Not that the Councillors are at all likely to ask me to take over or anything but I feel it is my duty to offer anyway.
Click for Scottish Republican News from previous years
Click here for |
Click here for |
Click here for |
Click here for |
Click here for |
So what might the best strategy and tactics be to achieve a Scottish Republic? Consider one possible scenario -
A Scottish Republican Revolution
Another Scottish republican site - Scottish Republican Web Ring |
| ||||||
View INDEX
| F I N D |
View Scottish National Standard Bearer Forum