It seems that in terms of diversionary tactics, aimed at sending the media and the public off in all sorts of wild directions, away from the actual significant news of yet more Tory trough-slurping sleaze, or Prime Ministerial farce and embarrassment whilst under worldwide scrutiny, I thought we must be at least reaching the bottom of a very deep barrel armed with a very sharp surgical-like scraper. But no, it seems we are not.
Apparently amongst others in the group, including, it has subsequently been revealed, some Tories, and notably a Labour MP, who was required to be carried out in a wheelchair (although to be fair there’s been talk of that perhaps being a medical issue) two MP’s, who happen to represent the Scottish National Party, David Linden and Drew Hendry, according to ‘grass’ Tory Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, got mad wae it on a trip to the bit of Spain that has Marks and Spencers in the shopping precinct, for Remembrance Day commemorations with some of the troops stationed there.
So, basically in transit two Scotsmen, with others, had a few drinks in the airport, and one or two on the plane on a night flight, led off the karaoke version of “if you like Pina Coladas” and then after kicking up some zzz’s and a fry up in the NAAFI both of them looked fresh as a daisy, attentive, engaged and respectful in the official phoaties the next day during the events that they were there to attend. I don’t know about you but that’s what I’d expect mature human beings with normal drives, behaviours and a sense of respectfulness to be able to do. So much so that the First Minister of Scotland, under questioning about this story, has dismissed it out of hand and made a couple of suggestions to the baying media about some real stories of public interest that they should be focussing on. They had a few drinks whilst travelling, so what?
Contrast that with the bold yin, the chief numpty in charge of what passes for government now at Westminster is breenging around the country, and indeed other parts of the world, breathing brandy and cigar fumes all over masked up medical staff and patients in hospitals, aged mines of information on the natural world, considered national treasures, and falling into line ups, literally, of political leaders, like a WC Fields comic drunk, because he can’t place one foot balanced correctly in front of the other to navigate a couple of steps up on to a stage.
An individual it would seem so fond of going on the lash that if the famous misogynistic story about his hero Winston Churchill, in his exchanges with socialist MP Bessie Braddock, was applied to him it would read, “When accused by Miss Braddock of being disgustingly drunk the Conservative Prime Minister responded “ My dear, you are ugly, and what’s more, you are disgustingly ugly, but tomorrow you will still be disgustingly ugly, but I shall still be drunk… burp!”
Then there’s his glove puppet (or is it the other way round, I can never make my mind up) the rubbery sleekit Gove, the man with the most Orwellian double-speak title that was every created “the Secretary of State for Levelling Up”. A title which I would imagine is difficult to live up to whilst being a member of a government by a party whose sole aim of existence is to make sure that never-ever-ever-ever will around 1% of the population feel financially or otherwise threatened by the rest of us.
Notoriously he’s on video not-too -long-ago in a state of complete blootered-ness whilst attending a vote in the Commons Chamber, staggering about and leaning on the Speaker’s podium in a kind of sliding swaying trance. There’s nothing like turning up for work fresh, alert and ready to do business, and that most definitely was nothing like that. In fact if the rest of us carried on like that in our places of work we’d be likely to huckled up the road to the purgatory of Lorraine Kelly TV.
Naw, there’s nothing to see, no stories worth investigating about government representatives with very lucrative second jobs, conflicts of interest or serious damning breaches of parliamentary conduct. Na, quick, look over there, a sabre tooth tiger!
Roll on an independent Scotland. Self-government is normal. Government with the focus being primarily about the citizens which that government serves being central to all of its policies is what we must aspire to.
itisintruthnotforglory 