Bannside to Morningside*

Lord Bannside, who until recently was just plain old the Right Honourable, Rev. Dr. Ian K. Paisley P.C., M.L.A., as well as former M.P. and M.E.P. has announced he is visiting Edinburgh this week.

Far be it for me to point out that the Festival has finished for another year he has another reason for visiting the city I've worked in for the past nine years. Yeah, anyone who know the history of Paisley and the Popes (video link) will hardly be surprised that he is heading the protest against the Pope in Edinburgh.

Regular readers will know that I don't always see eye to eye with Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrew's and Edinburgh, but I had to admire him in the press conference yesterday. He mentioned that as a man born in the former MP's constituency he would have been surprised if Paisley had not made the journey to make his protest.

If what Lord Bannside has said is the reason he will be protesting, in light of the recent revelations he has a justified reason** to protest against a State Visit, when he said :

"What we're doing, we're making a legitimate protest about something that is entirely wrong, and I am looking at myself as a person who is prepared to champion those who have been very, very badly treated by these priests of Rome."

The problem I have with the Protest the Pope idea is that there are elements of this visit which are State Ceremonial, there are other elements which are Pastoral to the Catholic pilgrims who will also be visiting these cities along with the protesters. Therefore protests at the civic elements of the Pope's visit are to be expected, however they should leave the religious elements to those of the faith to have their time with their spiritual leader.

Personally I'll not be making a physical protest. However, I will continue stand up against what I feel are wrong statements and falsehoods on this blog as time goes on (and yes that will mean the odd spat with a good friend). That goes for any church not just the Roman one.

* He may not actually visit Morningside, I'm aware of that, but the Southern Edinburgh works for the wordplay. It is also more widely known than Hillside which is right next to the Catholic Cathedral, so give me artistic license.

** Yeah me having good things to say about Cardinal O'Brien and Ian Paisley in the same blog post mark that in your diary.

Mayoral Junta Against Peaceful Protest

The front cover of today's Independent tells a sombre tale.

The top half shows the Queen making her speech in the Lords including the words:

"Legislation will be brought forward to restore freedoms and civil liberties, through the abolition of Identity Cards and repeal of unnecessary laws."

The bottom have shows Brian Haw being arrested earlier just outside in Parliament Square.

It brings up the dichotomy of what was being said inside by a Conservative/Lib Dem government and what was being done outside under the auspices on a Conservative Mayor of London (whose brother is now part of that Conservative group inside).

A Mayoral degree has come from the gherkin to remove protesters from Parliament Square. Where are we? China, Pyongyang, or London? They are not protesting outside the Gherkin but the Palaces of Westminster. There are being peaceful about it yet the full weight of a junta from down river has come to bear on the only piece of open ground near the seat of power where a protest can be made.

Obviously either Boris didn't get the memo, or decided to ignore it in his own power games after finding he is no longer the most powerful Tory in the capital never mind the country.

Trump Reducing Ownership Rights to Superstition - David Hume

"Rules regulating property are absolutely necessary for the well-being of mankind. But remove the interests of society, and ownership rights would be reduced to forms of superstition."

David Hume from An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: On Justice

So a date has been set for Aberdeenshire Council to decide on Donald's Trump to use Compulsory Purchase Orders for his own commercial gain, that date is October 1. It was one thing that I wasn't able to tell all those interested fellow Liberal Democrats while I was down at Bournemouth as I have only heard about the setting of the date today.

Due to refurbishment of the Council Chamber the actual decision on what is Martin Ford's motion calling on the Council not to allow CPOs is being held elsewhere. It will be in the Gordon Suite, AECC at 10.15am , Thursday 1st Oct.

Today was also the day that a group called the Menie Liberation Front also added masks of Donald Trump and children's golf clubs at some of Scotland's most iconic statues in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sterling. Of all the possible images I've used the picture of David Hume as it is appropriate.

A spokesman for the protest group said:

"We are dressing up famous Scottish statues as the American tycoon to symbolise the way Trump thinks he can walk over Scotland.

"This development has gone too far. Throwing families from their homes for a private development is outrageous."

Trump's organisation branded the protest, in which no statues were damaged just one American's ego, or superego. Sarah Malone, executive vice president of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, said:

"This publicity stunt is perpetrated by a handful of individuals, and can only serve to tarnish our regional and national profile.

"Gimmicks such as this illustrate the lack of credibility of those involved and do a great disservice to local people.

"We are dealing with serious issues that need to be handled in a responsible and mature manner."

If the first bit of that about a tarnished Trump image I'd say good. Although it is already being tarnished by the immature and irresponsible manner that Trump is currently walking over local people, Scottish law, Aberdeenshire Council, aided and abetted by the SNP Government.

I'm sorry Ms. Malone while the protesters may indeed have merely been a handful the threatened erosion of ownership law is something that affects a great many more of us. The use of CPOs for commercial ends is wrong and everyone who stands against your organisation on this issue is right. This is a major issue and if Trump gets his way we truly will as David Hume said be reducing the rights to own the land were we all live to the level of superstition, not a binding contract.

Brake on Kettling

Peter Brookes from the Times 9 April 2009

In the Times today this is further reporting on the policing of the G20 protests last week, in light of the new footage that is emerging of just what happened to Ian Tomlinson.

Tom Brake the Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington was there as an independent parliamentary observer. Having already read his note on Facebook and seen his pictures to see his thoughts being brought into the mainstream media was a welcome addition.

Tom himself was detained within the 'kettle' and saw for himself that the detention of the peaceful with those in minority who were out to cause trouble ended turning ugly.

"'Kettling' is a tactic that should come under review. At the first sign of difficulty, the police present a wall of riot shields and batons around protesters — the peaceful alongside the problematic — and slowly squeeze them into a tighter space. People are allowed in, but absolutely no one is allowed to leave.

"Slowly the number of inmates increases. No access to food. No water. Young trapped with the old. Journalists trapped with anarchists. People, like an elderly couple I spoke to, who simply did not want to be there at all.

"It is not surprising that under such conditions an otherwise overwhelmingly relaxed and peaceful crowd can become agitated, then angry, and then violent. The tactic proved misguided and counter-productive. It served to alienate a whole mass of peaceful protesters."

It may be right tactic to deal with the violent in the mob, indeed as a football fan I have often been effectively in a moving kettle being shepherded away from an away ground into my means of transportation. But there is a difference from being moved along and being penned in, as journalists, MPs and friends of people who ended up needing hospital treatment were on that day.

If the police lose their sense of proportion, fairness and justice as well as the means to control a situation. If their actions exacerbate and pour oil on the coals of what they were trying to snuff out then there clearly needs to be a rethink. If innocent people (and today's Times indicated multiple) were without provocation hit from behind by baton wielding men in uniforms, we need to do something.

We don't accept thugs on our streets. Just because they have Her Majesty's crest on their gang's uniform or colours they should not be treated any differently.

The Met's Rodney King Moment

Remember during the LA riots when we all learnt the name of Rodney King. Well during the G20 protests in London we will remember the name of Ian Tomlinson and these images which the Guardian has obtained will help us know why.



Ian Tomlinson wasn't even involved in the G20 protests. He was merely returning from his job selling newspapers when he got trapped within the Metropolitan Police force's kettling operation. But Tomlinson had done nothing to deserve this treatment. It appears that the only people in that video needing to let off steam in the kettle were the police.

Edinburgh on Alert for RBS AGM

Following the G20 trillion dollar package attention moves to Edinburgh where the Royal Bank of Scotland is holding its AGM today.

The peaceful group People & Planet had been handing out invitations in London asking people to join them in protest as the Bank's shareholders meet in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. However, that are fears that after the high profile attack on the RBS London Headquarters during the week and on Sir Fred Goodwin's home last month that not all the protests in Edinburgh will be peaceful. The Scottish Government and People & Planet have both issued calls for protesters to behave in a peaceful and responsible manner.

Hopefully the banks shareholders will be allowed to go about their business peacefully. Some of these will no doubt be asking serious questions of the board about the business that led to this years record loss and bail out from the Government.

I've Seen The Plot

Was watching the One Show and have just see Alistair McGowan at mine and many other people's plot of land near Heathrow.

It was an intersting little peace about protesters, of all types, backgournds etc. It's not as Alistairs points out all the lefty, liberal, whacky, tree hugging, hippy types much as Jeremy Clarkson would want to have us all believe.

But as Alistair also pointed out we do have a history of protest and sees that like throwing a shoe we could be heading to more inventive ways of protest. As the Gaza March in Edinburgh showed with the right sort of mix of events in the protest you can gather a diverse mix. But will we ever see a protest to compete with sheer numbers of the Make Poverty History march.

In Pictures Gaza Demonstration, Edinburgh: 10 January 2009

People arrived from all over Scotland on Saturday to take part in a demonstration to the US Consulate on Royal Crescent before returning down Princes Street for a rally at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens. My good friend and fellow Lib Dem blogger Caron has written up a very good account of the events so I will be merely adding the pictures.









The Assembly point of East Market Street is just behind Waverley Station, but the number of attendees was so great that the street wall filled before the off.

Sadly as part of our ever increasing surveillance society the crowd was being watched, photographed and videoed at ever point by the police force. At every junction and many points along the way you knew that you'd been snapped again even though the march in Edinburgh did pass off peacefully.

As the march moved off it stretched from Waterloo Place the whole way back to the end of Waverley Bridge. The police estimate was of 5,000 protesters. The organisers said 10,000. Judging on my experience of football crowds and Caron's husband's experience of these things we'd say 7-8k is definitely about right.




Outside the US consulate the March ground to an almost absolute standstill as many people took their opportunity to throw shoes at images of George W. Bush. By the time those of us in the middle of the column of marchers arrived at the Consulate we were being persuaded to just carry on walking back towards the City Centre or else we may well still all have been there waiting to throw a shoe. Some of the kids came up with their own chant:

George Bush who are you?
I want to throw my shoe at you.

Caron had a meeting in Clifton Terrace yesterday but as soon as that was over she contacted us as we were up at the Consulate. When she finally got into the the Princes Street I missed her call but called her back only about 5 metres away from her almost at the top of Waverley Steps. So she joined the rest of us as we headed along Princes Street.







Malc last night asked me what was the point of us marching in Edinburgh. Well the number of different reports from around the world including Israel. Where a 'commendable' crowd were juxtaposed with thrown shoes outside a Georgian Mansion which house the American consulate shows just why this march was important. It also shows why the exemplary behaviour of the crowd in the cold wind and later the rain as well made this protest in Edinburgh's capital worthwhile.

The crowd of different races, ages, political allegiances, social background, Muslims, Jews, Christians, those of other faiths and none all marched on to the Ross Bandstand. To hear speeches from trade unionists, Muslim leaders, MSPs, John Barrett MP as well as two phone calls direct from Gaza itself one from a doctor who dealt with the injured and dead, a third of the dead being children. The other Gaza call was from a community leader who said that three schools had been bombed in Gaza.

Gaza Demo: A Multi-Media Presentation

I'm still on the train but am asking you to come back here later. I'm be Tweeting, Tweetpicing and taking a few vids of proceedings at the Scotland Gaza Demo starting at 12:30 from East Market Street Edinburgh.



No doubt I'll be spending all afternoon up to my neck with technologies with YouTube, Flikr and whatnot getting you everything. In the meantime follow the tweets.



Ciao for now.

Update: I've reveiwing all the media I have taken through the day and really want to do it justice. However, I have plans for this evening In the meantime Caron has posted a very thorough story of the afternoon's events here. Some of my pictures are available though the Twitter updates on the right. More plus some video will be with you in the morning.

The Truth Behind Torch's Guardians

Driving into work this morning I heard Sarah Kennedy's paper review on BBC Radio 2 she was telling us about the true make up the Olympic Torch protection squad.

They come from the Chinese Armed Police Academy and are part of the paramilitary security force. Their role back home is ensuring riot control, domestic stability and the protection of diplomats. Believe it or not this is the same force that was sent in to deal with recent protests within Tibet. So while Lord Coe says 'I think they are thugs' and Konnie Huq calls them 'robotic'. Yet while these 30 blue track-suited guys have been trained to escort the torch their colleagues have been trained and will be on standby in the words of Tibet's Governor Qiangba Puncog to 'severly punish' anyone who tries to obstruct the passage of the torch through Tibet.

We've seen how they react where they do not have any jurisdiction of their own in London and Paris. What else might unfold when the Torch returns for its domestic travels?

LINK Free Tibet

China Prove the Demonstrators Point

Well hats off to the Chinese authorities for actually proving a large number of the points that protesters have been, and will aiming at them in this Olympic year.

First the act of disagreement with the authorities is frowned upon, hence the curfew they set up in Tibet, the pressure they brought to bear on India to halt the march to India.

Second there is the misinformation or non-information. I was in the USSR when Iraq invaded Kuwait and didn't know about that until I returned to Berlin. Our interpreter got the newspaper every day and we didn't see anything about this. The same is happening within China the media is controlling just what the people get to here. Elsewhere in 1988-9 this was attempted as pro-democracy hit out across the communist world only in Beijing was the surge halted and brushed away.

Thirdly the generosity that those who give themselves up by Monday will be treated leniently. What does leniency mean in this case. The authorities have already been shooting to kill. So maybe the leniency will mean their lives are spared. It may not mean that they will not be placed in solitary confinement or possibly tortured to find out more information about the protests and fellow protesters.

So the protests being about suppression, and others against China's human rights record are being proven right now as having validity. I once condemned the IOC for awarding China this year's Olympiad, now in a way I'm glad as all media attention is now focusing on China. Maybe at last human rights will hold sway there as a result.