I wonder whose flags they are meant to be in the 3rd picture?

I think Britain should honour treaty obligations to defend allies, but the only ally we have in the region AFAIK is Turkey, which is in NATO. (USA doesn't count because it is their war of aggression). I don't think it makes sense to get involved in other people's wars.

Agreed. SNP 1, Green 2 would maximise pro-indy MSPs, and kick some unionists out of Holyrood

Tories and Labour between them have ruined everything in Britain by their misrule, going back decades.

Certainly, expensive uniforms should be banned.

The end of the West USA signals it doesn't see Europe as an ally

On the wider issue i agree we should distance ourselves from Trump, indeed that has been a major theme of my blog, see e.g.: pontifex.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

AFAIK UK is not shooting down drones over Iran (if you know better, show the evidence). UK is shooting down drones aimed at Cyprus, parts of which are UK sovereign territory.

On May 7th Scots, should give Westminster a big "FUCK YOU".

We could be so much better off if we ruled ourselves.

Fuck off with your "two horse race" bollocks, it's an AMS election as you know full well.

Bad analogy, UK isn't bombing Iranian bases, only shooting down drones.

Then Westminster would not be able to use the argument that it isn't a mandate for indy. If WM refuse an indyref (which they almost certainly would), then Scotland goes to the international community and urges them to put pressure on the illegitimate WM entity.

Both SNP and Greens should stand on a manifesto of: "a vote for us is a vote for indy, if indy parties win a majority of votes and seats, that is a mandate for indy", and stick that pledge on the front page of their manifestoes.

Voting Systems: Additional Member System / Mixed Member Proportional explained using the Scottish parliament as an example

I wouldn't describe AMS as "crazy", but it's not the system i would choose. pontifex.substack.com/p/voting-sys...

My point is that "public consultations" are generally a waste of time. A vote to decide an issue would be a better gauge of the public's feelings on an issue. Public consultations are often just a rubber stamp to get what TPTB want.

It's not actually a bribe because there is no principal-agent problem, i.e. the voters are the principal not just the agent. Think of it as the gains from development going to the people, something you ought to approve of.

what all of them? Every single one of them? I don't beleieve you.

... (by the voters' definition of value) then it will probably go through.

I don't particularly care where it's built. I think large developments should be decided by a referendum of local people, at which orgs for/against the proposals would be allowed to put up money that would be given to voters if their side wins. So if a proposal net creates value...

Making Britain democratic power to the people!

Some ways Britain could be made more democratic... pontifex.substack.com/p/making-bri...

why are you such nimbies?

The biggest story in the world right now is that the president of the United States is a demented old man who takes pleasure in torturing and killing people and is committing crimes with impunity. And yet most legacy media outlets are too cowardly to tell it like it is.

Not only that, the USA isn't really an ally. if Russia attacked us, America wouldn't help us.

In response, Europe shouldn't buy any Israeli weapons. We should make our own. We need to be self sufficient in strategic goods.

They shouldn't be allowed to conceal this. All political groups should be required to make public foreign funding.

Independent Green Voice - Wikipedia

The same happened in 2021 with "Independent Green Voice".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indepen...

Not at all, Israel doesn't want peace, they want America to fight their wars for them. Their ideal outcome would be for Iran to become a failed state riven by civil war, like Syria was from 2011 to 2024.

If the times are "troubled and dangerous", it's because trump made them so.

I wonder if Trump started the Iran war because he was "Bored of Peace"?

Only because Ireland is protected by other European countries.

Scotland on its own doesn't need a nuclear deterrent but needs to be part of an alliance that does have nukes.