Month: December 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Thanks for all your support and friendship over the last rather difficult year.

Let’s hope that next year will be better, and that finally we’ll make the choice to be an independent country once again.

Gach dùrachd dhuibh uile ann an 2021.

Keep safe. Wash your hands, paws and flippers. Wear a mask. And only get this close to someone else if you, and they, are penguins.

For Conan… and every other Munguinite

Professor Ed sent me this becasue he was trying to reply to Conan with it, but couldn’t get it to work on the Blog.

He asked if I could try.

But I couldn’t get it up there either.

So, because it was so interesting, and because it has a certain significance to today’s events in a parliament a long way from Scotland but affecting Scotland and the other nations in this inglorious union, I thought I’d include it as a post, which for some reason, I COULD do.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Mr Speaker, there’s an old tramp sitting on the government benches.

Boris Johnson put Peter Cruddas forward for a peerage.

The Lords’ Appointments Committee rejected it on the basis of his involvement in a cash for access scandal in which Cruddas had been involved in 2012 when he was a treasurer of the Conservative party. (Pay shed loads of money to the Conservative party for access to the Prime Minister…even if you aren’t Russian!)

Mr Cruddas gave Mr Johnson £50,000 towards his election campaign.

Mr Johnson overruled the Lords’ Appointments Committee and now Mr Cruddas is to be the Noble Baron Cruddas.

That is how Britain works… or doesn’t work.

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In 2018, Douglas Ross said it would be easier to get someone to “drink a pint of cold sick” than to back a fishing deal that allowed two years of access to waters for EU vessels.

Now he thinks it’s a good idea to stay in the CFP for 5 years and then have a review.

Are the fishermen happy? Anyone know?

What are fishermen drinking tonight?

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But you really can’t ever trust anything that a Tory says. Here’s John Lamont on the fishing matter:

“Erm, well actually, when I say yes, what a really mean is, hell no. How would I ever get a Lordhood by doing that? And for what, anyway? It’s gonna pass. Labour’s gonna vote for it. Why would a risk my red leather seat for nothing?“

Then there was David Duguid, bless him.

His red lines were no access to fishing waters, but lo, when we looked today, Mr Duguid’s red lines had magically vanished, rather like Ruth Davidson’s famous lines in the sand got washed away when David Cameron trampled all over them and instructed her to do the same. The first of many humiliations for her Ladyship.

For as long as I can remember David Mundell has been threatening to resign, although De Pfeffel saved him the bother by sacking him, but remember how he and the Noble and Gallant Baroness, were going to go if Northern Ireland was offered a deal that was different from Scotland’s?

But when Gove the Evil House Elf announced that Northern Ireland could have the best of both worlds, did David say, “OK, that’s it, you’ve pushed me too far. I resign the Tory Whip?”

No. He assuredly did not. (Where else would someone like him get a job at £90,000 a year?) Nor has her Grace. Not after all these fittings for her ermine and Coronet.

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For more of their double summersaulting U-turns, see this SNP article.

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Today Scotland passed 120,000 figure for Covid cases.

It made the UK BBC news.

Tomorrow England will pass the 2 million figure. A considerably higher rate than Scotland.

Will this make the UK BBC news?

Will the BBC *ever* report that Scotland has the lowest Covid rate in the UK?

(Information from MSM Monitor.)

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SOPPY SUNDAY

1. I wonder if Munguin likes blue wrapping paper.
2. Grizzy Bear at Brooks Falls, Alaska. Who needs Brussels Sprouts?
3. Norwegian lights.
4. Mandarin Duck.
5. Northern Fur Seal and an Arctic Fox.
6. Broody hen keeping kittens warm. Bulgaria, of course, where great things happen with animals.
7. An aerial view of Juneau, Alaska, and the Gastineau Channel from Mount Roberts.
8. Jeez, if you’d told me I was going to star on Munguin’s Republic, I’d have washed my face.
9. Sharing our Christmas dinner.
10. I suppose you could say I was the black goat of the family.
11. Bald Eagles in Alaska.
12. This is Howard. He’s the latest addition to John’s household, having been found wandering around looking hungry in Śrem.

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The Pastimes of Munguinites

13. Tatu lives in Extremadura, Spain, and one of her favourite pastimes in walking her dogs around the local countryside.
14. Dave flies and takes photographs.
15. And Andimac draws … and collects empty bottles and cans which he knocks over (like skittles?)… It would be fair to say, he also takes beautiful pictures of nature, which he kindly shares with Munguin.

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16. Who doesn’t like an Owlet?
17. Or for that matter a baby stoat (or Kit)?
18. USA, Alaska, Tongass National Forest, Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaengliae) breaching in Frederick Sound.
19. For those of us the the Northern Hemisphere, this is a reminder of what is to come. It’s just around the corner, folks, so hold on in there.
20. Oh look. This one is from Munguin. Just as well we got him that caviar with white truffle shavings…

Thanks to John, Kay and to David, for the incredible pictures of Alaska. Also to Tatu, Dave and Andi for the contributions to the Lifestyle feature.

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM MUNGUIN

I’ve never been hugely into Christmas. I’m not religious, so it has no significance to me and I’m fortunate that if I fancy a night out, a gluttonous meal or a skinful, I don’t need to wait to December to have it. Munguin, being Munguin, likes the wine and the presents… and the wine…which he always hopes will be champagne!

However, I know that for some people, Christmas means a lot. Christians, of course, are celebrating their saviour’s birth, but it’s also an important time in European culture, for family and friends to get together, exchange presents and enjoy each others’ company (at least until old Uncle Ernie gets tiddly and the kids have broken all their toys, the turkey is undercooked and the sprouts soggy).

This year, sadly, that won’t be happening in so many households and many people will be alone and missing their families. But, don’t forget, we can have Christmas celebrations in May or June when, hopefully, we will have had our vaccinations and life will be returning to normal.

So, if you are alone on the 25th, enjoy the peace, and you can always look forward to a big blow out in May.

This is a concert of Christmas music held in Reykjavík a few years ago. The musicians, choirs and soloists were amazing and the famous Hallgrímskirkja is such an impressive venue with incredible acoustics.

Thanks to Andimac for this lovely Munguincard.

SO, THE BRITS ARE GONE? CADEAU DE NOËL

Le Royaume-Uni a choisi de quitter l’Union européenne et le marché unique. De renoncer aux droits et avantages d’un État membre. Notre accord ne réplique pas ces droits et avantages. Il fonde un nouveau partenariat, que nous voulons juste et équitable. Michel Barnier.

(The UK has chosen to leave the European Union and the single market. To renounce the rights and benefits of a Member State. Our agreement does not replicate these rights and benefits. It is the foundation of a new partnership, which we want to be fair and equitable.)

Michel Barnier says EU remains 'open' to transition period extension | Financial Times

From the little I’ve seen, the Tories are crowing that they have got a fantastic deal, which, when you consider that they held all the cards, that there were no downsides to Brexit, and indeed, we would get a better deal OUTSIDE the EU, than within, was frankly, no more than we would have expected.

We were promised that the deal could be done in an afternoon over a cup of tea, but it appears that Johnnie Foreigner didn’t care for tea with milk and sugar and so that afternoon had to be extended to 4 years or so… but hey… what’s a few years between friends.

Buy Traditional Afternoon Tea Gift Experience | Experience days | Argos

So there will be much rejoicing in Downing Street*, and I expect much displeasure from the ERG (I see the wee fat lad is back in charge) that we gave anything away to people who were not British.

*So far I haven’t seen a statement from De Pfeffel, but, given that M Barnier’s statement came out late afternoon, I suspect it may be tomorrow before the PM will be fully … or partially… aware of what’s going on.

So far I’ve noticed these comments on Twitter…

And, of course, it still has to be ratified by all members of the EU, the EU parliament and the UK parliament.

It will be an interesting year.