HAPPY JULY 4

Two hundred and forty-two years ago, meeting in the Pensylvania State House, the 13 North American colonies of Britain declared themselves to be independent states.

They never looked back and all this time later they are still celebrating that action as the right decision.

So, on the 4th of July 2018, we wish the USA all the very best, and of course an especially happy Independence Day to Munguin’s friends over there. (We have many American readers, but Danny and Jon are the main contributors, and we are grateful for their input, so special words of thanks to them).

trumptory — **Ruth Davidson used a Shakespearian quote to insult him. I prefer something more Scottish from our Bard. What about: “Thou pickle-herring in the puppet-show of nonsense”?**

The current president is just a blip. (Well he’s obviously a lot more things, but what I mean is he is temporary.) Hopefully, though, people will remember what a clown he was and how the rest of the world laughed at him and they will resolve to vote more carefully in future. Mrs May can be grateful that whilst she is an utter laughing stock, she is infinitely less important in the scheme of things than he is… and Donald has certainly “Trumped” her as the world-class eejit. She’s merely a third-rate eejit.

trumpmac — Trump: Will you be my bromance, buddy? Macron: (to self… Oh, Lord this is embarrassing) Erm, je suis vraiment désolé. Je ne comprends pas un seul mot d’anglais. En tout cas, qui êtes-vous exactement? Et pouvez-vous arrêter de me tenir la main, idiot en orange ?

Anyway, forget about him tomorrow, Americans. Enjoy the fireworks and the feasts and have a great day.

Hopefully, in the not too distant future, the boot will be on the other foot and our friends in the States will be wishing us the same thing.

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Talking of Trump, Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf wrote to the Treasury asking that they pay for any security expenses of having Trump in our country. They invited him, not us. He has no official business in Scotland.

He has received an answer in the affirmative from the Rt Hon Truss. Of course, it seems to me to be particularly bad manners to write to someone by their first name, and sign with your full name, and even worse, your style. And what is all the numbering of paragraphs about?

Who on earth does that?

!aaa

Truss was herself, the English Justice Secretary. Fortunately, Humza doesn’t have to dress himself up like some pantomime character to do his job.

WELL, THERE’S A THING…

amay12

Mrs May and I agree.

Chemical weapons are abhorrent. They must NOT be normalised.

That said, I have some questions for her.

1. Will she agree with me, and many others, that Saudi Arabia’s use of phosphorus bombs in Yemen is abhorrent and that it must be stopped?

2. Should we stop selling weapons to Saudia Arabia, and instead bomb their facilities in order to stop them using chemical weaponry against kids in Yemen?

3. Is the difference that Mrs May sees between the regimes in Syria and Saudi anything to do with the fact that Bashar Assad, although a medical doctor, is only a commoner, whilst Salman and his crown prince are royal personages and personal friends of the Saxe Coburg Gotha family?

4. I can see that there is a certain logic in by-passing the United Nations in matters like this. After all, Russia would certainly have used its veto, which would have made the exercise utterly pointless. But does this mean that the current set up of the UN is de facto useless?

5. If so, would it be sensible to reorganise the security council so that say, no countries were permanent members and that none had a veto? A majority could carry the day?

6. In the absence of taking any steps to modernise an organisation which, of course, is vastly out of date in its structures, based as they are on a post WWII world, would it be acceptable for countries other than the USA to take action without the UN’s approval on the basis that the US-UK (they nearly always act together) or France (a little more independent, depending on the president), might veto what THEY want to do?

7. Mrs May and her cabinet and backbenchers have made much of a new global Britain taking back control from dreaded foreigners. Is that control to be taken back and given to parliament in London, or to Mrs May, based on the somewhat dubious tradition of the royal prerogative? And, will Mrs May also take back control of the defence and foreign affairs briefs from Washington?

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!

8. One reason that was given for the UK action being taken without parliamentary debate was that it would have spoiled the element of surprise. Is Mrs May unaware that there are people in Moscow and Damascus who read the daily outpourings of the boy president in Washington and who, therefore, were not prepared for the ‘nice and new’ missiles heading their way? (PS: Can you have “nice” missiles, and does anyone actually use second-hand ones?)

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