Yes Scotland Meeting Edinburgh 115


Am back in Edinburgh and speaking at a Yes Scotland meeting on Friday 24 May at the Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh at 7pm.

This is my first entry as a speaker into the referendum campaign, and I am excited – and nervous – about it. I have of course given quite literally hundreds of speeches, on every continent, in the last nine years. I have spoken before official committees of the Council of Europe, European Parliament, Arab League, UK Parliament and Scottish Parliament. I have spoken at a great many of the world’s most prestigious universities. I have spoken to crowds in the tens of thousands.

That has been almost all on the subject of universal human rights, international legality and peace, about which I am so passionate I abandoned a well-paid career to serve those causes. At the Columcille Centre on Friday my audience will not be remotely the largest, or most intimidating, or most potentially hostile, I have ever faced. But I will be speaking in the cause of the freedom of my own nation. That brings a lump to my throat and butterflies to my stomach. And so it damn well ought.


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115 thoughts on “Yes Scotland Meeting Edinburgh

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  • kathy

    Jemand

    The consensus of informed academic opinion – based on evidence and not malicious prejudice – is that the Islamic Caliphate was established in a relatively non-violent manner. If that seems to go against your prejudice,feel free to consult the Islamic departments of such august academic establishments as Oxford University, Cambridge University etc. etc.

  • guano

    Jemand

    ‘To deny the fact that Islam is inherently violent is like denying that young males are inherently predisposed to carry out that violence.’

    It seems as though your own way of dealing with your own violence is to project it onto Islam. The things that make you angry are when you are expected to conform to Islamic rules by so called leaders who themselves do not conform to Islam.
    These leaders are just little mini Maos. Forget them. They are self-centred ego-warriors who only know how to bend the rules to their advantage.

    You are trying to squeeze your own gripes with your experience of the faults of Far-Eastern Islam into the context of a very important challenge to the false morality of the West’s War on Terror and it won’t work.

    Just enjoy the fatuous mouthings of the bought, opening and closing like goldfish, trying to condemn one act of violence while simultaneously fanning the flames of war in Syria. Also like goldfish they have to swim in their own defecation. They don’t like it up ’em, but enjoy the fun while it lasts.

  • Jemand

    Kathy, nothing can save you, nor people like you, from your wilful denial of reality and history, and childish wishful thinking. Enjoy!

  • kathy

    Jemand

    Well I did study the subject at degree level so I think I know what I am talking about. Besides, one aspect of the course was about European prejudice towards Islam and I am afraid you display the typical characteristics of ignorance and intolerance inherent in that attitude.

  • doug scorgie

    Jemand
    23 May, 2013 – 11:42 am

    “As the UK converts to Islam, as it surely is and whether people like it or not, violent incidents like this will increase and eventually lead to a catastrophic major conflict, if not civil war.”

    Not true Jemand the UK is not converting to Islam or any other religion Agnosticism and Atheism are the two main philosophies on the rise.

    But then you are a racist and a liar; so what you say is expected.

    “I wonder what excuses apologists of Islam will make for this incident.”

    This was not an “incident” as you call it; it was a barbaric execution.

    There are no excuses for what happened in Woolwich but, if you think carefully, there are reasons and one of the main reasons is British foreign policy.

  • Komodo

    Kathy – u iz a poynty heddid interlech…intuhlek…internet, and my mate bazza down the pub nos mor about islamb than u evva wil.

  • guano

    Andre K

    ‘…Northern Ireland. The role which colonialism played in the origins of that conflict is now of little consequence north or south of the border. What is the major dividing issue is religion mixed with social class.’

    No, Sir. That is what you would like it to be about. Why do you think that we are discussing the separation of Scotland from the UK if not because of the buried, unforgiven past? The British are going to have learn to eat humble pie and the sooner that day comes the better in my opinion.

  • Jemand

    Guano, I’m well aware that Western military incursions into the Muslim world excites a justifiably excited reaction. But you seem to be unaware that people are justified in refusing the imposition of any religion on their minds and in their lives. I reject Islam not only at a personal level because it is a superstitious nonsense created by one man and promulgated by fools, but also at a national level because I know it to be a totalitarian way of life that demands absolute surrender under penalty of death – I don’t want this for my country, nor for other disbelievers.

    There are a lot of pompous, cardigan-wearing wankers who want to pose as our intellectual and cultural superiors by ‘tolerating’ and ‘accepting’ Islam, as if it were a harmless weekend hobby that is infrequently misrepresented by psychopathic murderers. And these same arrogant retards often falsely accuse opponents of Islam as being racist, bigoted and malicious and slyly attempt to falsely associate us with right-wing extremists as if there is an intrinsic relationship between the rejection of this brand of ideology and the subscription to some crackpot, right-wing movement.

    But I can see that the UK intelligentsia who comment regularly on this blog do not see any kind of threat from Islam. Good luck to them. They have all managed to rationalise an explanation that disassociates politically motivated violence from an inherent agenda of expansionism and refuse to accept the plain fact that Islam, at its current pace, will be the dominant religion of Britain by the end of the century. Somehow, they must think, Islam will inexplicably plateau at a low percentage, or transform to become a modern British equivalent of pseudo-Christianity.

    God save the Queen, because nothing will save the UK.

  • fedup

    Jon Pelfrey
    22 May, 2013 – 10:59 pm

    “Just saw the news regarding the hacking of the soldier in London. One of yours who did the hacking, Craig? I’m wondering if we’ll have one less commenter here.”

    An explanation for this comment would be in order don’t you think?

    I second that.

    ==========

    Dreoilin has dug up: Some oddities about Woolwich described here

    ==========

    ….. Of belonging to no effective community?

    Not at all! Not at all! See all those nice balaclava wearing EDL, and their mentors in combat 18 (1=”A”dolf 8=”H”itler), along with the rest of the friendly and multiculti loving apple pie eating racist fuckwits of: bnp/nf/ziofuckwits/Ukip/et al, have all welcomed these “immigrants/Muslims/Paki Bastards/Black Bastards” with clenched fists and made these “outsiders/job stealing/white woman raping/Social security scrounging” citizens to feel they are part of the fabric of our societies.

    Needless to point out that this particular love extended to these new comers has been in the traditional way of kicking the shit out of them, caving their skulls in, stabbing them to death (Stephen Lawrence), shooting them (Psycho Stapleton), which of course these ungrateful “bastards” misconstrue as hate!

    Clearly our harmonious society, that has been, set to be hating the fuck out of the Muslims/Blacks/Chinks/Pakis all equally well is only reflective of our Christian values, that in the face of the surge of the “Muslim Scum” has only turned to the other foot to kick the fuckers to death.

    So no need to start going all namby pamby about the “exclusion”, “alienation”, and all that shit. Nothing that a good Christian beating won’t solve that is all!

    Or is it just the cool thing to do these days?

    What is so cool about getting even more ostracised and hated?

    However you old lizard thanks for the laughter I really needed that:

    No, that’s Jean-Marie le Pen’s prediction. And probably Pat Buchanan’s. Certainly Nigel Farrage’s and Nick Griffin’s.* Credit where credit is due, eh?

    Though given that the most marginalised are the readiest converts, and that the current regime government is alienating and marginalising as many of our citizens as possible, I am sure that the fascists have a point.

  • Mark Golding - Children of Conflict

    The religious books were accounts of experiences written by humans complete with foible defects. The Koran exalts Jesus, the Torah depicts Jesus as a false messiah while the Bible views Mohammad just once. Interestingly the ‘Lords prayer’ is told in all the religious writings.

    ‘Daily bread’ is of course an essential human need.

  • guano

    Kathy

    Jemand is not of European extraction nor culture, so far as I understand. He dislikes Islam on account of his experience of a version of Islam that is Eastern, hierarchical, theologically suspect and his experience is also personal rather than theoretical, I think.

    Since you have studied the topic of Islam in the West, why do you think that Europe dislikes La ilaha illa Allah? Is it because they are good, obedient followers of corrupt sacred texts which inform them of God’s delegation of power to Christ, or is it because they never really accepted Protestant theology that there is no intermediary between human and God?

    Is it top-down state oppression/propaganda followed by stigma, conservatism and apathy?
    Or is it the fear of life alteration and growth which might be accompanied by lower standard of living? Where would we be if we had not had the recent neo-colonial oil wars?

  • technicolour

    Jemand, I don’t know what you think you’re doing by citing three of the bloodiest periods of recent-ish history as examples of ‘political evolution’ – or any evolution. They were an excuse for lunatics with guns to take over. None of the above had ‘evolved’ to the point of political – of and for the people – thought. I again suggest you look at the entirely peaceful Portuguese Carnation revolution.

    It’s unclear whether you’re using Hitler as a reason to demonise Islam, or approving Hitler’s tactics as a method of tackling Islam. The fact remains, as you must well know, but display no conscience about, Muslim people make up under 5 percent of this country: that is, out of 100 people, 5 of them are Muslims. And not the scary, bearded Muslim under the bed variety which you seem personally to enjoy promoting: look at the terror statistics above. Add some facts and knowledge to your discourse.

    Your cries about Islam ‘taking over’ are indefensible: your language – “sly…false…bigoted…malicious” – so far sadly suggestive of its user.

  • guano

    Mark

    The moment of clarity that I experienced about religious books was when reading the Gospels prophecy:
    ‘ But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative–that is, the Holy Spirit–he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.John 14:26’

    I asked why this prophecy had not been fulfilled. Then I realised that Muhammad SAW is the fulfilment of this promise. The Christians got themselves in a muddle between the Gnostic reaching towards God through the inner light of the soul and the Semitic tradition of revelation through prophets, peace be upon all of them.

    Translators of scripture often transliterate names instead of mentioning them. Muammi is a Kurdish/ Aramaic word for Advocate.
    In the original scripture the word Muhammad would have been clear, and censored later.

  • fedup

    (someone in German, whhhheeeeeehhhhheeeyyy), Tosser! If you had spewed the hate that you have juxtaposing “Judaism” with “Islam” would your post even be on this board? Would you not be banned?

    For a wanker who has a German Moniker, you are awfully patriotic!

    God save the …….. Cuz no other fucker will, etc.

    You pissant little prick, stop spewing your obsessive hatred of Islam and Muslims, at once.

  • guano

    Mark
    ‘John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.’

    Prophet Muhammad SAW has this quality, that he spoke only what he heard from God from the Angel Gabriel, whether in the Qur’an or in hadeeth.

    The Gospels were written by men complete with human failings and false ideas, but the Qur’an is directly from God, as prophecied here.

  • Jemand

    Thanks for all the nice, intelligent responses. Technicolour, you’re back in old form making assumptions about me. I have never endorsed Nazism – EVER. You are also selectively blind, quite obviously ignoring comments by people like Doug Scorgie who accused me of the things I mentioned and then, ironically you accuse me of the same –  by sly implication. As for your statistics, they are meaningless. You still don’t understand that unrelated, isolated or parochial violence is irrelevant. Violence is a methodology with a purpose. If the purpose is to rob banks, then it requires a distinct solution. If the purpose is to eradicate an ethnic group, it requires a different solution. Islamic violence, while having the same bloody appearance, is unique and again, requires another particular solution. Your solution is to offer hugs. Good luck with that.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!)

    Doug Scorgie opines :

    “There are no excuses for what happened in Woolwich but, if you think carefully, there are reasons and one of the main reasons is British foreign policy.”
    ———-

    Well, it’s refreshing that you agree that there are no excuses.

    But tell us : thinking “carefully”, as you say, what in your opinion are (1) “the reasons”/the “main reasons”, other than British foreign policy?

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!)

    And now, back on-topic (if the savants prosing on about Islam will allow)….

    @ Craig :

    In your lead-in post you use the expression “the freedom of my own nation”. The a contrario of that is that Scotland is currently not free, which is quite a serious charge.

    It would be interesting to hear from you the conditions that need to obtain in order for a country/nation to be “free”. Both generally and in the specific case of Scotland (should you feel that these general conditions need supplementing – or narrowing – in the case of Scotland). Idem any conditions that would need not to obtain, or types of events which could/should not have happened, in a free country/Scotland.

    Furthermore, could you offer us any international comparisons from (relatively) recent history? To take one example – and there are probably much better ones – would you equate the Highland clearances with the Ukrainian holodomor?

  • technicolour

    Jemand: “I have never endorsed Nazism – EVER” – can you, therefore, explain what you mean by citing the Nazis, along with Mao and the Bolsheviks, as forms of ‘political evolution”.

    “If the purpose is to eradicate an ethnic group, it requires a different solution” – indeed. And I’m sure you have a reaction to balaclava’d gangs roaming the streets, and their hate and demonisation of a tiny percentage of this country, don’t you, Jemand?

    “Islamic violence, while having the same bloody appearance, is unique and again, requires another particular solution” – the targeting of the vast majority of the peaceful, it seems. Happy with that?

    Honest, Jemand, I don’t know if I’d be worried if you actually believe the nonsense (percentages aren’t important – facts aren’t important – let’s just all wail ‘they’ll take us over’) or whether you are cold-bloodedly spreading this disinformation while knowing there’s not shred of validity to it. Whether you are being used, or using, in short. Either way, it’s really not convincing anyone, is it? Have a hug.

  • Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!)

    April Showers/Mary, bright and early today at 07h35, writes :

    “Catalonia wants independence too” (I take it that those are her own words)

    and then goes on to (presumably) quote from the link she supplies as follows :

    “Spain’s richest region deserves independence”.

    On the assumption that April Showers endorses the thesis set out in her link, could she perhaps tell us why she agrees that Catalonia “deserves independence”?

    If, by any chance, the reasons are only financial, would she then also agree that the richer South of England should not subsidise the poorer regions of Northern England?

  • Dreoilin

    “Woolwich attack: of course British foreign policy had a role”

    “I am a former soldier. I completed one tour of duty in Afghanistan, refused on legal and moral grounds to serve a second tour, and spent five months in a military prison as a result. When the news about the attack in Woolwich broke, by pure coincidence Ross Caputi was crashing on my sofa. Ross is a soft-spoken ex-US marine turned film-maker who served in Iraq and witnessed the pillaging and irradiation of Falluja. He is also a native of Boston, the scene of a recent homegrown terror attack. Together, we watched the news, and right away we were certain that what we were seeing was informed by the misguided military adventures in which we had taken part …” (continues)

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/23/woolwich-attack-british-foreign-policy-role

  • guano

    Heneggcluck (Tho’ I prefer Doug Scorbie’s Halfacock)

    Thanks for reporting in and laying 2 eggs!

  • Juteman

    There have always been mentally ill folk in society.
    Wether they were terrorists or not, depends on who tells the story.
    Fear is good.
    Why wasn’t Peter Sutcliffe a Christian terrorist? God told him to murder prostitutes.

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