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For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
https://electricscotland.com/scotnews.htm
Electric Scotland News
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has produced its report into its independent review of education standards in Scotland. Opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament want this report to be made public but the Scottish Government have said any publication will be delayed until June. One of the architects of the Curriculum for Excellence, Dr Keir Bloomer, said he “could not see any reason why this report needs to be delayed and the sooner it is in the public domain the better’: If this is the case then why are the Scottish Government delaying the publication of this report? Do they hope that a delay will alter the OECD findings? Given that this report is based on pre-pandemic education standards, then surely it is the ideal benchmark for the public to take the first minister at her word when she stood at the last Scottish Parliament election on a mandate promise of “judge me on education’: This report will show the public whether she has succeeded in this area or not, prior to the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections in May.
Mhairi E Rennie, Fintayson Street, Fraserburgh.
-------
Elle Blackwood
I've just sponsored Elle to become a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. However she needs a second sponsor to complete the application and am looking for any FSA Scot's that might help her.
Here is a bit about her...
I am a poet, novelist, short story writer, editor, and painter who lives in a small Victorian river town in Washington State. My bachelor’s degree is in creative writing and English literature, with a minor in cultural anthropology. I write magical realism and literary fiction infused with folklore, and create landscapes of dark woodlands, lochs, and rugged moors, with old mansions and cottages that serve as central characters. As a writer, I’ve spent countless hours researching Scottish folklore, folk magic, and old Scottish customs by way of antiquarian books and scholarly articles. With the help of several Scots speakers, I’ve been studying the Scots language for well over a decade. Though it’s not my language, I do my best to help fellow Americans understand Scots is one of the three indigenous languages of Scotland.
My interest in Scottish culture and history has been lifelong—my grandfather’s family immigrated to The States from the Kirkcudbright area. I still have family in Dumfries and Galloway, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel through much of Scotland. I especially enjoy wandering through old graveyards in search of lost stories.
So if anyone that is a member of this society could help out perhaps email andrea@socantscot.org and tell her you're willing to sponsor her and many thanks for considering this.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Mark Carney's Project Fear warnings dismantled
GEORGE GALLOWAY has hit out at Remainers for pushing Project Fear warnings in the run-up to Brexit, branding them idiots at work.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...-EU-twitter-uk
The old Scots parliament - as crooked as the new one
Scotland’s new parliament is revealing itself as a weak institution, incapable of holding the executive to account, and not good at representing the citizen against the state. How does this performance compare with its predecessor, the old Scots parliament?
Read more at:
https://themajority.scot/2021/02/26/...as-the-new-one
Labour's new Scottish leader Anas Sarwar vows end to divisive politics Sturgeon wants
ANAS Sarwar has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Labour party in a bid to revive its election hopes.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...cotland-latest
The SNP fails again
Scottish homeless death rate three times worse than England's by Max Young
Read more at:
https://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkp...ead_full=14470
Our educational crisis
Has intelligence gone out of fashion? by Gail MacDonald
Read more at:
https://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkc...ead_full=14473
The UK is ready to roar back
Predictions of the fastest growth for FIFTY years and a black hole in the nation's finances that is MUCH smaller than feared £40bn - as Boris Johnson says pessimists got it wrong
Read more at:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...got-wrong.html
Another £1.2bn in the bag! Liz Truss celebrates as ANOTHER Brexit deal signed
INTERNATIONAL Trade Secretary Liz Truss has signed the UK's new post-Brexit trade deal with Ghana.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...z-truss-latest
Something rotten in Scotland
The current shenanigans are doing Scotland no good at all any more than is SNP rule. It is what happens when the ruling party in a democracy has an ineffective or no real opposition. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/comment/ex...national-party
Calls for Nicola Sturgeon to quit over Alex Salmond revelations
Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to resign after new documents raised further questions about her involvement in the Alex Salmond saga.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...itics-56259056
Circulation Figures
By Hamish Mackay in the Scottish Review
Read more at:
https://www.scottishreview.net/HamishMackay560a.html
Our hidden heartache
Care home company reveals the true toll of Covid on residents and staff
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/covid-care-home-toll
Kenny Dalglish at 70
Looking back on a life of achievement on and off the pitch with the people that know him best
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/kenny-...-know-him-best
Nicola Sturgeon is furiously accused of a cover-up as she fights for her job at crucial hearing
She continues to claim that she first learned of the allegations against Mr Salmond at her home on April 2 It contradicts two witnesses who back Mr Salmond's version of events that she was told about it on March 29
Read more at:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...on-events.html
Nicola Sturgeon blasted over Government delays in handing legal advice to Alex Salmond inquiry
The Government finally released the documents after Deputy First Minister John Swinney's job was at risk.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/p...nment-23606547
Sarkozy’s Conviction Is a Win for the Rule of Law
From France to America, democratic countries are affirming the fundamental principle of government by law, not by men (and women). That is the message of our time that should reassure the Cassandras who believe that despotism is on a roll.
Read more at:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/co...-joffe-2021-03
Report on Scotland's high schools must be published now, Nicola Sturgeon told
The state of secondary education across Scotland was reviewed by a team of international experts but the SNP Government has yet to publish its report.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/p...-must-23607404
Electric Canadian
The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
A History of RCEME to 1946 By Colonel R.H. Hodgson (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...4_Feb_2010.pdf
The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
A Collection of RCEME Individual Unit Histories In North-West Europe In World War II Edited By Doug Knight (2010) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...1_Nov_2010.pdf
Thoughts on a Sunday morning - 28th February 2021
By the Rev. Nola Crewe
You can view this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...-february-2021
Winter Adventures of three boys in the Great Lone Land
By Egerton Ryerson Young (1899) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/chil...boyswinter.pdf
Electric Scotland
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Hi! Here we are again with another segment of Beth's Newfangled Family Tree! It's Section A for March.
Tom and I now have had both of our Covid shots and the 10 day period after the shots has passed a few days ago. What's next? It's anti-climactic as it's a continuation of our masks, hand washing, social distancing, etc. We are happy to be beyond this milestone and hope that the vaccine is wildly successful for everyone!
We had heard horror stories about the second shot. Ours passed without any incident at all. We had our shots at Ingles' Pharmacy in Clarkesville, GA. The pharmacist who gave us our shots managed to do so without any pain whatsoever to either of us and not even enough soreness in our arms to notice. What a miracle that a vaccine was developed in such a relatively short time.
This publication was interesting to do. I have been thinking about my Auntie Mildred, who lived to be 107 and was sharp as a tack until she passed away in her sleep. Her only wish, she said, that did not come true in her life was to get to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I have been wishing I could sit her down to a computer with the URL that is contained in this publication so that she could examine, better than visiting in person, that glorious work of art! You can visit! Free.
We have lost our beloved Donald MacDonald at age 94. We have tributes from both the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and from the Scotland County Scottish Games. If you did not know Donald, I promise you all the things you read about him are true!
Please don't forget to send in changes in your email address. Please don't forget to send in queries from your own genealogy. Please remember to send information if you have a Flower of the Forest in your life. I hope you all know that everything is FREE, no charge at all.
Please take care of yourselves and stay safe.
Aye, beth
Beth Gay, Dame Kingdome of Raknar, CRMC, FSA Scot
Scottish Society of Louisville
Got in the March 2021 newsletter which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...ille/index.htm
Musings of a Tank Commander
Part 28 Fighting the wrong wars, death’s acre and a careering Hercules
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...tank/index.htm
Colonists from Scotland: emigration to North America, 1707-1783
By Ian Charles Cargill Graham (1956)
Found this interesting book on the Internet Archive which can be read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...s_scotland.htm
Asheville, NC
Sister City to Dunkeld-Birnam, Scotland.
You can learn more at: https://electricscotland.com/history...a/ashville.htm
Got in a new picture of Findlater Castle and also found the missing picture of The Red Well from Stan Bruce which you can see on our Historic Grampian page at: https://electricscotland.com/historic/grampian.html
Banff Through the Years
An illustrated History of the Royal Burgh. Volume 2 - 18th Century by Stanley Bruce, Banffshire Maritime & Heritage Association (pdf). Banff Through the Years is the 4th book in the 'Through the Years' series. As the title implies it is read on a timeline giving the reader all the important aspects of the history of the Roya1 Burgh of Banff. This part looks at the 18th century, which was a time of expansion for the town which led to the building of many grand houses including the wonderful Duff House. There are three other volumes for Banff covering Up to 1699, the 19th century, and the 20th century.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...ghtheyears.pdf
A History of Wales
From the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest by John Edward Lloyd, M. A., Professor of History in the University College of North Wales, Bangor in two volumes (second edition) (1912)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/historyofwales.htm
Ewan McVicar
Was born in Inverness. After working abroad, he returned to Scotland and was employed in various areas of social work before becoming a self-employed storyteller, author and songwriter. You can learn more about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/kids/mcvicar_ewan.htm
The Christian's Daily Companion
Presenting an entire view of Divine truth in a series of meditations for every morning and evening throughout the year by thirty-one clergymen of the Church of Scotland (1843) (pdf)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/bible/c..._companion.htm
Story
The story this week is my own take on the state of the Scottish SNP Government.
I am quite upset at the dishonesty in Scotland when it come to openness. I have always said that at the end of the day an Independent Scotland should be truly honest with its dealings and show ambition to promote Scotland to the world.
Right now an Independent Scotland under SNP leadership would be a disaster for Scotland as they are clearly not honest or competent.
Let's us look at the recent Sturgeon v Salmond enquiry. The Scottish Government won a majority to ask the SNP to make available the legal advice they got on this sad matter not just once but twice and yet only when a threat of a no confidence vote was threatened on John Swinney did he eventually make available a redacted version and only a little before Sturgeon went on the stand to answer questions.
Then we have the current situation where they are also refusing to release the report on the state of Education in Scotland and have now said it will only be released after the next election. I would understand this only if the report is not a good one for Scotland as why else would they delay it's publication?
What are they hiding? It's obvious to most that this SNP Government is no longer fit for purpose. In fact it's now being seen globally as a tin pot third world regime.
After 14 years in power they seem to have cowed both the law and journalists in that neither are also fit for purpose any more.
I don't mind if a government gets it wrong as long as they admit their mistakes and tell us how they intend to fix them. That's the honest thing to do but the SNP are clearly not honest.
In fact when it comes to the EU they clearly want to re-join as soon as possible despite all the problems the EU have with several countries looking at leaving the block and even Germans looking increasingly anxious to leave the EU themselves.
Right now the EU is in a mess and yet the SNP clearly ignore all that. I've also noticed that the SNP are uping their attacks on Westminster. I guess they figure the more they piss off the English they hope the English will vote to kick out Scotland. What they fail to realise is that if they succeed on that front then the English will also not wish to purchase Scottish goods or services. And let's not forget that Scotland exports to the rest of the UK is some 60% and then the US is in second place and the EU then comes up in third place.
And in 14 years of being in power what have they actually achieved? All I can see is a drive towards getting more power to the central Government and less power to our Councils and Police and Justice system. Where is the ambition for an Independent Scotland? What have they done to promote Scottish business and exports?
Considering they will lose the some 10 billion in the shared money they get from the UK Government how will they replace that?
They have shown absolutely nothing to suggest they have any talents to promote the country other than to run it down and make it a laughing stock around the world.
It's clear to me that the saying "The best of Scots have left Scotland and left the also rans behind" is increasingly true.
That's not to say of course that there aren't local Scots with real talent as there are but increasingly if they aren't SNP supporters they rarely get a look in.
The SNP has been a disaster for Scotland and why the significant number of SNP supporters haven't rebelled is beyond me. It must be because the news in Scotland is very much against Westminster and thus incapable of holding the SNP to account. Why is it that no newspapers in Scotland are asking the ackward questions? Like Scotland is now the drug capital of Europe. Homelessness is greater in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe. They can't even build a new hospital on budget and in time. The police in Scotland are probably the most ineffective in Europe due to centralisation. Our legal system is a disaster with Judges not fit for purpose and our legal system can't keep up with all the outstanding legal cases and is just getting worse.
Then where has all the extra money gone that they received from Westminster? At last account they can't explain where some 2.7 billion pounds has gone. At last account Scotland gets some 2,000 pounds more per head than they get in England but they get it as a block grant and while it is calculated to be risen for health, police, transport, etc. they are no rules on how it should be applied once the money arrives in Scotland.
There are just so many questions like how an independent Scotland will be independent under the EU which is not a democratic organisation. It's clear to me they will be rule takers under the EU and if you look at how the EU has treated Ireland recently you have to wonder if Scotland would fare any better.
Of course we do know why Sturgeon wants to be in the EU as an Independent country... it's because Sturgeon knows the SNP are incompetent and they'll need the EU to run lots of matters for them. That's even worse than being under Westminster.
And let's not forget the lessons under the Darien scheme and also how as a result Scotland joined with England and some years later became hugely successful in it's own right.
With Brexit now behind us Scotland continues to work on the premise that it will all go away instead of doing their best to take it in their stride and work to make a success of it. Yet in the Scottish Press there is rarely a mention of the some 60+ free trade deals that the UK has already signed with lots of promise of many more to come. The SNP are increasingly looking to be totally out of touch with reality and don't seem to understand where global trade is going in the world. By 2030 some 60% of the global middle class will be in Asia and that's where the UK are working very hard to be a part of.
So while Scotland is languishing in poverty and seems incapable of getting past this independence idea the world it moving on and leaving Scotland behind.
And let us remember that health equality is now worse in Scotland and our life expectancy is well down on the average in Europe. Poverty is rife in Scotland, and our social system is getting worse every year and yet far too many Scots see Sturgeon as doing no wrong and yet in actual fact she's been a disaster for Scotland.
We can't even build ships in Scotland and our wind turbines are all made outside Scotland.
And never mind the current pandemic where again secrecy has dealt a blow to Scots by ignoring the Nike outbreak in Edinburgh and the care homes scandal.
What has Scotland done well under Sturgeon? I can't think of anything at all. So why have Scots become so unambitious for their country? They simply lack honest information and instead just get biased information from journalists and Government. Even the new history carriculum in schools in Scotland is dishonest.
Why aren't we building the 5G network in Scotland and why aren't we moving to add electric re-charge stations throughout Scotland and why aren't wee looking to build electric cars in Scotland?
If you read just some of the history on Electric Scotland under the "Scots Diaspora" you'll be amazed what Scots have done and achieved in the world. This shows what Scots were capable of yet today we're s pale comparison to what we once were.
I say if you really want to be an Independent country then you need a new government and get rid of the dishonest SNP. And I respect Scots rights to suffer financially if they are successful in getting independence. After all that's what we got from Brexit. After all the doom and gloom predictions from the remainers the people of the UK were prepared to risk that to get out of the EU. I respect that and would also respect the Scots for also making that decision. BUT you do need to ask yourself if the rather incompetent and secretive SNP can deliver and do you really want to live under an autocratic SNP regime?
And to finish I would simply say that I'd be happy to receive any comments and information on how you think the SNP have done well for Scotland. I have added this as an article to the site so if you go to that page you can use our comment system to add any thoughts you may have to the page. It's at: https://electricscotland.com/indepen...forpurpose.htm
END
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair
https://electricscotland.com/scotnews.htm
Electric Scotland News
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has produced its report into its independent review of education standards in Scotland. Opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament want this report to be made public but the Scottish Government have said any publication will be delayed until June. One of the architects of the Curriculum for Excellence, Dr Keir Bloomer, said he “could not see any reason why this report needs to be delayed and the sooner it is in the public domain the better’: If this is the case then why are the Scottish Government delaying the publication of this report? Do they hope that a delay will alter the OECD findings? Given that this report is based on pre-pandemic education standards, then surely it is the ideal benchmark for the public to take the first minister at her word when she stood at the last Scottish Parliament election on a mandate promise of “judge me on education’: This report will show the public whether she has succeeded in this area or not, prior to the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections in May.
Mhairi E Rennie, Fintayson Street, Fraserburgh.
-------
Elle Blackwood
I've just sponsored Elle to become a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. However she needs a second sponsor to complete the application and am looking for any FSA Scot's that might help her.
Here is a bit about her...
I am a poet, novelist, short story writer, editor, and painter who lives in a small Victorian river town in Washington State. My bachelor’s degree is in creative writing and English literature, with a minor in cultural anthropology. I write magical realism and literary fiction infused with folklore, and create landscapes of dark woodlands, lochs, and rugged moors, with old mansions and cottages that serve as central characters. As a writer, I’ve spent countless hours researching Scottish folklore, folk magic, and old Scottish customs by way of antiquarian books and scholarly articles. With the help of several Scots speakers, I’ve been studying the Scots language for well over a decade. Though it’s not my language, I do my best to help fellow Americans understand Scots is one of the three indigenous languages of Scotland.
My interest in Scottish culture and history has been lifelong—my grandfather’s family immigrated to The States from the Kirkcudbright area. I still have family in Dumfries and Galloway, and I’ve been fortunate enough to travel through much of Scotland. I especially enjoy wandering through old graveyards in search of lost stories.
So if anyone that is a member of this society could help out perhaps email andrea@socantscot.org and tell her you're willing to sponsor her and many thanks for considering this.
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland and world news stories that can affect Scotland and as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines it becomes a good resource. I might also add that in a number of newspapers you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish which I do myself from time to time.
Mark Carney's Project Fear warnings dismantled
GEORGE GALLOWAY has hit out at Remainers for pushing Project Fear warnings in the run-up to Brexit, branding them idiots at work.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...-EU-twitter-uk
The old Scots parliament - as crooked as the new one
Scotland’s new parliament is revealing itself as a weak institution, incapable of holding the executive to account, and not good at representing the citizen against the state. How does this performance compare with its predecessor, the old Scots parliament?
Read more at:
https://themajority.scot/2021/02/26/...as-the-new-one
Labour's new Scottish leader Anas Sarwar vows end to divisive politics Sturgeon wants
ANAS Sarwar has been elected the new leader of the Scottish Labour party in a bid to revive its election hopes.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...cotland-latest
The SNP fails again
Scottish homeless death rate three times worse than England's by Max Young
Read more at:
https://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkp...ead_full=14470
Our educational crisis
Has intelligence gone out of fashion? by Gail MacDonald
Read more at:
https://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkc...ead_full=14473
The UK is ready to roar back
Predictions of the fastest growth for FIFTY years and a black hole in the nation's finances that is MUCH smaller than feared £40bn - as Boris Johnson says pessimists got it wrong
Read more at:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...got-wrong.html
Another £1.2bn in the bag! Liz Truss celebrates as ANOTHER Brexit deal signed
INTERNATIONAL Trade Secretary Liz Truss has signed the UK's new post-Brexit trade deal with Ghana.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...z-truss-latest
Something rotten in Scotland
The current shenanigans are doing Scotland no good at all any more than is SNP rule. It is what happens when the ruling party in a democracy has an ineffective or no real opposition. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Read more at:
https://www.express.co.uk/comment/ex...national-party
Calls for Nicola Sturgeon to quit over Alex Salmond revelations
Nicola Sturgeon is facing calls to resign after new documents raised further questions about her involvement in the Alex Salmond saga.
Read more at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...itics-56259056
Circulation Figures
By Hamish Mackay in the Scottish Review
Read more at:
https://www.scottishreview.net/HamishMackay560a.html
Our hidden heartache
Care home company reveals the true toll of Covid on residents and staff
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/covid-care-home-toll
Kenny Dalglish at 70
Looking back on a life of achievement on and off the pitch with the people that know him best
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/kenny-...-know-him-best
Nicola Sturgeon is furiously accused of a cover-up as she fights for her job at crucial hearing
She continues to claim that she first learned of the allegations against Mr Salmond at her home on April 2 It contradicts two witnesses who back Mr Salmond's version of events that she was told about it on March 29
Read more at:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...on-events.html
Nicola Sturgeon blasted over Government delays in handing legal advice to Alex Salmond inquiry
The Government finally released the documents after Deputy First Minister John Swinney's job was at risk.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/p...nment-23606547
Sarkozy’s Conviction Is a Win for the Rule of Law
From France to America, democratic countries are affirming the fundamental principle of government by law, not by men (and women). That is the message of our time that should reassure the Cassandras who believe that despotism is on a roll.
Read more at:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/co...-joffe-2021-03
Report on Scotland's high schools must be published now, Nicola Sturgeon told
The state of secondary education across Scotland was reviewed by a team of international experts but the SNP Government has yet to publish its report.
Read more at:
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/p...-must-23607404
Electric Canadian
The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
A History of RCEME to 1946 By Colonel R.H. Hodgson (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...4_Feb_2010.pdf
The Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
A Collection of RCEME Individual Unit Histories In North-West Europe In World War II Edited By Doug Knight (2010) (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...1_Nov_2010.pdf
Thoughts on a Sunday morning - 28th February 2021
By the Rev. Nola Crewe
You can view this at:
http://www.electricscotland.org/foru...-february-2021
Winter Adventures of three boys in the Great Lone Land
By Egerton Ryerson Young (1899) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/chil...boyswinter.pdf
Electric Scotland
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Hi! Here we are again with another segment of Beth's Newfangled Family Tree! It's Section A for March.
Tom and I now have had both of our Covid shots and the 10 day period after the shots has passed a few days ago. What's next? It's anti-climactic as it's a continuation of our masks, hand washing, social distancing, etc. We are happy to be beyond this milestone and hope that the vaccine is wildly successful for everyone!
We had heard horror stories about the second shot. Ours passed without any incident at all. We had our shots at Ingles' Pharmacy in Clarkesville, GA. The pharmacist who gave us our shots managed to do so without any pain whatsoever to either of us and not even enough soreness in our arms to notice. What a miracle that a vaccine was developed in such a relatively short time.
This publication was interesting to do. I have been thinking about my Auntie Mildred, who lived to be 107 and was sharp as a tack until she passed away in her sleep. Her only wish, she said, that did not come true in her life was to get to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I have been wishing I could sit her down to a computer with the URL that is contained in this publication so that she could examine, better than visiting in person, that glorious work of art! You can visit! Free.
We have lost our beloved Donald MacDonald at age 94. We have tributes from both the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and from the Scotland County Scottish Games. If you did not know Donald, I promise you all the things you read about him are true!
Please don't forget to send in changes in your email address. Please don't forget to send in queries from your own genealogy. Please remember to send information if you have a Flower of the Forest in your life. I hope you all know that everything is FREE, no charge at all.
Please take care of yourselves and stay safe.
Aye, beth
Beth Gay, Dame Kingdome of Raknar, CRMC, FSA Scot
Scottish Society of Louisville
Got in the March 2021 newsletter which you can read at:
https://electricscotland.com/familyt...ille/index.htm
Musings of a Tank Commander
Part 28 Fighting the wrong wars, death’s acre and a careering Hercules
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...tank/index.htm
Colonists from Scotland: emigration to North America, 1707-1783
By Ian Charles Cargill Graham (1956)
Found this interesting book on the Internet Archive which can be read at:
https://electricscotland.com/history...s_scotland.htm
Asheville, NC
Sister City to Dunkeld-Birnam, Scotland.
You can learn more at: https://electricscotland.com/history...a/ashville.htm
Got in a new picture of Findlater Castle and also found the missing picture of The Red Well from Stan Bruce which you can see on our Historic Grampian page at: https://electricscotland.com/historic/grampian.html
Banff Through the Years
An illustrated History of the Royal Burgh. Volume 2 - 18th Century by Stanley Bruce, Banffshire Maritime & Heritage Association (pdf). Banff Through the Years is the 4th book in the 'Through the Years' series. As the title implies it is read on a timeline giving the reader all the important aspects of the history of the Roya1 Burgh of Banff. This part looks at the 18th century, which was a time of expansion for the town which led to the building of many grand houses including the wonderful Duff House. There are three other volumes for Banff covering Up to 1699, the 19th century, and the 20th century.
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history...ghtheyears.pdf
A History of Wales
From the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest by John Edward Lloyd, M. A., Professor of History in the University College of North Wales, Bangor in two volumes (second edition) (1912)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/history/historyofwales.htm
Ewan McVicar
Was born in Inverness. After working abroad, he returned to Scotland and was employed in various areas of social work before becoming a self-employed storyteller, author and songwriter. You can learn more about him at:
https://electricscotland.com/kids/mcvicar_ewan.htm
The Christian's Daily Companion
Presenting an entire view of Divine truth in a series of meditations for every morning and evening throughout the year by thirty-one clergymen of the Church of Scotland (1843) (pdf)
You can read this at: https://electricscotland.com/bible/c..._companion.htm
Story
The story this week is my own take on the state of the Scottish SNP Government.
I am quite upset at the dishonesty in Scotland when it come to openness. I have always said that at the end of the day an Independent Scotland should be truly honest with its dealings and show ambition to promote Scotland to the world.
Right now an Independent Scotland under SNP leadership would be a disaster for Scotland as they are clearly not honest or competent.
Let's us look at the recent Sturgeon v Salmond enquiry. The Scottish Government won a majority to ask the SNP to make available the legal advice they got on this sad matter not just once but twice and yet only when a threat of a no confidence vote was threatened on John Swinney did he eventually make available a redacted version and only a little before Sturgeon went on the stand to answer questions.
Then we have the current situation where they are also refusing to release the report on the state of Education in Scotland and have now said it will only be released after the next election. I would understand this only if the report is not a good one for Scotland as why else would they delay it's publication?
What are they hiding? It's obvious to most that this SNP Government is no longer fit for purpose. In fact it's now being seen globally as a tin pot third world regime.
After 14 years in power they seem to have cowed both the law and journalists in that neither are also fit for purpose any more.
I don't mind if a government gets it wrong as long as they admit their mistakes and tell us how they intend to fix them. That's the honest thing to do but the SNP are clearly not honest.
In fact when it comes to the EU they clearly want to re-join as soon as possible despite all the problems the EU have with several countries looking at leaving the block and even Germans looking increasingly anxious to leave the EU themselves.
Right now the EU is in a mess and yet the SNP clearly ignore all that. I've also noticed that the SNP are uping their attacks on Westminster. I guess they figure the more they piss off the English they hope the English will vote to kick out Scotland. What they fail to realise is that if they succeed on that front then the English will also not wish to purchase Scottish goods or services. And let's not forget that Scotland exports to the rest of the UK is some 60% and then the US is in second place and the EU then comes up in third place.
And in 14 years of being in power what have they actually achieved? All I can see is a drive towards getting more power to the central Government and less power to our Councils and Police and Justice system. Where is the ambition for an Independent Scotland? What have they done to promote Scottish business and exports?
Considering they will lose the some 10 billion in the shared money they get from the UK Government how will they replace that?
They have shown absolutely nothing to suggest they have any talents to promote the country other than to run it down and make it a laughing stock around the world.
It's clear to me that the saying "The best of Scots have left Scotland and left the also rans behind" is increasingly true.
That's not to say of course that there aren't local Scots with real talent as there are but increasingly if they aren't SNP supporters they rarely get a look in.
The SNP has been a disaster for Scotland and why the significant number of SNP supporters haven't rebelled is beyond me. It must be because the news in Scotland is very much against Westminster and thus incapable of holding the SNP to account. Why is it that no newspapers in Scotland are asking the ackward questions? Like Scotland is now the drug capital of Europe. Homelessness is greater in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe. They can't even build a new hospital on budget and in time. The police in Scotland are probably the most ineffective in Europe due to centralisation. Our legal system is a disaster with Judges not fit for purpose and our legal system can't keep up with all the outstanding legal cases and is just getting worse.
Then where has all the extra money gone that they received from Westminster? At last account they can't explain where some 2.7 billion pounds has gone. At last account Scotland gets some 2,000 pounds more per head than they get in England but they get it as a block grant and while it is calculated to be risen for health, police, transport, etc. they are no rules on how it should be applied once the money arrives in Scotland.
There are just so many questions like how an independent Scotland will be independent under the EU which is not a democratic organisation. It's clear to me they will be rule takers under the EU and if you look at how the EU has treated Ireland recently you have to wonder if Scotland would fare any better.
Of course we do know why Sturgeon wants to be in the EU as an Independent country... it's because Sturgeon knows the SNP are incompetent and they'll need the EU to run lots of matters for them. That's even worse than being under Westminster.
And let's not forget the lessons under the Darien scheme and also how as a result Scotland joined with England and some years later became hugely successful in it's own right.
With Brexit now behind us Scotland continues to work on the premise that it will all go away instead of doing their best to take it in their stride and work to make a success of it. Yet in the Scottish Press there is rarely a mention of the some 60+ free trade deals that the UK has already signed with lots of promise of many more to come. The SNP are increasingly looking to be totally out of touch with reality and don't seem to understand where global trade is going in the world. By 2030 some 60% of the global middle class will be in Asia and that's where the UK are working very hard to be a part of.
So while Scotland is languishing in poverty and seems incapable of getting past this independence idea the world it moving on and leaving Scotland behind.
And let us remember that health equality is now worse in Scotland and our life expectancy is well down on the average in Europe. Poverty is rife in Scotland, and our social system is getting worse every year and yet far too many Scots see Sturgeon as doing no wrong and yet in actual fact she's been a disaster for Scotland.
We can't even build ships in Scotland and our wind turbines are all made outside Scotland.
And never mind the current pandemic where again secrecy has dealt a blow to Scots by ignoring the Nike outbreak in Edinburgh and the care homes scandal.
What has Scotland done well under Sturgeon? I can't think of anything at all. So why have Scots become so unambitious for their country? They simply lack honest information and instead just get biased information from journalists and Government. Even the new history carriculum in schools in Scotland is dishonest.
Why aren't we building the 5G network in Scotland and why aren't we moving to add electric re-charge stations throughout Scotland and why aren't wee looking to build electric cars in Scotland?
If you read just some of the history on Electric Scotland under the "Scots Diaspora" you'll be amazed what Scots have done and achieved in the world. This shows what Scots were capable of yet today we're s pale comparison to what we once were.
I say if you really want to be an Independent country then you need a new government and get rid of the dishonest SNP. And I respect Scots rights to suffer financially if they are successful in getting independence. After all that's what we got from Brexit. After all the doom and gloom predictions from the remainers the people of the UK were prepared to risk that to get out of the EU. I respect that and would also respect the Scots for also making that decision. BUT you do need to ask yourself if the rather incompetent and secretive SNP can deliver and do you really want to live under an autocratic SNP regime?
And to finish I would simply say that I'd be happy to receive any comments and information on how you think the SNP have done well for Scotland. I have added this as an article to the site so if you go to that page you can use our comment system to add any thoughts you may have to the page. It's at: https://electricscotland.com/indepen...forpurpose.htm
END
And that's it for this week and hope you all have a great weekend.
Alastair