Showing posts with label Great Britain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great Britain. Show all posts

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Scotland

Scotland's referendum on independence resulted in a yes-vote of 45% and no-vote of 55%. Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom. God Save The Queen, some would say, that the marriage did not become a 'painful divorce', a term used by Prime Minister David Cameron, in warning what the U.K. would become if a yes vote had won.

What does it mean, that Scotland is still part of U.K.? It means many things. For one, although the marriage has not resulted in divorce, it is no longer the same. Cameron has promised to devolve more power to Scotland, but then millions of Scottish independence seekers (the 45%) remain unhappy. It is like an unhappy spouse agrees to stay married and stop seeking a divorce, while the other spouse makes all kinds of promises to prevent the marriage from falling apart. How would U.K. feel, now that Scotland said, " Darling, I used to love you 100%. Now I only love you 55% " ?

I am not Scottish, but if I were Scottish and lived in Scotland, maybe I would have voted yes to separate from the United Kingdom.Why? Well, just look up the reasons given by Alex Salmond and the 45% Scottish population who said yes. Of course the pro-union Brits have their reasons, too, to say no. I bet you the elites, the billionaires, the bankers, the London Stock Exchange, the City of London, the rich and powerful,  and the 1% would have said no.

Certainly the Queen and the noble family would not like to see Scotland go.The pro-union supporters would have voted with much of their head, while the pro-independence seekers would have voted not only with their head, but also with much of their heart. Please don't get mad at me, if you disagree with me and think otherwise. I believe in freedom of opinion, freedom of choice and freedom of speech.

Each case is different, and the only common rule we should follow is to settle any conflict and problem by peaceful means. For example, I am a Canadian, and I don't like to see Quebec separate from Canada.
" What is Canada without Quebec? ", I often ask myself this question. But what then if Quebec really wants to separate ? Then so be it ! They have the right to choose. 

Anyway, we now have a new, or rather a survived United Kingdom. Who are the true winners, the Scots or the Brits? What do you think?

I think the true winner is Freedom and Democracy. There were no bullets flying in Scotland. There was no fighting, no violence, no killing, and no civil war. It was a peaceful process of referendum and freedom of choice. To that, I salute !      

 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Julian Assange

Julian Assange is like David fighting Goliah. However you think of him, he is one man fighting against the whole wicked world. What wicked world ? The wicked world of corrupted governments, war criminals and all kinds of evil-doers.This is what he says,"If wars can be started by lies, then they can be stopped by truth". Julian Assange is the greatest whistle-blower of the century,if not of all time.It is ironical that the governments in the free world do not support freedom of speech, exposure of crimes, and telling the truth.It is like saying hey, by all means reveal as much dirt as you're pleased in this world, but not my dirt. ........................................................................................... Julian deeply embarrassed Uncle Sam, by exposing his collateral murder of innocent civilians in the Iraq War.It would be naive to believe that the U.S.Government is not trying to catch him, and then lock him up in perpetual detention or even kill him. Some American politicians and reporters in the media are so stupid, by accusing Julian of espionage and treason. What treason ? Julian is not an American.He is an Australian.Did he betray Australia? No. Did the Australian Government betray him ? Well, think for yourself. Why do you think he went to the Ecuador Embassy, and not the Australian embassy, to ask for political asylum ? Isn't it a fundamental duty of a country to protect its own citizens ? ........................................................................................... Although I don't know all the details, I can make an educated guess that Julian is not a rapist. Some reporters in the media are so stupid and dead wrong,in accusing Julian of being a rapist. If they wanted to use the word 'rape' or 'rapist', they should have put the word 'alleged' before it. A good legal principle is that one is innocent until proven guilty. Anyway, Julian has not been charged with rape or any crime. At this point, he is not a rapist. He is only wanted by Sweden for questioning, and the U.K. has agreed to extradite him to Sweden. This is something quite extraordinary, as Julian has not even been charged with any crime. I think Julian is right, in believing that if he is extradited to Sweden, then he will be further sent to U.S.A. ........................................................................................... If my memory is correct, at first the chief prosecutor in Sweden didn't even find any good reason or basis to charge Julian with sexual crime.It only happened later, that a new prosecutor entered the scene, and now Julian is wanted by Sweden.The allegation that he sexually assaulted two female ex-Wikileaks volunteers is a serious matter, but I smell something fishy here. Could this be a trap to catch Julian and then send him to Uncle Sam ? ........................................................................................... Julian is accused of not wearing a condom while having sex with an ex-Wikileaks volunteer. She said go wear a condom, but he didn't. They then had sex. Now, is this rape? Funny that Julian is not Catholic (is he ?), otherwise he can put all the blame on the Pope, who always says that thou shall not wear a condom! Sexual assault? Not wearing a condom ? Man, it sounds more like the Catholic priests who committed sexual crimes and hurt the innocent children. ........................................................................................... Consensual sex between adults in the free world is not a crime. Although I don't know all the details, I think the woman who complains that Julian did not use a condom after the act is probably wrong. She could have stopped and left.Since she went along and did it anyway, it is unreasonable to say that it was rape. ........................................................................................... Wearing a condom is a good practice of having safe sex.In Thailand, they do a very good job, in educating people about safe sex and wearing condoms.In Vatican, I'm afraid to say that the Pope is doing a very poor job, in advising people in the world not to wear a condom. Julian: please wear a condom next time, O.K. ? ........................................................................................... My opinion is that Ecuador has done the right thing, in granting Julian political asylum. U.K.'s threat to raid the Ecuador Embassy in London and arrest Julian is ridiculous. Yeah,under your U.K.laws, you have the legal obligation to extradite Julian to Sweden, but don't forget that there are international laws, too. If you actually go to the Ecuador Embassy and arrest Julian, hey, you will also lose your sovereignty in all your British embassies in other countries. The Ecuador and U.K. Governments should negotiate a way out for both sides.I'm sure that there are many good people in this world,who don't want to see Julian go to jail or get killed. ........................................................................................... Now that Ecuador has granted Julian political asylum, the story is not over yet.It has become an interesting and challenging question, on how Julian can escape safely from the Ecuador Embassy in London. Can he leave in an Ecuador embassy car and not run the risk of being stopped by the British police and get arrested ? Can he leave in an Ecuador helicopter and not run the risk of being shot down ? The best suggestion I have heard so far is that Ecuador can make Julian an Ecuador citizen, then appoint him as an Ecuador ambassador or similar position with full diplomatic immunity. Ha Ha Ha, then Julian can leave the Ecuador Embassy safely. Julian: you'd better start learning Spanish soon. Good luck ! LOVE AND PEACE TO ALL !!!