Scotland - Sturgeon's dream & the nightmare police state The Dream The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon in her Scottish National Party Conference Closing Address, Aberdeen, 17th October 2015 said "Friends, Let's dare to dream that Scotland will shape tomorrow's world just as decisively as we have shaped today's. And let us turn that dream into reality. Let's make sure that the names of the innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors working across our country today will be just as familiar to future generations as Alexander Graham Bell, John Logie Baird, Alexander Fleming and James Watt are to ours. Though let's make sure that, in future, some of our brilliant and talented women feature as well!". The nightmare police state My thanks to our beloved First Minister Sturgeon for her inspirational rhetoric. I share Nicola's dream but let us beware the waking nightmare when the reality in Scotland is that the precious work of Scottish innovators, entrepreneurs and inventors is neither cherished, nurtured nor allowed to come to fruition. Instead, Scotland's geniuses at work are cursed with the terror of obstruction from the pig-headed fools in charge of Police Scotland. Instead, badly managed police are violating their duties to protect the legal human rights of all Scots, however talented. Instead, stupid police officers are smashing their way into the homes of Scots to seize, foolishly "as evidence", computer equipment which sometimes contains the irreplaceable data of scientific research work in progress. Instead, incompetent prosecutors are stupidly prosecuting innocent Scots for their harmless political comments on social media. Instead, police and prosecutors are recklessly harming innovation, enterprise and invention in Scotland. Instead, police and prosecutors are wrecking the prospects of the Scottish economy and prosperity for the people. Instead of upholding the law, the UK police state in Scotland is committing CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY because all humanity suffers a loss when Scotland's high achievers are hindered from doing their duties. First Minister Sturgeon is being betrayed by the incompetent Scottish government officials in charge of law and order such as Chief Constable Sir Stephen House and Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland. First Minister Sturgeon would be well-advised to sack such failing law and order officials and appoint a new management team who will never again allow police and prosecutors to run amok in such an egregious manner. The horrific reality on the ground is at odds with the dream of the rhetoric in First Minister Sturgeon's speeches. This must change. Scottish Scientist vs Police Scotland I had tweeted a republican rant or two and over-hyped my rhetoric somewhat - though the tweets were clearly hyperbole and in no way could the police reasonably interpret such tweets as "threatening communication" but that's the idiotic charge I face. The idiotic charge followed a surprise police raid on my flat where the police seized my computer and back-up hard discs and memory sticks which contained all my irreplaceable science data, the results of my science research over a number of years. The police seized my irreplaceable data and have kept it for more than a year, despite me telling the police, after I had been released on bail, and despite my solicitor telling the prosecutors, that I was admitting to posting the tweets so there could be no need for the prosecutors to require the police to hold on to my computer and hard discs etc as "evidence" so as to prove something which I had already admitted to. I was targeted on the same basis as any citizen whose civil liberties and legal human rights to freedom of expression are being trampled over by the UK police state. Citizens are not committing "crimes" when we state our political views but rather the UK police choose to single some of us out for persecution. Like with TV broadcasts, some films contain strong language, so viewer discretion is advised. Sensitive people shouldn't watch such films if they find strong language offensive - likewise they shouldn't read twitter. It is not the case however that "the might of the police state is right". The UK police are stupid, heavy-handed and unaware of the full damaging consequences of their poorly thought-out actions. It's not the obligation of citizens in a robust democracy to be compelled to tone down our comments so that, for example, republicans are no longer allowed to make clear our strong opposition to monarchy. The police state in repressive regimes, such as China, North Korea, Cuba etc is characteristically intolerant of political dissenters and crushes the freedom of expression of citizens. It should be disturbing for Political Forum readers to read here about an instance of a police state crack down on freedom of expression here in Scotland in the UK, in the European Union. Scotland is presumed to be a free country, where citizens rights are legally protected by the European Convention on Human Rights but I have noted these violations by the police state in Scotland of my human rights under the ECHR. Article 5 - liberty and security Article 6 - fair trial Article 8 - privacy Article 9 - conscience and religion Article 10 - expression Article 11 - association Article 13 - effective remedy Article 14 - discrimination It is always an outrageous act of a dictatorial police state to arrest citizens for their political tweets or other political comments online or indeed published elsewhere. In my case there was an additional catastrophe for humanity that I happen to be a scientist and the police seized irreplaceable science data that they had and have no need of. Why is this the responsibility of Nicola Sturgeon's SNP government? Well the assault on social media freedom is being done on the orders and policies of the (retiring) Chief Constable Sir Stephen House, the (newly appointed) Chair of the Police Authority Andrew Flanagan, the (appointed by FM Salmond, confirmed by FM Sturgeon) Scottish government's law officers, Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland and Solicitor General Lesley Thomson - all of whom were appointed directly or indirectly by the SNP government, presumably on the bad advice of the UK civil service. The First Minister and the SNP following her lead have said "police and prosecutors are independent", even though the First Minister certainly could and would sack those in charge if she thought or the SNP thought that they were doing a bad job. Nicola Sturgeon in her conference speech said "Crime is at a 41 year low". So presumably that's why those law and order officials have been able to keep their jobs, despite their poor record on civil liberties and human rights? SNP "Science" minister - AWOL In which case it is the particular responsibility of those in SNP with an interest in civil liberties, human rights, freedom of expression, academic freedom, scientific freedom - to educate the rest of the SNP what it is that is wrong with police and prosecutors crushing freedom the way they are. So all of those issues I have raised really ought to be obvious to a good SNP Science Minister - that's why I am so disgusted at Dr Alastair Allan not focusing on these issues of importance to Scottish science. Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages Scotsman - Police Scotland launch plan for wider use of Gaelic language Alasdair Allan, minister for learning, science and Scotlands languages, said: I am delighted to support the launch of this consultation. The Scottish Government is firmly committed to supporting all our indigenous languages, including Gaelic. It is welcome to see Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority demonstrating firm commitment. Really when Police Scotland are taking a wrecking ball to science in Scotland for Dr Allan to be diverting himself with Gaelic language in the police is disgraceful. Concluding hyperbolic rhetoric One can imagine that had he been around in World War 2, Dr Allan would have parachuted in to Germany to speak to his pal Rudolph Hess about getting the SS to use Gaelic signs in their extermination camps. What's Gaelic for "Arbeit macht frei", Allan you disgusting little cretin?
