Rab Bruce's Spider

by Rab Bruce’s Spider   Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social     I know it is not good for my mental health, but I do try to keep up with news reports from a variety of outlets, including some with distinctly right wing leanings. It’s often hard not to swear when I read some of the stuff, but it does give an insight into the thinking of those who have been emboldened by the likes of Trump, Farage & Johnson.   I read one article the other day which insisted that Europe was being held back economically because of its deep-rooted DEI Wokeness, and advocating Trump-style solutions. I managed to dismiss it as just a little more barking mad than some articles.   Then I came across one which was perhaps more disturbing because it showed that, in some people’s minds, neo-liberal capitalism is still seen as providing the answer to enriching society.   This piece was about what has happened in Chi...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider   Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social   Labour’s performative cruelty in releasing videos of them deporting people is clearly a response to the threat of Nigel Farage who seems destined to be the UK’s next Prime Minister. It makes me wonder who is advising Keir starmer. Have they learned nothing from what happened to the Tories? No matter how far right the Tories ran, Farage was always able to outdo them. It was probably a threat the Tories could not cope with because they were so accustomed to being the voice of the Right. “You can’t out-Tory a Tory” was a common refrain. However, Farage and his fellow extremists took it one better, and the Tories have become largely irrelevant as a result of chasing the xenophobic element within the UK electorate.   And now Labour seem to be making exactly the same mistake. Surely it would be better for them to promote proper social policies which actually i...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider   Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social   There are so many examples of the UK Labour Government shafting Scotland that it is difficult to keep up. The fiasco over the Grangemouth refinery has even got the local Labour MP angry with his own Party, and that’s without taking into account Anas sarwar’s brazen lies about saving the refinery during the election campaign.   The other thing Mr Sarwar doesn’t get questioned about nearly often enough by the UK media in Scotland is his lack of control over the MPs who allegedly report to him but who, in practice, do as Keir starmer tells them. And Keir Starmer never tells them to do anything which might assist their Scottish constituents. Indeed, their main role seems to be to trashtalk Scotland at every opportunity. They do this, of course, to denigrate the SNP Scottish Government, but they rarely take into account the role of Westminster in most of the ...

by Rab Bruce’s Spider   Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social     So today is the day that Donald Trump has set for all federal employees to return to working in the office even if there aren’t enough workspaces for them to use. Working from home is, apparently, inefficient and unproductive, so workers need to be in the office where they can be supervised.   This is very similar to the claims made by other people in both business and politics. Who can forget Boris Johnson’s characterisation of WFH as involving trips to the fridge to stock up on snacks?   Now, some people do enjoy the atmosphere and environment of office working, but many people find that working from home is not only better for their mental wellbeing, it actually makes them more productive. With no stress of commuting, and being on hand to take in online shopping deliveries or simply to be around for domestic pets, it suits some peopl...