The Fly Fifer

Trying to separate signal from noise. Usually the noise.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

If something sounds dramatic, it’s usually hiding something boring underneath.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

As someone who donated to the fund, the money isn't even the main issue now.

It's trust.

People were asked to contribute on the understanding the fund was ring-fenced for a future referendum campaign.

Trying to perfume that particular turd years later doesn't rebuild the trust that was lost when the questions first went unanswered.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@HenryNowakSol_ The frightening thing is how many people watched that footage and weren't shocked by the mistake.

They expected it.

That's where the trust problem starts.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

The more I read about the Henry Nowak case, the less I think it's about one officer, one policy or one politician.

It's about trust.

Millions of ordinary people look at institutions now and no longer assume they're acting with common sense.

Maybe that's fair.

Maybe it isn't.

But once people stop giving institutions the benefit of the doubt, every mistake becomes proof and every explanation sounds like an excuse.

That's where we seem to be heading.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

The thing many politicians, commentators and journalists still don't seem to grasp is this:

Most people protesting aren't asking for special treatment.

They're asking for equal treatment.

The moment large numbers of ordinary people start believing institutions apply different standards to different groups, trust starts to disappear.

Whether that perception is right or wrong almost becomes secondary.

Because once trust is lost, every future decision gets viewed through that lens.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

A lot of folk seem baffled by the protests.

I'm more baffled that they're baffled.

Spend years dismissing concerns about immigration, crime, policing and community cohesion, then act surprised when people stop trusting institutions.

Most aren't extremists.

They're just tired of being told not to believe their own eyes.

The real crisis isn't political.

It's trust.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@WingsScotland 🤣🤣🤣

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

US senators make billions from insider trading.
British politicians bulk buy bog roll before announcing a shortage.
Different cultures. Same business model.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@joannaccherry @scotcitizenblog @kuniko77 I think you're underplaying opportunities here Joanna, I'd describe them as the glaring variety.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@WingsScotland At that time I was both a donor (£20) and a member. I received no such email.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@JamesMelville Spot the problem?

The hairdryer has a more obvious purpose than most government spending.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@WingsScotland P.E.S.T.

Persistent Examination of Scottish Theatre.

Admittedly it needs work.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@SamaHoole The funny thing is that both sides can be right.

Raw milk carries risks.

Alcohol and tobacco carry risks.

Yet only one of them requires politicians to explain why grown adults can't be trusted to make their own decisions.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@stuey_beef Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I'd have thought the order was:

Win the by-election.
Become an MP.
Win a leadership contest.
Pick a Chancellor.

We've apparently skipped straight to Step 4.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

Don't be fooled by the SNP."

Fair enough.

But after 14 years of Conservative governments in Westminster, Scotland's last refinery is shut, energy jobs are disappearing, and we're importing more of what we used to make ourselves.

At what point do we stop being fooled by everybody?

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

Scottish politics has finally reached the stage where:
A man admits to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds over more than a decade…
…and the argument immediately becomes whether asking questions about it is somehow “politicising” things.
Which is fascinating logic, really.
Because if the former chief executive of any other major organisation had quietly siphoned off cash for twelve years while everyone around him apparently noticed nothing, there would absolutely be questions about governance, oversight, accountability, who knew what, and how the alarms never went off.
Instead we’re being told:
“Police investigated it. Courts are dealing with it. Move along.”
As though the crime itself explains away the institutional failure surrounding it.
British politics 🤝 Scottish politics
“Nothing to see here”
immediately after something very substantial has been seen.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@GerryKeogh_ Funny you should mention that Gerry my wife and I were talking about that this morning. Regardless of whether the donors asked for the money back, where did it go?

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

Political movements usually decay when:

criticism becomes taboo, accountability becomes conditional, and protecting the institution becomes more important than protecting the principle.

Ironically, a movement built around sovereignty and democratic accountability almost has to hold itself to a higher standard than Westminster politics — otherwise the moral argument weakens.

What you’re seeing now is many long-time activists trying to reclaim ownership of the cause from the party structure around it.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@GerryKeogh_ Movements survive disillusionment more often than they survive apathy.
The people who marched, campaigned and believed are usually the actual durable part. Parties rise and fall around them.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

@GerryKeogh_ Thats an old shirt Gerry, think I've got in my collection too.

[The Fly Fifer @TheFlyFifer]

Family King Shepherd Dog turned 5 today. We showered him with presents and just sang Happy Birthday while presenting his birthday cake #Mad.