REFLECTIONS

Labour and the Scottish voters.- So, the British Labour Party has been voted from second party place to third party place by the voters of Scotland.  And what should we take from this; that the Labour Party is not doing enough to convince the Scottish voters to vote for it?  Well, that might be the case or partly the case; something we are unlikely to know unless the voters are asked what it is that they want for their country.

If, for example, more of the Scottish people are being persuaded of the merits of breaking free of their forced 300+ year old union with England, then, voters who had hitherto voted for the British Labour Party, might now have a preference for the Scottish National Party, and vote for them. If this kind of scenario is correct, then the Scottish Conservative Party will, of course, end up becoming a refuge or bastion for those Scots who remain loyal to the Union and will not change their position; come what may.  Consequently, the voters might not have voted for the Scottish Labour Party on the basis on its policies, which are unlikely to supportive of the Scots, at some point in the future, breaking away and becoming an independent nation, but on the basis of where they want to see their country in the future.

Sadiq Khan becoming mayor of London.- Sadiq's victory over his mayoral opponent, Zac Goldsmith, is both astounding and instructive. Lots of people, especially Londoners, are apt to sing the praises of London as being a great city and one which has a great many people from lots of different religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-political backgrounnds.  All living or mostly living in harmony; at least, for most of the time, for those of us who can still remember episodes of rioting and social disturbances in Britain's capital city.

Of course, London is also well known for its notorious housing policies, which has seen the haemorrhaging of 'affordable housing' and the ordinary and native Londoners who need them, while foreign robber-baron billionaires buy up the capitol and turn t into a vast real estate market. Not surprisingly, therefore, that newly elected Sadiq Khan is being looked to to effect major improvements in the housing conditions of ordinary Londoners and in the the city's transport system.
Khan, unlike Goldsmith and Boris Johnson, the previous incumbent, is of working class background - more like Ken Livingstone, in the past? - and can more accurately empathise and understand the needs of ordinary Londoners, both native ones and those who have migrated from many countries abroad, in search of making a better life for themselves.

Good luck Sadiq. You are now in the Lion's den, where your aspirations for London and Londoners will be vying with the heavy weight of 'pragmatism' and the existing status quo.

Brazil's seething cauldron.- Brazil's government is still paralysed with uncertainty over whether her current president, Dilma Rousseff is going to be impeached, and her despised deputy, Temer, taking over the reigns of government for at least 180 days.  More recently, the Speaker of the Lower House - which has recommended Dilma's impeachment - has been suspended, which, one might have thought, would at least raise the question of whether Cunha's role in getting the Lower House to recommend Dilma's impeachment, should be reviewed to ensure that no impropriety occurred.

This is clearly a catastrophic situation developing for Brazil, with the country being at great risk of returning to its fascistic past, when the military dominated; a situation which neither Brazil's friends or enemies would wish on its people, but something which could happen, unless the people of Brazil wake up, and not allow a bad situation to become worse.


OWOHROD