Respect is a very abused word.

In the world of politics these days, accusations fly back and forth without substance, harsh words are used with no basis in truth, and to disagree with a point of view is often seen as being abusive, particularly if the viewpoint exposes some very uncomfortable facts.
And so it is too with the challenges of the Scottish Independence debate. Where those who support Independence are castigated as being evil immoral and scurrilous Nats! The Unionist sympathisers don’t like to have their God given right to rule being challenged, and they sure make plenty of empty noise when they are fairly taken to task.
When the shoe is on the other foot though, they think that they can say and do what they they damn well please, and often behave worse than any playground bullies would ever dream of.
Such is where we are today.
I am not saying that all Scottish Nationalists are innocent angels either, for some are very surely not!
However on balance, from all that I have heard and read, there is no doubt where the vast majority of vitriol is coming from, and where the worst excesses of behaviour are originating, unchallenged by a tame media, and often enforced by it.

The one word in all of this which seems to be greatly missed is the word “Respect”, In fact it seems often to be almost entirely absent.
Again, we find that if anything, what we have is the greatest of disrespect, and it’s emanating mostly from the anti-independence camp.
This disrespect takes many forms, and is seen in many ways in different places. Much of it, sad to say, is committed by Scottish Labour MPs, MSP’s and Councillors.
Their disrespect seems to know no bounds, and Is in many instances bordering on the Abusive.
We have seen it’s ugly head often in Holyrood in recent times, and mostly being directly targeted at Alex Salmond and the SNP by Labour, as they seek desperately to discredit him and the SNP government.
This may seem to some to be political fair game, but it is not!
When you impinge a persons character without any proof, and only assertion, by openly calling them a Liar, a Cheat, a Swindler, a Fraud, a Despot or Dictator, or you mock them for their weight or eating habits, or appearance, that is beyond disrespect, and is verbal Abuse!
Such has been the scale of this combined assault by Labour and the Conservative leadership in Holyrood recently, that If this sort of behaviour was to take place in the school or in the normal workplace, severe action would have to be taken to put a stop to it.

Unfortunately, this disrespect does not end there, It is only symptomatic of what we see elsewhere by these same anti- independence people.
In Westminster the other day as the Section 30 order and Edinburgh agreement was placed before that parliament, we had even worse that what has taken place in Holyrood.
For any Scot who has not witnessed that days debate, I suggest you look at it!
What you will see there goes beyond mere political attacks on a politician or a political party, or movement, but Is something altogether much nastier. It is a direct slander of all the people of Scotland, and it contemptuous in it’s disrespect of all of us in person.
Labours Scottish deputy leader, Anas Sarwar directly says that the Holyrood Scottish parliament is NOT fully democratic. He said the following ..

“We have a majority SNP Government in the Scottish Parliament, but that is not a democratic place in the conventional sense; it is a dictatorship of one man sitting in Bute house, who will do not what is in Scotland’s interests, but what is in his own or his party’s interests. We need to be very clear about that as we go forward.” and “There is a majority Government—in effect, a dictatorship in the Scottish Parliament—who will seek to do what is to their advantage.”

Not only is this utter drivel, It is highly disrespectful of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people.
The people of Scotland voted in a democratic election to give the SNP a majority in parliament, with 45% of the vote, far greater than any such party has received in being elected to Govern in Westminster, in many a long year. Not only were the SNP the democratically elected majority party, they were supported by the people of Scotland to have a majority of seats in parliament, under a system specifically designed to prevent any party gaining a majority of seats over all other parties combined.
The people of Scotland spoke loud and clear, and to suggest for a moment that all our votes were in any way erroneous, simply because you do not approve of our choice, is not only disrespectful of us and our rights, but openly contemptuous of our decisions.

Unfortunately Sarwar was by no means the worst of them, speaker after speaker from Labour mocked and decried our democratically elected parliament and government. They had absolutely no respect whatsoever for our democratic right. But the worst of the lot was their Chairman of the laughably named Scottish Select Committee, Ian Davidson, who said the following..

“We see no reason for delaying the referendum until the end of 2014, except for perceived partisan advantage. The referendum will be timed to take place after the anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn, which is celebrated mainly because Scots slew large numbers of English people, and after the Commonwealth games in Glasgow. The fact that those events will take place before the referendum gives people the opportunity to celebrate the politics of identity and ethnicity. We thought that Scotland in the 21st and 22nd century would be looking forward, and would be progressive and positive. Celebrating the murder of hundreds or thousands of English people does not necessarily provide the best base on which to move forward. The timing of the referendum to celebrate that ancient battle gives entirely the wrong message to the world about the spirit motivating modern Scotland”

This contribution by a senior Labour, Scottish politician, Is so far beyond the realms of mere disrespect, it Is slanderous and vicious and completely disingenuous. It paints a picture of we Scots as a people of being backward looking English hating Xenophobes, when absolutely nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only does is slander and belittle the people of Scotland, in all our cultures and diversity, It is hatred beyond belief of his own people,and is the direst of insults on each and every one of us.
It lies utterly about the history of Scotland and Scottish Independence, but also accuses us historically of the Murder of thousands of English people! In Bannockburn the English were the invading army, and the Scots were the outnumbered force. Not that it matters a jot now, It’s old history. But to call our forebears Murderers for defending their right to freedom and independence from a larger neighbouring state, Is utterly disgraceful. To suggest that modern day Scots are so backward looking as to have a historical battle influence our decision in the referendum is a total insult to our intelligence!
If anyone is being backward, It IS Davidson and his anti-independence colleagues. It is not independence supporters who continually bring up Bannockburn, or Braveheart, or any such irrelevant nonsense, It is the Better Together mob themselves, as they continually endeavour to belittle us, and like their forebears, betray us.

Their disrespect and slander and negativity towards anything Scottish, and towards Scottish aspirations and endeavour, and indeed the people of Scotland, seem to know no limits.
They would much rather engage in mud slinging and throwing abuse, than to even entertain serious debate.
Their disrespect and contempt for the people who have voted for them faithfully in the past, of their communities, and country, is of such self serving magnitude and entitlement, that they cannot bring themselves to even behave in a civil manner half the time.
They hold positions of responsibility, gifted to them by their constituents, and no sooner gifted than they are betraying their own people and behaving deplorably.
They make promises, and then break promise, after promise, after promise.
When they could and should have for decades, been fighting to eradicate the areas of poverty and despair in their communities, to defend their people, to encourage and promote health. They have done the exact opposite, and sucked the aspiration out of the people to create dependency cultures.
When they have had periods of government in Westminster, when they could have made a difference, they have not, they have conspired to make matters worse, and they have discarded the very values which they were supposed to stand for.
They have continually lied blatantly to the people of Scotland, and deliberately hidden from us the real truth of Scotlands wealth and resources(See McCrone report) and they have conspired to steal from us, our heritage and even our sea (the secret changing of the sea border, taking the english sea border up past St Andrews) and they continue to do so, denying absolutely the freedom of Information requests on the Labour cabinet discussions on the set up of devolution.

But worse still, they cannot even behave themselves decently as befits public representatives.
The list of their personal criminal misdemeanour’s is endless, and they continue to steal from the poorest communities and people they represent, while handing out millions to their pals in pay offs.
Setting up their own personal fiefdoms and feathering their own nests.
Many of them have escaped criminal prosecution for matters which anyone else would most certainly be prosecuted for and dealt with heavily. Whether that be sexual misdemeanour’s, arson, assault, theft and fraud of the public purse, or other numerous matters.
They rely heavily on a protection afforded them by the British State, and also by the ” Mother of Parliaments”

When they should be up in arms, fighting for all their worth for the poor and disadvantaged, for the children they are depriving of the means to proper nourishment and education, for the homeless and the the ill and the disabled, for the aspirations of a just society and the encouragement of growth and progress and opportunity for the people. They are conspicuous by their silence and absence.
What ridiculous noises they make as they endeavour to give the appearance of actually caring, Is but show for the masses, and the preservation of their own party political entitlements. Nothing more.

There still are many honest people who truly try to make a difference, unfortunately these are not the ones who get to be often heard. The power lies with the greedy and the self serving, and the betrayers of their people.

I have no Respect for these people, they are not deserving of it. Such is the disrespect and dishonesty that they have for the people, for their communities, and for their country. They are our modern day parcel of Rogues in a Nation.