Something Better

On this day I will remember the independence that unites not just a party but a movement rather than any differences we may have on the direction we may wish to travel attaining our goal. It is for this reason and for the many great friendships I made during a campaign which inspired me both personally and politically that I’ve given it the title Something Better I hope you enjoy the read.

Something Better

After two years campaigning
in sun, wind, rain, snow,
and of course on social media
this was the day I made my intentions clear
stating that yes I believe
we deserve something better
than a PLC masquerading as a nation
where corporate interests will always
count more than communities
but alas too many were too afraid
to shed their insecurities about
taking responsibilities
for making our own decisions.
others lacked ambition for our country
whilst those on fringes preferred to surrender themselves
to the ugly face of a unity which existed in nothing but name
and the scarlet shame of fear
overpowered the golden vision of hope
when the result was declared
I despaired as to how many had been tricked in to believing the lies
of better together
on Europe and the economy
as well paid slaves told their own granny she would die in poverty
if she dared to vote for the restoration of Scotland’s sovereignty
knowing the servillity of their lies
no wee medal or ermine cloack
can ever disguise their crimes
hysterical even in victory their spokespeople say
Scotland’s fate was sealed forever
there is no other way but theirs spreading lies and misinformation
to keep those they deem gullible
in the ignorance they desire
to ensure the survival of a United Kingdom
which benefits only the few
now the unionists may have thought
they had secured their UK that day
but the truth has a different story to tell
of an illusion they can no longer sell
and reality knows their delusions
now punchdrunk brawlers
wander the earth in a state of confusion
muttering under their breath
that they used to have an empire
in the days they ruled the world
and won two world wars on there own
except history knows this is yet another lie
now isolated from the Europe they claimed they would lead
they are consumed by greed
and attempt to claim Scotland
as property
disregarding the democracy their own forebears fought to preserve
on this day I say we will be independent
and the only thing they won in 2014
was a conditional extension for their imperial project
and those conditions have not been met
the respect we were promised called an insurrection
on the night we shattered Labour’s claim
to speak for our people and our nation
we may have lost on that fateful day
but lessons were learned and inspiration taken from it
that we could be, must be , and will be
something better than this
there will be no box left to go back in
we’re packing our bags and moving on
to an independent Scotland far away from the chains of Westminster
and there is nothing they can do to stop it happening

© Gayle Smith 2020

Sharks

This poem reflects my concerns about the destruction of natural habitats by multi national corporations in pursuit of lands I’ve given it the title Sharks. I hope you enjoy the read.

Sharks

A nest lies in ruins
destroyed not by winter winds but by man
as part of a plan to help developers
build for profit
purchasing land for portfolios
just to claim it’s theirs
as nature weeps and humanity despairs
the parents flap their wings
singing lullabies to fledglings
still unable to fly
the young birds know
it’s songs of sorrow being sung
as sadness for devastation
which they never caused
their elders call sounds weak
to those who listen in the night
homeless they panic
they want to take flight but can’t
the newborns still need their family
they couldn’t survive by themselves
the elders search for a place to rest
seeking shelter will test them
as they flock together seek a new beginning
they realise decisions must be made
knowing the fate of their young
lies beyond their control
in the hands not of nature
but her enemies
who decimate all which stands in their way
and turn green fields into big gray offices
this is democracy corporate style
where sharks wear suits
and birds migrate to less hostile environments
as soon as they learn to fly

© Gayle Smith 2019

Like It Was Yesterday

In this poem I look at time and how quickly it passes particularly as we get older. Being at later end of my 50’s I am all too aware of my own mortality and remember events from what some would see as the dim and distant past like it was yesterday. It is one of the most fundamental of all truths that time waits for no-one and with the sad passing of two of my football club’s all time greats in our greatest ever captain Billy McNeill, and Stevie Chalmers who scored the most important goal in our history I am reminded that our time here is short so we have to make the best of it. Don’t get me wrong nostalgia has its place, but I hope this poem whilst looking back on what has been and to a certain extent what hasn’t also shows my determination to make the most of my remaining years. No matter how many or few of them I may left in me. I have titled it Like It Was Yesterday, I hope you enjoy the read.

Like It Was Yesterday

Sometimes I am nostalgic
for the past I would have liked to enjoy
teenage kisses behind the bikesheds at school
trying to be cool
wearing goth style make up to church
if only to see if our old folks noticed
or even cared
or simply stared at my act
of what they’d call rebellion
having the nerve to take chances
at the dancing and at work
never shirking big decisions
whenever I had to make them
wishing that procrastination wasn’t something that came naturally
using my individuality as a gift
rather than blaming it as a curse
believing in the best rather than fearing the worst
but this is me
the girl who if she was in her teens
wouldn’t be living the Instagram dream
wouldn’t have the perfect beach figure
or be the perfect kisser
I know my limits
my lines in the sand
I understand my reality
I am all too aware of my own mortality
a football girl and a Celtic one
two of my heroes have gone to glory
collected the final trophy
that is the gift of eternal life
in the space of a few days
I know my time is passing quicker than I’d like
and I can’t help but wonder
what might have been
If I’d been given a slightly different hand
to play the game
that said I’ve done not bad
I’m glad for the memories and friends I’ve made
for the skills and talents I posses
and the ability I have to express them
now as I approach the autumn of my years
I still have some summers left
to make the most of my health
and take those chances
in whatever guise they come
before time slows me down
as it one day will to us all
I may be getting older
but trust me I intend to go to the ball
and party within reason
this is not the season for nostalgia
this is the time for creating new art
giving in to the desires of my heart
and living like it was yesterday
while I still have the chance to do it.

© Gayle Smith 2019

Time To Change Our Tactics And Play A Better Game

So it’s finally happened and the Offensive Behaviour at Football Matches Act is no more. As a Celtic fan who is also a member of the SNP, I like many in my party welcome this development as being long overdue as though I had initally thought the Act to be a good idea in the fight against sectarianism  my view changed as it was not tackling the issue it was passed to address and seemed to be punishing our fans  more than those of certain other clubs who have shall we say a more pro unionist mindset. 

Though I am delighted to see the end of this act I am angry beyond measure with the way it came about.  You see it is my considered opinion that it was not the job of a talentless slapstick opposition to have a temporary moment in the limelight, it was the job of the SNP government to have another look at the law and it’s lack of effectiveness in doing the job it was meant to do and then having done so bring forward a bill to repeal it themselves. 

I make this point to state the one of the key reasons I support independence and that is that I believe in the paramount independence of taking responsibility for your own actions. You see in this crazy adventure we call life we will all make many decisions some of which will have a positive outcome in our lives and some of which will not work out so well and leave us with more negative, less enlightening experiences. It is my belief that OBFA fits in to the later category and the SNP missed a trick by not admitting this and seizing the opportunity to repeal it or at very least open it to parliamentary amendments which would be passed with the intention of toughening up the act in the legal sense to make it fit for purpose. 
This goes down as missing a sitter in the eyes of this SNP member as by not taking responsibility for their own they have undermined one of the main examples I and other yes supporting foot soldiers used to win over the unconvinced during the independence referendum. This was that we can’t just cherry pick the nice bits of Scotland that we find acceptable. That, we said, was what the unionists do they were we said, Scottish when it suited them and British when it didn’t. That, we claimed was not our way we were Scottish all the time not just on our good days. It was that unflinchening determination that relentless resolution which saw us gain a much higher percentage of  the vote than many dared to dream of and come so close to achieving our cherished dream of Independence. You see we had dared to paint a picture of doing politics differently by taking not only credit for our successes but also being big enough to admit to our mistakes and take ownership of them.  
I have to say this tactic had and continues to have a very strong personal narrative for me. I had hoped it had for my party and I  still believe that for the vast majority of our members this does indeed prove to be true. In this particular case however, it is my view that our leadership let us down. I can only hope the mistake they made will not prove too costly and that our opponents whilst celebrating a goal which we should never have allowed them score, will soon make an even bigger one. Personally I think that is almost a certainty and we are I think lucky that with the calibre of players they have that such a mistake will not be long in coming. That at this moment is my only consolation, however when it will be when not if, their mistake does come we must show that we have learned from this defeat to play a better tactical game, and in doing so replace whatever doesn’t work with a substitution that does. 
Till next time 
Gayle 

Scotland Of The Heart

On day 6 of NaPoWriMo I remember that today is not only Tartan Day but also the anniversary of the Declaration Of Arbroath in which Scotland asserted our sovereign right to independence. Bearing this in mind, I decided that it may be a good day to assert my own personal politics and share my vision of the Scotland I want to see I’ve given it the title Scotland Of The Heart I hope you enjoy the read. 

Scotland Of The Heart 

It was on this day

 our nation  declared our right

 to full independence 

so being a socialist , and feminist 

I suggest it is a suitable day 

to say what I have to say 

 declare my personal political views 

I want a Scotland of all colours and hues 

where rights are protected not taken away 

and being lesbian , gay bisexual or transgender

does not mean you surrender to bullies 

who want you to cower in fear 

Let me make it clear 

Intolerance is not an option 

 being English, Irish , Indian or Lithuanian 

or indeed a child of any nation 

does not mean you should be excluded

or made to feel unwelcome 

in this country  I call mine

my Scotland of the heart 

so where do I start to build this land 

you must understand I can’t promise miracles 

or turn water to wine

I won’t claim that everything 

will always be fine 

but what I will say is this 

I want a Scotland which will be comfortable discovering itself 

a land which will tackle health based inequalities 

fight poverty and be a good international citizen 

I declare a personal interest in advancing the chances 

for women and girls both at home and elsewhere in the world 

I want an education system which works for all 

not just the better off 

middle Scotland is not my Scotland 

my Scotland is a Scotland of the schemes 

I had dreams back in the day 

I was always a gab with something to say 

and that’s not changed 

I don’t want our youth to be 

estranged from the country 

they grew up in because politicians 

lacked the vision to take big decisions 

on environmental matters

Scotland is not just for the chattering classes

the schemes need to be  free from pollution

for our children to breath cleaner air 

I despair when some think that short term solutions can be given 

as  answers to long term problems 

I want a Scotland which will hold our heads high 

where people have a sense of belonging

not because of where we’ve been 

but where we’re going to go 

and what we will achieve 

when we get to our destination 

I seek my inspiration from ordinary citizens

I want a country where ambition is normal 

and not the preserve of others 

I want a Scotland which will be comfortable discovering itself 

happy with what it finds

and determined to not to rest 

but be the best we can be 

I want a Scotland free from disappointments of yesterday

which doesn’t wallow in the past 

Or drown its sorrows 

I want a country where we plan for tomorrow 

by the actions we are already taking

I want a bolder brighter nation  

where nobody will be shaken by propaganda 

from outside sources 

who make the gullible panic 

when they talk of divorces 

and  implied costs 

I want a country which will not be bossed 

I want a Scotland which doesn’t know its place  

 declares that  it’s time to be  brave 

and despite all the obstacles we face

creates a country we can be proud to call home. 

©Gayle Smith 2017

I’m Saying Yes To A Euro Vision And Rejecting A Nightmare On Downing Street (Why I’m Voting Yes To Staying In Europe In The E U Referendum)

Hey Readers So now we know, the date when the UK must stop whining and decide if it wants to be a part of Europe and an ever closer union or go further back in time than Doctor Who’s tardis and delude itself it is a special little island with no need for Johnny Foreigner. This referendum will split two of the three main unionist parties with only the pro European Liberal Democrats remaining largely unscathed by upcoming events. Opinion polls say this will be a very close call in the UK as a whole but Scotland looks like being the most Pro European of all the UK nations with a substantial majority expected to vote to remain within the safety of Europe rather than voting to leave and leaving our future fate in the hands of Westminster. Decision Day will be the 23rd of June, and believe me when I say I have already decided how I shall vote in this referendum and I will be voting yes to remaining in Europe and rejecting a nightmare made at Westminster.

Now I know there will be some people who were opponents of mine during my country’s independence referendum who will ask and they will be perfectly entitled to do so, why I opposed remaining in one  union yet will enthusiastically campaign to remain in another. My answer however is a simple I only want to be a part of union’s that actually work and benefit the people of Scotland and the European Union works better for Scotland than Westminster ever will.

You see, to me whether I want to remain part of a union has a lot to do with why that union was set up and the intentions
behind it. The United Kingdom was set up in the pre democratic dynastic days so that one elite could join with another elite and increase both their personal wealth and their political stranglehold over their respective nations. It was also engineered by fanatical anti catholic bigots to empower England in its fight with Roman Catholic France and empower it in it’s imperial adventures. 

Compare this if you will to the circumstances which led to the birth of the European Union. This union was born not from the actions of conquest but from a continent ravaged by the most brutal and savage war ever fought in the whole of human history. This was a union born out of hope of a better tomorrow for Europe though as more cynical amongst the population will say with a degree of justification it also served American interests providing a bulwark for the continent to resist Soviet overtures and contain the threat of communism thus preventing it from spreading beyond the Russian – Soviet sphere of influence.  However, true though this may be slowly but surely the European Union gained some teeth a real democratically elected which had the power to shape change the lives of those citizens in member nations. This I think has a lot to do with why Jim Sillars 1988 came up with The SNP flagship policy of Independence in Europe to illustrate that the SNP were not an isolationist party but a party who were both nationalist and internationalist. It is policy which has been supported by former SNP leader and First Minister of our country Alex Salmond, and his successor in both posts our current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

You see the SNP realise that EU membership has made so many improvements to the quality of life for the people of Scotland and also for the other member nations of the United Kingdom and we know from bitter experience how much this was used as a stick to beat us with during the independence referendum. You see during that referendum UK Prime Minister David Cameron, and his Labour Party sidekicks Alastair Darling, and Gordon Brown spent the best part of three years bullying and intimidating the people of Scotland by threatening us that if we left their little dynastic arrangement where unionist political hacks get their palms covered in more grease than John Travolta’s  hair and get the right to indulge their self importance  by calling themselves by a title which is only fit for a village panto, that we wouldn’t be allowed to join what they regarded as their exclusive private members club. The only problem with this argument was that sooner or later it’s was going to expose their lack of principal and backbone. Indeed I would argue that a no vote in this referendum would expose the better together campaign as a  mockery built on no more than a house of sand. Indeed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has openly admitted this by stating in a rare moment of truth that if The United Kingdom votes to leave the EU then Scotland will vote to leave The United Kingdom. Personally I think we will leave the UK anyway sooner rather than later, but to blatantly reject the EU after being warned of dire consequences by better together if we left the British mother ship would be at least in my opinion the cruellest of all ironies. You see I never did believe we were or would ever be better together with Westminster and one of the main reasons why they failed to convince me was their rampant right wing brand of British Nationalism which and it has to be said attracted than its fair share of xenophobes to good old jolly roger.

You see this negative campaign contained a far greater number of those those who have strong anti European sentiments than did the more forward thinking Yes Scotland which was the grass roots movement  for independence. This can be supported by the fact that listed amongst their supporters were not only members of the three mainstem UK parties namely the Conservatives, Labour, and  Liberal Democrats who gave it veneer of respectability but also those who shall we say we say belong to either the eccentric imperialist tradition such as UKIP and those who are more malevolent in their views of others such as the loyal orange order. These people are unreconstructed British Nationalists and by creating an exclusive British is best mentality they exist on their own little fantasy island which is about as far removed from reality as you can get whilst still remaining on earth.

It should be noted however that unlike Yes Scotland who were perceived, as the anti-establishment camp in the Independence referendum and received little or no support from the mainstream media The no campaign in this fight will have some vocal and powerful support amongst the chattering classes with The Daily Express , The Daily  Mail, and several other newspapers campaigning to remove the UK from Europe as will certain populist politicians such as UKIP leader Nigel Farage Conservative mayor of London Boris Johnson, and that man of many faces not one of which I have ever appealing the original Mr self important and former Labour and Respect MP George Galloway amongst their number.

Believe me whether you or  like them or not these people will be given plenty of air time not to mention column inches to spread the message that we would be better off removing ourselves from Europe by a sycophantic press and media  sympathetic to their view and nostalgic for the golden days of empire. Though it may be tempting for some culturally conservative members of the chattering classes to paint  this rose coloured picture of a Britain which never really existed outside  the fictitious surroundings of Downtown Abbey it is also being somewhat economical with the truth. This however will not bother in the slightest an establishment determined to hang on to the power that privilege has brought them.
They will sneer at the benefits that the EU has brought to Britain and seek to convince us we are better off trusting them to make our decisions but believe me when I say that an isolated UK without what they will undoubtedly call the restrictions of Europe will be the country not of dreams but of nightmares and I for am terrified at the prospect of a British withdrawal from Europe and what the potential consequences could mean for us particularly in terms of Human Rights.

It is after all no great secret that the Conservative Party would dearly love to scrap the Human Rights Act which they have long viewed as an unnecessary inconvenience by a Government which likes to portray itself as the champion of individual freedom. Indeed there are some members of the Conservative right who have long argued that Britain should come out of the European Union  at the earliest possible opportunity and have used evocative and emotional language to stir up anti European sentiment. The fact that  Europe accounts for  57 percent of all British trade somehow seems to escape these 21st century anti heroes who wish to make a new generation of ragged trousered philanthropists of the ordinary British citizens.

 Indeed if their plans were allowed to succeed the consequences for the UK economy could be catastrophic as for those who believe that we could somehow make up this trading deficit by re-engaging with the Commonwealth nations. Not only do they ignore the assistance to the nations and regions of Britain from the European Union structural fund which was set up to provide economic assistance to areas decimated by the poverty caused by unemployment they also forget how much geography matters in the modern world and that despite the improvement in global communications the costs of transportation could put many small to medium firms out of business. So, nice as this fantasy may be for some people of Britain for the British or British Jobs for British Workers (Gordon Brown Labour Prime Minister 2009) it falls down when it comes to the facts and is about as realistic as Brown’s wet dreams of a British Day with a Union flag in every garden or renaming Scotland as North Britain in other words it makes as much sense as the no voters other delusion of taking back l the colonies and proclaiming the restoration of empire.

But to me at least the debate on Europe is about so much more than just trading. During our 43 years of membership of the European Union the impact  of Europe on this insular little island has I believe been far more positive than negative. These include cheaper air travel which makes it easier for Britons to travel abroad thus broadening their horizons in terms of culture and understanding of others. A recycling culture which cuts down on
waste and creates a cleaner, greener and healthier environment for people to love in. Still on the topic of environment being in Europe has brought us cleaner air, beaches and rivers and with regards to transport it was Europe which gave us lead free petrol and brought in the right of workers to smoke free work place. This is something from which I benefitted enormously as I worked with a couple of very heavy smokers and not to put to fine a point on it there was one in particular you could smell before you could see so god knows how polluted my former working environment could have been had it not been for the foresight of the European Union. Also on the issue of workers rights the EU introduced the directive that no workers in member states should have to work for more than 48 hours a week. Personally I think it should have been 40 hours maximum but this is an ongoing issue which can be debated further to bring about greater reforms
but if we don’t have a place at the table or in the parliamentary chamber then we can’t fight for the progressive changes we want to see.

As a creative who writes and performs my own poetry I am delighted that it was the European Union who brought forward a Europe wide copyright protection act to protect the right of artists to be identified as the authors of our work throughout, all member states.

Yes I know that last one is a personal one but for all the reasons given and at least a million others I am proud to declare along with members of all other mainstream parties such throughout these islands I will be voting yes because though I will continue to campaign for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom I will until that day comes fight for the rights of everyone in these islands and to me those rights will be far better protected by Brussels than a Westminster elite who feast on a diet of fear and a distrust of others They want you to vote no not because it will be better for you but because it will be better for them and further entrench their power which will remain in the hands of a privileged elite and you and I the average voters will be even more powerless to stop them. The prospect of this terrifies me to such an extent there are no words to describe it. You I am afraid of an isolated Britain a Britain where the unreconstructed right could impose even more ruthless repressive policies than they are now with no credible UK opposition to stand in their way. This is the nightmare on Downing Street I’m voting to stop and for the sake of democracy I hope you’ll join me by saying yes to a common Euro Vision and give a decisive rejection to the politics of yesterday’s Britain

Love And Best Wishes
Gayle X

The Road To New Beginnings

Hey everyone. This poem is the second I’ve written on a Tell It Slant theme. This one is on topic of decisions and in particular my decision to transition as a women which was without doubt the defining moment of life and has changed it for the better and my only regret was leaving it as long as I did. Eventually however I did take not the high road, or the low road but the right road and that is why I’ve titled this poem The Road To New Beginnings. I hope you enjoy the read.

The Road To New Beginnings

It was a difficult choice
I had two invitations
one to conformity and the safety of an ordered life
the other to a place of challenge
and risks
this would be the better longer term option
if I dared to take the steps required
I would move on a place of eventual contentment
yes there would be resentment
from some with narrow minds
blinded by prejudice and fear
I would be wrongly labelled queer
for daring to be me
was being free to big a chance to take?
would all be all right in the end
I couldn’t pretend to know
this was a choice
to stagnate or grow
depending on what I decided to do
I had procrastinated for too long over the years
placed fears ahead of dreams now it was time to take the chance
as failing may mean
it would not pass my way again
after pausing to reflect just one last time
I went to my room removed my trousers and shirt
replacing them with a little black dress
I looked in the mirror saw the real woman I am
slapped on my make up
as I accepted the chance to be myself
I walked the road to new beginnings

@ Gayle Smith 2015