Scottish Politics

Gordon Brown Speech - "Sit Down in Sympathy..."

2009-09-29T15:41:00.002+01:00

Was it just me who heard a quick burst of "Sit Down" by James, right at the end of the standing ovation for Gordon Brown before the cut away with the rather apt line "Sit down, sit down sit down in sympathy"? Also, did the backing track to the standing ovation feature rhythmic clapping because they were scared the delegates wouldn't?

Labour Embrace the Saltire - Independence by Creep?

2009-09-29T01:49:00.004+01:00

I note from the Labour Party Conference that efforts are belatedly being made by senior Scottish Labour figures to wrap themselves in the Saltire. Given that Lord George Foulkes thought the rebranding of Scotland's trains with stylised Saltires was part of "Independence by creep", will we now see him foaming at the mouth on TV and blaming the SNP for his Scottish Labour colleagues wrapping themselves in the Saltire as well?

The idea that this will somehow be their secret weapon to vanquish the SNP at the forthcoming Westminster election is frankly laughable. The talk is of "reclaiming the Saltire" from the SNP but in order to actually have any kind of positive effect this would have to be coupled with actually embracing a Scottish identity as a party and putting the wishes of the Scottish people first. As long as they are controlled politically and funded by London, there is zero chance of this happening.

It seems that they are actually being pulled onto the SNP's ground. Who do you really think will benefit if the focal point of the Scottish election campaign is the Saltire? The SNP have traditionally done well when feelings of Scottish identity have been on the increase and there is little doubt that an intensive election campaign with multiple parties embracing the Saltire and emblazoning it on all their literature will play into the SNP's hands and leave Labour in Scotland nursing their wounds for years or even generations to come.

The truth is that the attempts to indoctrinate with Britishness have failed, despite the best attempts of Gordon Brown and there is more than a hint of desperation creeping into Labour's tactics now. I have never been surer that Independence is within touching distance. Everything suggests that Alex Salmond and the SNP are playing a blinder tactically against some woefully inept opponents.

Gordon Brown in Cuts U-Turn

2009-09-16T01:42:00.002+01:00

Gordon Brown has finally been forced to change his tune on the cuts agenda. This was going to be his dividing line with the Conservatives in the General Election but he has been forced to admit that Labour would make cuts. The video below sums it up nicely.

Contrasting Religious Reaction to Al-Megrahi Release

2009-08-24T03:46:00.008+01:00

I note from The Herald today that the Church of Scotland have backed the decision to release Al-Megrahi and have said the decision sent a message to the world about what it meant to be Scottish, echoing the sentiments of Kenny MacAskill during his announcement.

The Reverend Ian Galloway, Convenor of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, said: "It is not about whether he deserves compassion, it is about whether we have the capacity to give it and it is really important for the fullness of our humanity that we remain capable of showing mercy."This decision has sent a message to the world about what it is to be Scottish. I understand the deep anger and grief that still grips the souls of the victims' families and I respect their views."In a remarkable move, the Scottish Catholic Church has declined so far to comment on the matter. In the absence of Cardinal O'Brien who is believed to be on holiday, a spokesman for Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, said he was not taking a particular stance on the subject.

Yes, you read that correctly, the Catholic Church in Scotland is not taking a view on a matter of compassion and mercy. That is like the Leader of the SNP not taking a view on Scottish Independence and it sounds like a total cop out on an area that the Catholic Church should be providing some leadership and guidance. Interestingly, the same Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow had plenty to say in defence of Michael Martin who recently stood down as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Edit: The Catholic Church comes off the fence at last.

The Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, said the decision was a sign of strength and would be supported by many Scots. Archbishop Conti said: “I personally, and many others in the Catholic community admired the decision to release Abdelbaset al Megrahi on grounds of compassion which is, after all, one of the principles inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament by which Scotland’s Government should operate.

“The showing of mercy in any situation is not a sign of weakness. Indeed in this situation, with the pressures and circumstances of the case, it seemed to me a sign of manifest strength.
“Despite contrary voices I believe it is a decision which will be a source of satisfaction for many Scots and one which will be respected in the international community.”

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi Decision

2009-08-20T12:13:00.002+01:00

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister should rest well in his bed tonight for he sleeps the sleep of the just and the merciful. Much has been said in the media about the decision to send the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing back to Libya to see out his few remaining days with his family and much of it has focussed on the intervention of senior US politicians who have urged against his release on compassionate grounds.

What has Scotland to learn from the USA of either Justice or Mercy? Is it just to detain suspects without trial, fly them to other countries and have them tortured? Is it merciful to maintain the death penalty, as is the case in many US States?

Mercy and Justice go hand in hand and the decision to allow a seriously ill man to see his family before he dies is an act of compassion which brings definition to both of these concepts, the twin pillars which support any progressive society. To allow Mr al-Megrahi to die in a Scottish prison would be vengeance, not justice and it is important for the sake of our society that this distinction is always uppermost in our minds. Vengeance is rarely just and never merciful and breeds only resentment and hate.

Kenny MacAskill has shown that the Scottish Government can take the biggest decisions of the day, based firmly on the evidence in front of it without fear or favour and with no regard to the exhortations of the media or interference of foreign powers. The evidence is clearly that Mr al-Megrahi is critically ill with prostate cancer and in the interests of making this decision in an open, transparent and fair manner, Mr MacAskill has sought the views of all parties involved. Justice and Mercy have been served today and that is a reason for Scotland to be proud tonight.

Let the People Speak...

2009-07-03T18:09:00.005+01:00

No man has a right to fix the boundary of the
march of a nation; no man has a right to say to his
country, “Thus far shalt thou go and no further”.
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891)

So begins "Choosing Scotland's Future", the consultation document on further constitutional change which was launched in August 2007 by the Scottish Government and which provides the foundations of the National Conversation. In the post-Calman days of devolution, this quotation actually sums up the essence of the debate which is ahead of us. The Calman Commission, paid for by the Scottish Parliament and backed by the three parties which favour limited change to the constitutional settlement was expressly forbidden from considering the possibilities offered by Scotland becoming a normal, independent Nation.

A recent opinion poll by the British Broadcasting Corporation found that a clear majority wanted the opportunity to have a referendum on the issue of Scottish independence in 2010, as is currently proposed by the SNP Scottish Government. Tavish Scott, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was asked on television recently how he could oppose a referendum and call himself a Liberal Democrat. His supporters may say that the question was harsh but it is easily justified as it is surely neither Liberal or Democratic to deny the People a say on the biggest issues of the day. What could be more democratic than settling the issue at the ballot box?

At it's most fundamental, the question facing the political parties active in Scotland is this: If all the Parties who support the union are not prepared to trust the people of Scotland to make their own informed choices, why should the people of Scotland trust any of these political parties to represent their views in future? They may not want to publicly admit it but I would wager that this is causing some of the more astute strategists some sleepless nights. No political party worthy of the name would want to be seen to be denying the electorate a voice.

The second question for the unionist parties is also an interesting one: If you are so convinced that the Scottish people will vote against Independence, why are you so scared to put your case in a referendum? There are a number of factors at work there. There is no reliable model for working out which set of voters would be more likely to turn out in numbers come an independence referendum. Though the opinion polls currently give the status quo the nod, even when the SNP government's own choice of question is asked, there is the vexed issue of differential turnout. It is one thing to tell pollsters which position you would nominally support but it is quite another to go out and vote for it. The SNP clearly believe that the pro-independence voters would view it as a once in a generation chance and would grab it with both hands. I believe that this is the case and it seems that this is what the other parties believe too, despite their rhetoric to the contrary. Why else refuse to have it? No political party avoids a fight they think they will win, especially given the effect a defeat would have on the morale of the SNP.

The other reason, the elephant in the room, if you will, is that everyone expects there to be a Tory government in Westminster by the time an independence referendum comes around. We will be back to the democratic deficit which existed prior to devolution and which motivates so many people to seek constitutional change. The difference this time is that the SNP are in Government in Scotland and can show that they are standing up for Scotland against a Tory UK Government that was not voted for in any great numbers by the people of Scotland. By the time November 2010 comes, it is likely that the Tories will be making rather large cuts as their hand is forced by the biting recession, left to them like a poisoned chalice by the departing Gordon Brown. A vision of a prosperous, independent Scotland buoyed by oil revenues at that time may well chime with a Scottish population which is sick of unemployment and stagnation under the status quo.

Nuclear Weapons

2009-06-28T03:46:00.002+01:00

I have been stirred from my semi-retirement from blogging by the news that David Cameron has apparently "warned" Alex Salmond about the possible use of Holyrood powers over planning to block the new generation of UK nuclear weapons being based in Scotland.

This is breathtaking arrogance from the man who would be Prime Minister. His comments were recorded for a BBC programme about ten years of Scottish devolution. In the same programme he also admits that his party got it wrong when they opposed devolution. These seem to be two contradictory positions: it seems that he doesn't like the fact his party went against the overwhelming views of the Scottish people in the devolution debate but at the same time he is perfectly happy to ride roughshod over their views when it comes to the imposition of a replacement for Trident. In every test of public opinion, the Scottish people have said they do not want Trident or nuclear weapons and the Scottish Parliament echoed this view, voting against them in June 2007.

Far from using this issue to "pick a fight" with Westminster, Alex Salmond is doing exactly what he was elected to do and that is standing up for the people of Scotland. Whether Cameron realises it or not, he is illustrating exactly why people vote SNP and is giving them ever more reason to. The images conjured by his comments take us back to the days of the poll tax when hugely unpopular policies were inflicted by a Conservative Government on Scotland. The frustration felt by ordinary people about their powerlessness and the obvious democratic deficit was one of the catalysts for the devolution campaign and could also form the basis of a major push towards Scottish Independence.

Is this the start of a Conservative push to alienate voters in Scotland and accelerate Independence? It would certainly be in the interests of their party in the longer term if Scotland, which has traditionally returned a majority of Labour MPs, was suddenly removed from the UK Parliamentary equation. The tories would have a much better chance of staying in govenment in perpetuity and that must be something being considered by the tory strategists. Of course, the tories traditionally do so badly in Scotland at Westminster elections that their campaign room shows a map which includes the rest of the UK but is missing Scotland. They say a picture tells a thousand words and it certainly says a lot about their attitude to the people of Scotland.

Breaking News: John MacDougall MP Dies

2008-08-13T09:20:00.004+01:00

The BBC Are reporting the sad news that John MacDougall MP has died after a long illness.

Rest In Peace.

Glasgow East - Game On!

2008-07-20T00:38:00.002+01:00

We have come to the final weekend of the excessively short Glasgow East by-election campaign and having been in the constituency on numerous occasions, my verdict is that despite the opinion polls, it is very much all to play for. Whilst I am not quite calling it for the SNP , as Calum Cashley has done, I believe that there is a swing coming to the SNP and that Labour are in utter disarray.

There has been a Sunday Times mole within the Labour Party camp who has described the "air of desperation" hanging over the Labour campaign and saying a motivational plea pinned to an office wall "smacks of desperation". He went on to quote a senior local Labour figure as saying the result would be "scarily close".

This is further proof of the panic besetting the Labour ranks in Scotland. They are outnumbered and are being out campaigned on the streets and doorsteps by a buoyant SNP which had over 1,000 activists in the constituency on "Super Saturday". The reception from the punters in this notional Labour stronghold has been very warm, leading many to conclude a major swing is on the way and that it will be very close indeed.

The fact that people are even considering this election to be a close run thing is a miracle in itself and is a testament to the work of all those involved in the campaign for the SNP. The very idea of the SNP breaking the stranglehold of Labour on the throat of a Glasgow constituency would have been unthinkable two, three, five or ten years ago and yet now they are on the cusp of something amazing.

If the SNP can win in this, Labour's third safest Scottish seat then there is nowhere that will be considered out of reach for them, come the national Westminster elections. Make no mistake, this would be a body blow to a Labour Party already smarting from defeat in the Scottish Parliament elections in 2007 and the loss of their leader in said Parliament, Wendy Alexander. There is no doubt that momentum is everything in politics and the SNP have it in spades. They enter the final week of this campaign with the wind at their backs and their eyes on the prize. There has never been a better opportunity for those in Glasgow East to choose a better future and for the SNP to make major inroads into Labour's Glasgow heartlands.

Anti-Scottish Labour Party

2008-06-01T14:57:00.008+01:00

As briefly touched upon in my previous blog posting regarding Gordon Brown, there are mutterings afoot amongst Labour MPs about the number of Scots in the UK Cabinet and the seemingly disproportionate power they wield. This trouble has been brewing for some time now and the language used is very anti-Scottish indeed. Consider the following quotes from a selection of named and un-named Labour MPs.

Stephen Ladyman, MP for Thanet South said:

“It is important to recognise that the election is won or lost in England. We need to have English voices speaking and giving messages that make sense in English communities.”

A Labour MP who lacked the courage to be named said:

“We live in a world where there is a quota for women MPs and there may soon be quotas for black MPs. Why should there not be quotas for the English too? The Scots mafia have dominated Brown’s team for too long.”

Lindsay Hoyle, MP for Chorley said:

“Voters are looking to see a better balance within the cabinet to ensure that all the regions of England are represented.”

The idea that Cabinet Ministers should be chosen, not on merit but on the fact that they are not Scottish is absurd and quite possibly racist. Substitute the word "Scots" for the word "Jewish" in the middle quote from the un-named Labour MP and there would be an uproar yet the gutless Scottish Labour MPs don't even raise a whimper.

There is a good post by Tartan Hero on the subject. He points out that Stephen McCabe, the Labour Whip (and another Scot) is getting abuse for both the manner and the scale of the defeat in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. It sounds like he was handed a poisoned chalice anyway though and it wouldn't be surprising if the tactics came from the top. It seems that he is just seen as another easy target for anti-Scottish sentiment.

Of course, this anti-Scottish sentiment has another point to it. It is an attempt to destabilise Gordon Brown and if the case can be made against Scots being in the Cabinet then his jacket is surely on a shoogly nail. This is nothing more than a proxy fight against his leadership from the Labour Party in England.

The difficulty being faced by these Labour MPs is not just that could they appear to be racist, North of the border, but that they are facing in two directions at the same time. You cannot simultaneously make the case against Scots being in the Cabinet whilst saying that we are all British together and that we are all equals in the United Kingdom. Labour have needed their Scottish battalion in order to force through changes which only affect England and Wales on the argument that we are all British and that as Brits, the Scottish MPs had every right to vote on any matter. How does this square with the idea that Scots should not hold positions of power?

It seems that we are seeing the Labour Party and the Union unraveling before our eyes.

The End is Nigh for Gordon Brown

2008-05-22T01:21:00.005+01:00

"All political careers end in failure" is a much overused phrase but it is one which Gordon Brown, the current UK Prime Minister must surely be contemplating as he surveys with mounting apprehension the likely result from the Crewe and Nantwich parliamentary by-election. A man who has a reputation for coping badly with stress, whose gnawed and ragged fingernails bear stark testament to the strain he is under. He has visibly aged in the long months since his act of folly in October last year, his eyes ever more deeply set in his skull, the bags under his eyes more pronounced, his jaw seemingly more tightly clenched. He cuts a shambling, clumsy figure of a man, you could almost feel some pity for him, the first serving UK Prime Minister to be denied a waxwork by Madame Tussauds. The butt of a thousand jokes, witnessed on YouTube picking his nose, photographed at a meeting of world leaders with a huge orange make up stain on his forehead, getting lost at a royal banquet to welcome the French President, regarded as a Jonah figure whose well wishes are a curse and his mere presence a guarantee of failure.

He must wonder in his fevered moments of relative peace and quiet when the phonecalls have died down for the day and his children are abed where it all went so badly wrong, how did he end up here? How on earth did all those meticulous years of planning and plotting come to this? He was to be the saviour of the Labour Party, for so long the King Over the Water, returning them from the dark days of Blairism to their socialist ideals and focussing on the poor and the disadvantaged. Wasn't that what Tony had promised him the opportunity to do? All the prodding and prompting and rancor and rage of the last decade must sit prominently in his mind as he thinks of the legacy he was handed.

Scotland

A Scottish Party so lost in the political wilderness, scrabbling around in an attempt to find a direction to go in that they almost brought the Union to it's knees. Whilst Wendy Alexander has not quite killed the Union stone dead, she has certainly dealt it a hammer blow from which it may never recover.

Yet how did it come to this? Scotland was Gordon's heartland and he had ruled the Party unopposed there for as long as he could remember, sweeping their political opponents before them. Had they succumbed to complacency? Had they taken their voters for granted once too often by relying on the same old tired lies and distortions that the people had heard time and time again? He must, in his darker moments of self doubt wonder about the comment made by George Robertson at the outset of devolution about "killing the SNP stone dead" and reflect that it has almost been his party that has been wiped out. Sure, on the face of it, 46 seats against the governing party's 47 seems a small margin but there is a gulf in public warmth and approval between Gordon and Alex Salmond, the charismatic leader of the SNP Scottish Government that suggests the next electoral contest will be much less even.

If the picture in the Scottish Parliament looks grim, the picture in Council Chambers the length and breadth of Scotland looks infinitely worse for Labour. Jack McConnell, for whatever reason was in favour of Proportional Representation in local government. This has led to the Labour stranglehold being broken for the first time in living memory. There are now only two councils in the whole of Scotland under outright Labour control. Their Councillor numbers were decimated in May 2007 and they are almost certain to lose many more the next time as the SNP stand more candidates and really press home their advantage.

Though the true effects of this are yet to be seen, in truth it is the Council results which are the real killer blow to Scottish Labour. They are walking and talking and griping, moaning and baying at the SNP but the truth is that the corpse just hasn't realised yet that it's lifeblood has been savagely cut off. Come the next election, Labour in Scotland do not have anybody left to be their activists. All the ex-councillors and their families who previously did the work will have precious little incentive now that there is nothing to be gained. This is a Labour Party with no defining cohesive purpose, which lost it's way around the time it lost it's founding principles, pitted against a formidable SNP organisation, all pulling in the same direction towards their ultimate goal of Scottish Independence.

England

Then of course we turn back to England, the scene of Gordon Brown and Labour's most recent defeat. Indeed, defeat is not a strong enough word for a contest which saw Labour become the third party in a UK context when it comes to the popular vote. Admittedly, the number of people voting in the May Council elections was a relatively small proportion of the UK population but they still numbered in their millions and it truly would be a dark day for the Labour Party if that kind of dismal result were to be repeated in a UK general election. For someone who has put great store in being able to appeal to Britain and to the values he considers inherent in Britishness, it must have been a bitter pill indeed for Gordon Brown to swallow.

There is, of course, another factor at play here and that is the fact that Gordon Brown is a Scottish Prime Minister at the very time Scotland is showing her distinctiveness in policy terms from the rest of the United Kingdom. People in England are looking at the situation in Scotland and comparing it favourably with their own. The reduction in prescription charges, prior to their abolition, the lack of student fees, free care for the elderly. These are all things that people in the other constituent parts of the UK would like as well. There seems to have been little attempt made to explain that the Scottish Government gets a block grant from Westminster to spend as they see fit. It seems to better suit the mood of the times to portray it as Scots disproportionately benefitting at the expense of the rest of the UK.

There are actually people now openly questioning what right a Scotsman has to be Prime Minister of the UK, which must send a shiver up Gordon Brown's spine. He knows where this argument ultimately leads, hence his embracing of English sporting heroes and claiming his favourite sporting moment was a goal for England against Scotland.

Character

Then, of course, we turn to the question which has dogged Gordon Brown's short premiership, the one of character. It is one thing to publish a book called courage, and in so doing, not so subtly referencing JFK who wrote "Profiles in Courage". It is quite another thing to show strength of vision and of leadership, presenting a clear and contrasting picture to everything which has gone before. Nowhere has Gordon shown that he has anything like this up his sleeve, one great idea to gentle the lives of the poor or at least to help alleviate the worst poverty that sees many children living in terrible conditions. People looking back at Gordon Brown from ten, eleven, twelve years ago would be amazed at the transformation, not just physically, this happens to us all with time, but from a firebrand preaching social justice and fairness to a dull eyed man with nothing to contribute. His seems to be the classic case of being so corrupted by the want of power that he has forgotten why he ever wanted it in the first place.

Character, ah yes, character, we are so often reminded that Gordon Brown is a "son of the manse", that he has a "moral compass" and even on occasion that he is a "conviction politician". The Guardianistas of the world would have us believe that these are the things that let us get a better insight into the mind of the man who would lead us. There are those who say that he lacks a clear vision of where he wishes to lead and therefore makes for an extremely difficult person to follow.

Others would have you believe that he is like Macavity's cat, in that he is never there when there is a crisis. When something goes wrong he can never be found. This aspect has certainly been writ large in the run up to the Crewe and Nantwich by-election. He has not once been present on the campaign trail and indeed the Labour Party candidate has denied ever meeting him, despite photographic evidence to the contrary, even going to great lengths not to have to say whether he is an asset or a liability when answering an interviewer.

Courage seems to be in short supply and indeed, Gordon Brown got cold feet about an early election and this has proven to be his downfall as events has intervened ever since he marched his Party down from the top of the hill. It was rumoured that staff had been hired at a cost of £1 Million, which the cash strapped Labour party can ill afford in it's current financial predicament. Following a short honeymoon period as Labour Leader, Gordon Brown had looked set to call a snap election. Rumours were rife that it would be in the autumn and Party activists (of all hues) waited to hear when it would be. After the performance of David Cameron at the Conservative conference and a subsequent Tory bounce in the polls, the Brown team seemed to take cold feet and Gordon flat out denied that he had cancelled the election because he didn't think he could win, leading to the memorable riposte at PMQs by David Cameron "Well you're the first Prime Minister in history to call off an election because you thought you were going to win it!"

Judgement is also something in seeming short supply. The abolition of the 10p rate of tax being a case in point. This is a move which hurts traditional Labour Party voters more than any other group in society, it is a redistribution of wealth of sorts but in the opposite direction to that which most Labour Party members and supporters expected from Gordon Brown. This move has hit people very hard in the pocket at a time when the cost of living is rising and public resentment is rising in line with the costs. Then there was the Northern Rock fiasco and nationalising a bank! Not exactly the kind of nationalisation Old Labour stalwarts would have had in mind. Even decisions that Gordon Brown made whilst in his previous role as chancellor are now being reconsidered and reinterpreted in light of the current climate.

Goodbye Gordon

There are rumours from reliable sources that a senior Labour party figure will approach Gordon after the Crewe and Nantwich by-election and ask him to step aside for the good of the Labour Party. No matter how I look at it, I just can't see him holding onto power for much longer. He is too personally unpopular to lead the Labour Party into the General Election. The more time elapses before he goes, the less chance they will have of mounting any kind of comeback in time to dent Conservative support.

It's over Gordon. Don't shoot the messenger when he hands you the gun and the bottle of whisky and asks you to commit political suicide. Don't throw the whisky against the wall, like you have been characterised as doing with mobile phones on a regular basis. Go quietly and with some semblence of dignity and accept that all these years of waiting have been in vain. You have lost your party, you have lost the people, you have lost Scotland, you have lost your local Council but you still have your family. Perhaps you should spend more time with them.

Independence Takes the Lead!

2008-04-14T03:24:00.002+01:00

Support for Scottish Independence has broken the 40% barrier according to two recent opinion polls from two separate polling organisations. This is in keeping with the trend that has been seen since the Scottish Parliamentary elections last year and confounds the notion widely put about by the Unionist parties that support for the SNP is not being translated to support for their flagship policy of independence and equality for Scotland.

This, of course, begs the question, where now for the "Wendy Commission"?

Sir Kenneth Calman, the head of the Unionist review of Devolution said at it's recent launch: "Like the majority of the Scottish people, I very much see myself as part of the UK, but a Scot within that. Seventy-seven per cent of the Scottish public don't think independence is the right way forward. All of the work over the last few years makes it pretty clear that's not an issue right now."

It looks like the Wendy Commission has already been rendered irrelevant because it is completely out of step with the aspirations of the Scottish people. It will be interesting to watch support for independence grow as the SNP continues to stand up for Scotland and Labour try to figure out how to control and rein in Alex Salmond and an SNP Scottish Government at the top of it's game.

We do indeed live in interesting times and they look set to become even more so.

Gordon Brown - Scottish Labour Conference

2008-03-28T15:37:00.003Z

I am sitting listening to Gordon Brown's speech to the Scottish Labour Conference. What I am hearing from his speech is that Labour still have not come to terms with losing the Scottish Parliament elections. There is a bitterness there and a hatred towards the SNP that is pathological.

Gordon Brown is currently rehashing the Scottish Labour campaign from election time where they argued that Scotland would fall into the sea if the SNP were elected, yet these same arguments which lost them the election in 2007 are being used to justify the continued existence on the United Kingdom. He has been listing the same old tired excuses. Hell, I could have written this speech as a parody if he hadn't beaten me to it.

Let's see, yep, there was the mention of relatives in England and putting barriers between families. This, despite the fact that Europe has open borders. We have the dross about being "isolationist" and that this isn't the way the world is going. Rewind there for a second, was Gordon Brown not one of the world leaders who congratulated Kosovo on their independence?

Gordon then went onto the usual claims how the Scottish financial services couldn't cope because a percentage of their business came from England and how the Scottish dock yards would go bust without UK business. You could not make this stuff up unless you were a Labour Party fear monger. That is the truth you see, the only way labour know how to campaign in Scotland is by using fear. It is this kind of dogwhistle politics which saw them removed from government in May 2007 and it is this that will see them humbled in an Independence referendum.

It is not Independence which drives a wedge and builds barriers between Scotland and the rest of the world, it is the United Kingdom. It is being part of this outdated and needless union that is ensuring that Scotland cannot meet her potential, with Independence we can rejoin the world.

Flush Gordon!

2007-11-27T19:23:00.001Z

Gordon Brown is looking increasingly beleaguered as Prime Minister, stumbling from one disaster to another. Given the controversies he and his party are now mired in, I'm sure he is wishing he had called the election while he still had a chance of winning.

Prime Minister's Questions should be fun as he has to attempt to bat away criticism after the Labour general Secretary resigned after admitting he knew that donations had been channelled through third parties. This practice is contrary to election law and the Electoral Commission, the UK political system watch dog are reportedly already looking into it. I'm sure the Crown Prosecution Service is also looking on with interest.

When governments lose control of events they look shaky. There seem to be wave after wave of controversies rocking the New Labour boat and many of them will not go away. Opinion polls put the a huge 13 points adrift of the Conservatives yet Gordon Brown claims he doesn't look at opinion polls. This seems a bizarre suggestion from anyone involved in politics, never mind a Prime Minister.

The Scottish Government

2007-09-02T20:46:00.000+01:00

It has been announced that the Scottish Executive will be re-branded as the Scottish Government. This is an announcement that has long been expected and should come as no surprise to anyone in Scottish politics.

One of the main problems with the word Executive was that it wasn't clear and descriptive enough. There is no other government in the world apart from that of Northern Ireland who uses the term Executive. There has often been confusion in the first eight years of the Scottish Parliament, with members of the public and journalists failing to correctly identify what is done by the Government and what is done by Parliament. It is good that the SNP Government is moving quickly to address this and Alex Salmond and his team are to be applauded for doing so.

The re-branding will extend to letterheads and written communications though it will stop short of formal name change at this point as this would require amendment of the Scotland Act at Westminster, something which is unlikely in the extreme. The re-branding includes a saltire and has dropped the royal seal which used to adorn the stationery of the Scottish Executive.

Who are the tartan Tories now?

2007-08-29T16:09:00.000+01:00

Since the SNP became the biggest party in the Scottish Parliament at the May 2007 elections, it seems that they have systematically debunked the accusations levelled at them for years by the other political parties. Alex Salmond moved quickly to shake off the "narrow nationalist" tag and has shown himself to be a statesman on the world stage, even with the limited powers of devolution. Far from being narrow and inward looking, every aspect of SNP policy looks outward to the rest of the world.

Another of the favourite terms bandied about was of course "tartan tories". The idea that anyone can take this seriously now is laughable. It is actually Labour themselves who have killed off this particular line of attack by going into a "pan unionist coalition" with the Tories and the Liberal Democrats in an attempt to thwart the SNP. It does beg the question, who are the real tartan Tories now? Labour should choose their bed fellows very carefully indeed . Whilst they got away with a coalition with the Lib Dems, the Tories are still despised in much of Scotland for the dreadful way Scotland was treated under the Tory governments of Thatcher and Major.

It is clear to see that the SNP have been proven correct and that the real fault line in Scottish Politics is not Right Vs Left but Nationalist Vs Unionist. Regardless of their supposed differences, the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour have all conspired to deny the people of Scotland their right to a referendum on the future of their country and indeed there is a suggestion that they will go as far as to attempt to establish a "shadow government" of Scotland, against the will of the Scottish people who ousted Labour from power in May. This will not go unpunished at the ballot box.

It appears to be desperation driving this move by the unionist parties as they clearly believe that they can only defeat the SNP's stated aim of independence by co-operating against them. The Labour Party in Scotland looks like a party which has seen better days and which sees worse ones ahead. The Labour Party can no longer even claim to represent all of Scotland. In many areas, they don't have any constituency MSPs yet the SNP have proven at the last election that they can win all over Scotland, even in former Labour strongholds like Fife and Glasgow.

It seems that Labour are retreating to their West of Scotland heartlands and looking for these to sustain them yet even these bastions are not above the influence of the SNP. The Labour MSPs returned there saw their majorities slashed dramatically and now there are very few seats which could be considered to be "safe". Couple this with the SNP gaining councillors in places they have never had them before and it is possible that support will erode further for Labour in the West, as in the rest of Scotland.

One long, slow retreat...

2007-08-23T22:41:00.000+01:00

Although Wendy Alexander has not yet officially started in her new role as Leader of the Labour grouping in the Scottish Parliament, her statement of intent and alleged difference of opinion with the Secretary of State for Scotland over more powers have been noteworthy. When it comes to further constitutional change, Wendy is between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand she can oppose further change, against the wishes of the Scottish people and on the other she can concede that more change is necessary.

Either of these outcomes would suit the SNP. Further devolution of powers to Scotland is a natural progression in the eyes of the SNP, towards their ultimate goal of Independence. On the other hand, had Wendy outright opposed further change she would have risked being placed in the category of those who did not realise events were overtaking them and opinions were changing. In short, she would have placed herself and her party at odds with mainstream Scottish opinion.

Looking at her decision to embrace more powers, however slight, it must be observed that the SNP has played a clever game and forced her hand. Looking back at the events of the past 100 years, it is plain to see that the times when concessions have been made by Westminster, they have been done at times of SNP strength and have been designed to prevent their further progress. The Labour Party and indeed the unionist parties in Scotland have been in one long slow retreat for many years, culminating in a Scottish Government run by the SNP. The question is now no longer whether we will have independence but when we will have Independence. Sixty percent of the Scottish people believe it is going to happen and when the people believe that something is achievable they are more likely to strive for it than when it is merely a pipe dream.

The unionist parties are continuing their long slow retreat but the best victory they can ever gain is to hold back the tide of public opinion for a further ten years or so. As Rabbie Burns said, "No man can tether time, nor tide". That goes for a tide of public opinion as well. Labour and the other British nationalist parties can only hold it back for so long before being swept away by it's force.

The Gang of Three

2007-08-15T22:47:00.000+01:00

So, the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are banding together to deny the people of Scotland a referendum on the future of Scotland and are generally all over the place. The joint letter signed by their respective Scottish leaders, published in advance of the Independence white paper (Choosing Scotland's Future) must have been music to Alex Salmond's ears. For years the Labour Party have tried to depict and smear the SNP as being "the tartan tories" and yet it is Labour standing shoulder to shoulder with them on the issue of the Union. Yet another Labour lie nailed once and for all.

The idea of these three British nationalist parties standing together, setting their collective faces against Scottish public opinion and denying the people of Scotland a democratic choice is even scorned by some within their own parties. Michael Forsyth, who was the Tory pre-devolution Secretary of State for Scotland said on Newsnight that the unionist parties looked "frit" (a favourite phrase of Margaret Thatcher's, usually used to denote fear or cowardice) to ask the Scottish people to decide the constitutional issue. Mr Forsyth is no convert to Independence but at least he is trying to be democratic and believes the choice rests with the people.

Can denying the people of Scotland a referendum be a sustainable position? The more they push against the idea and try to deny the democratic rights of the Scottish people the more they will be hurt at the ballot box and the more the idea will grow and flourish. An opinion poll put support for an independence referendum at 80%. That isn't to suggest that all those people want independence but they want to have their say at the ballot box and are willing to engage in a national conversation on the issue. The longer the Unionist parties delay the referendum, the more harm they will do to their chances of winning it.

Cash for Honours Whitewash

2007-07-21T14:43:00.000+01:00

The Crown Prosecution Service has now decided that no charges are to be brought in the Cash for Honours inquiry. This after 16 months of police investigation. The official reason for the case being dropped is that the CPS consider that there is not enough evidence to secure a conviction. Not that there is no evidence but that the evidence gathered is not strong enough. The media are desperate to claim that the suspects in this case have been cleared but to many this must resemble the Scots law verdict of "Not Proven".

Angus Brendan McNeil, the SNP MP who initiated the inquiry by complaining to the police has queried whether there was political influence in the dropping of the case and this is certainly an opinion which will resonate widely among the populace.

Helen Eadie MSP Committee Resignation

2007-06-15T15:26:00.000+01:00

Helen Eadie, Labour MSP for Dunfermline East has resigned from the Equal Opportunities and Subordinate Legislation committees in the Scottish Parliament, citing the fact that the Conservatives are entitled to chair the Equal Opportunities Committee. Ms Eadie commented that putting the Tories in charge of Equal Opportunities was like "putting Attila the Hun in charge of care in the community".

There are some who may believe that the real reason she resigned was that in the last 2 terms (from 17 June 1999-31 March 2003 in the first term and from 4 June 2003-2 April 2007 in the second) of Parliament she served on the public petitions committee. On this occasion the Labour party selected a chairperson and overlooked Helen Eadie for the post. She is one of very few Labour MSPs who have served from the beginning of the Scottish Parliament who have never been a Minister, Deputy Minister or Committee Chair . Some might suggest that this latest snub was more than her ego could take so she spat the dummy.

Surely if she has such strong feelings about the Conservatives and their fitness to chair a Committee, she would not have voted for Alex Fergusson to preside over the Scottish Parliament. Records show that she did indeed vote for him to take up the position of Presiding Officer.

Libyans says Megrahi WAS part of UK deal

2007-06-09T16:55:00.000+01:00

Tony Blair meets Libyan Leader.
BP get Libyan oil contract.
Downing Street deny Lockerbie bomber deal

The Herald are reporting that Downing Street are continuing to deny that the man in prison in Scotland for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie was any part of a deal with Colonel Gadaffi, the Libyan leader. This is despite the fact that Libyan sources say that moving Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi out of Scotland was the main reason for the discussions.

Something doesn't add up here and when you add into the mix the fact that BP have secured a huge deal with Libya over oil, it does make you wonder what Libya are getting in return.

Kirsty Wark on Newsnight

2007-06-09T16:25:00.000+01:00

I saw one of the worst and most clearly biased interviews of my life on Newsnight recently. Kirsty Wark was aggressively questioning Alex Salmond on his Libya statement and was not giving him time to answer the questions/statements posed. The tone of the interview was awful and Kirsty Wark betrayed her true feelings and her vitriol towards Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland.

It is well known that Kirsty Wark is good friends with Jack McConnell, the former First Minister and that they have holidayed together in the past so the question must be: "Why is it considered appropriate for Kirsty Wark to interview Alex Salmond in these circumstances?"

Newsnight bleat that political leaders don't want to come on their show then the most senior politician in Scotland appears and is treated to a show of hostility and distortion of the facts by Kirsty Wark. Ms Wark appears not to have watched the statement she was supposed to be interviewing Alex Salmond about and appeared to have taken her briefing and lines of questioning directly from Downing Street.

There is no place on the BBC for such naked and blatant party political bias as that shown by Kirsty Wark in the interview with the First Minister of Scotland and I believe she should be barred from interviewing any Scottish political figures in the future as she obviously lets her emotions get in the way of her professionalism.

I include a YouTube clip of the interview below:

Let justice be done though the heavens fall

2007-06-06T03:12:00.000+01:00

The BBC and the Scotsman report that the Cash for Honours inquiry has to date cost more than £750,000. The way it is reported makes it sound like a scandal that so much has been spent on a police investigation but you get what you pay for and the police have to be thorough in a complex case such as this.

It is important when investigating the upper echelons of government that justice is both done and seen to be done. Nobody should think themselves above the law and I, like many others, await the fruits of this investigation with interest. "Let justice be done though the heavens fall" as the Roman maxim goes.

Audit Scotland Investigate Tram Costs

2007-06-05T21:36:00.000+01:00

According to the BBC, Audit Scotland, Scotland's spending watchdog have been asked by the Scottish Government to investigate the costs of the Edinburgh tram project.

This seems like an eminently sensible move by a government which is trying to avoid public spending disasters like those presided over by the Labour Party, notably the fiasco of the Scottish Parliament building.

If the financial implications of the the tram project are in line with the expectations of the Labour and liberal Democrat parties then they surely have nothing to fear from an investigation by a body which is independent of government yet they are responding in a hysterical manner, accusing the SNP of somehow undermining the independence of Audit Scotland by asking them to investigate. Quite how an independent organisation being asked to do it's job is undermining their independence is beyond me. Fellow blogger Richard Thomson appears to agree.

SNP scraps bridge tolls!

2007-06-02T14:51:00.001+01:00

Well done to the snp for living up to their pre election promises to do away with bridge tolls on the forth and tay. It is a good, if slightly unsettling thing to see a government so intent on delivering on their promises to the people. We truly are living in a new time and this government are giving the people of Scotland the confidence that they are standing up for their best interests on a whole range of issues from nuclear power to oil transfer in the forth. Labour will bring down this government at their peril.