I think skewered is the right word...

I think skewered is the right word for what Scottish Unionist has done to the SNP in two blog posts today.

The first, "Pan-unionist alliance", lines up quotes from Iain Gray (Leader, Scottish Labour), Murdo Fraser (Deputy Leader, Scottish Conservatives) and Tavish Scott (Leader, Scottish Liberal Democrats) laying bare Alex Salmond and his party for what they are, posturing blow hards.

The second has the pretty self-explanatory title "Hypocrisy, thy name is Salmond". It includes this perceptive quote from George Orwell.

“All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts ... Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits but according to who does them.”

Since I'm a shameless promoter of Labour bloggers I'll round off this post by encouraging anyone interested in astute and intelligent political analysis* to head over and check out Scottish Unionist.


*[If you don't like astute and intelligent analysis try an SNP blog.]

Scotland and the Budget

Tomorrow the Scottish Government publishes its budget, the second of a minority administration and the media is asking who they will do a deal with this time. last year they went to the right, but then again that is nothing new for the SNP, so this year will they do the same again. They do seem to like to do the same things again as thanks to a blog I read it seems that Alex Salmond is going to threaten to take his ball away if he doesn't win the vote.

People are facing real hardships and the Salmond is on an ego trip, well that is nothing new that is for sure, I mean this is the guy who thought he was Barack Obama and told us all that he invented the "yes we can" slogan.

But seriously the budget is a major concern for the country, in this time of financial trouble what we need is our politicians to suggest a budget that will help us all and that will work for all the people and not just the few.

I want a budget that protects public services and not more cuts and more chance for the snp to say concordat and blame it all on Westminster, I want to see how they are going to build the new forth bridge and to actually admit that the Scottish Futures Trust was nothing more than a big lie and was never intended to actually do any large project management.

On the bridge, if I have got this right the SNP were asking the Government to allow the bridge to be built using money that would be given in 20 yrs time, now first of all that is like asking your mum or dad for an advance in pocket money but from some mysterious date in the future and how many of got away with that . Secondly does 20 yrs in the future mean that they are admitting that they are not going to be independent.

So to get back on topic please lets not have any games on the budget Mr Salmond and actually do what you say you were elected to do and serve the people of Scotland.

A review of 2008

I thought as we enter a new year that a review of the last year and what may happen in the new year was a good thing to do.

As we enter the new year, the first one that me and my significant other have actually spent at home in the time we have been together, their is a lot for a democratic socialist to be looking forward to. Last year we were so far behind in the polls that we Had about as much chance as me winning the London marathon, and for those who haven't seen me in the flesh think of haagrid from harry potter but with an additional 4 stone round the waist and you will get the metaphor, but today we are no worse than being projected to be the largest party in a Commons in a hung parliament.

We have a Prime Minister who was seen as a has been and just counting the days until the knight in blue came to the countries salvation came to power, to be replaced with a Prime Minister who has driven the world agenda and a leader of the opposition who is nothing more than a novice who would not know what to do if it jumped up and down in front of him and said look at me look at me.

I mean David Cameron is the guy who cycles to work, and very good that is, but I mean do you really need the official government car to drive your briefcase to the office, me I use a backpack i would have thought that might have been cheaper.

In elections the year started badly and we never thought it could get any better ever again, I mean to lose the local elections, Have Boris replace Ken in London and then the SNP win Glasgow East by-election was not exactly the best summer in politics I can remember. But after such a bad time then came Glenrothes and Lindsay Roy.

Who would have thought it 2 days after the election of a Democrat to the White House that the people of Glenrothes would elect a Labour politician to Westminster, I mean what great odds you could have got in July that neither of those things would have happened but both won by large majorities.

in Obamas case it was his message of hope and change, in Lindsay Roy's case it was more about warden charges and Alex Salmond claiming that he was the Scottish Barack Obama, I mean come that had to be the funniest photo of the year Alex Salmond on a roundabout saying yes we can, Less Obama and more Noddy.

So to recap they year has been an interesting one, Labour dead and buried at the start and now ready to fight and win whatever elections 2009 hold.

And in the club here at Aberdeen we have seen a 4 fold increase in our membership so we are heading into the New Year looking forward to the future.

It is true a week is a longtime in politics and a year is a lifetime.

So finally I would like to wish everyone who reads the blog be they of the left or the right a wonderful happy new year.

Scottish Independence

The following article was in last week's Gaudie. It was written by Amy Robertson, a member of the Labour Club. I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I did.


Financial crisis? I’m more worried about the SNP…

So, the FTSE is down, a huge number of our banks have been nationalised and the countries savings are in jeopardy. Yawn.com. Unless it affects my interest free overdraft I'm not really interested. I think there is something much more frightening and relevant to us, as students, on the political horizon - something that will take more than a 700 billion dollar bail out to cure. Last week Alex Salmond caused what can only be called a cringe worthy scene when he attempted to talk economics. Not only did he embarrass himself with his fumbling incoherent number chat, but he also embarrassed this country.

Many people I'm sure must be drawn to the SNP and the notion of independence, however I have a feeling that SNP for many Scottish citizens is a mere euphemism for the ‘We hate England’ party. Has anyone put down their Saltire for more than a second and stopped to think of the repercussions of Independence? Well for one, if we were once again faced with the onslaught of recession we would not be able to run to our big brothers in Westminster for help.

How many of us grew up with Blue Peter, or Neighbours? (Before the cruel people at the BBC moved it to Five)- or even the Six o clock news? Well hate to break it to you but as menial as it seems these programs are controlled by the British Broadcasting Corporation - not the Scottish Broadcasting Corporation. Could we really face an abundance of home-grown channels such as STV and copious amounts of shows such as Postcode Challenge with the MostAnnoyingWomanInTheWorld Carol Smilie? Nah, I didn’t think so.

For students how will the Loans and Tuition fees system change? Furthermore it would be more complicated for students to study in places such as Aberdeen from England and the rest of the UK. The pound would no doubt be abolished, to be replaced with a completely new currency, or indeed the Euro. How complicated would that be? A trip to the Carling weekend in Leeds would be up there in terms of logistics with going to America! Furthermore changing currency tends to trigger inflation meaning that things such as magazines are much more expensive. You might not notice the difference between two fat balding MP’s in Parliament but you would notice the price of your weekly NME or Heat rising. Plus erm, Scotland would have to have its own Olympic team... with the highest obesity rate in Europe we’ve not got the best prospects.

We as students are the members of the population who would be most affected by possible independence - as the future working population. For us it would mean a much more fragile infrastructure to live in, could Scotland really cope without England? I'm not so sure, plus would the Queen still be our Queen!?! So as the race commences for the title of Leader of The World - aka the American Presidential Election stop for a moment and imagine Alex Salmond (supposedly our First Minister..) making small talk with Barack Obama or John McCain. One can't help but think he’d look hugely insignificant.

Can i feel sorry for Alex Salmond

You know I never thought I would almost feel sorry for Alex Salmond, I mean what does the guy have to do to get a break recently.

Well think about it he spent all his time working out the benefits of Scottish Independence and how much better of we would be with oil at $150 a barrel only for the price to go and collapse to under $60 cause a major economic headache and he has no room left on the back of his fag packet to do anymore sums.

Now as if that wasn't bad enough he made a speech where he spoke about the arc of prosperity saying that Scotland should aim to replicate the great successes of 3 countries, now as its a blog and I am doing a history degree please allow me to take the 3 nations he spoke about one at a time.

His first was Ireland which has undergone something of a boom in the last 10-20 yrs and has become the Celtic Tiger, well now its more like the Gretna Tiger (Donald that is a football joke just for you) as a state it is officially in recession and the Celtic boom is well and truly over.

The second one of the countries he choose he did so specifically because it had based its economic growth on its banks taking a major share of the world market and that was Iceland. Now maybe its just me but i don't think basing your economic arguments on a country which you can now buy for £3.50 and a bottle of irn bru is the best thing to do.

Now if those 2 weren't bad enough for poor eck he now goes and finds himself with only one country left, Norway, and what happens then, well the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre comes out and tells him to stop using Norway as an argument as he would be “upset” if he thought that his country were being used as a “source of division or strife in other countries".

I mean do we really need to piss off the Norwegians, the last time we did that they invaded.

I started this blog by saying that I almost feel sorry for Alex Salmond but to be honest I don't as its his brand of economic incompetence that i have fought all my life.

Scotland is a great country indeed it is in my opinion the best nation on the planet, we have given the world some if its greatest inventions and people and we have always looked outward but the brand of nationalism that Salmond and the SNP push is less about looking out and more about looking south and blaming them bad people south of the Solway Firth.

So I don't feel sorry for Alex i feel sorry for us Scots having him as First Minister.