From Hell’s heart I stab at thee
We have many faults, but we try our hardest to ensure that hypocrisy isn’t one of them, so we’re not about to turn round and pay tribute to Johann Lamont just because she’s quit her job. We’re sure she’s a nice person in real life, but for three years the Scottish Labour “leader” has lived a lie, railing bitterly against London control while doing everything she could to impose that very fate on the people of Scotland.
(And ultimately succeeding, in so far as one could say that the mainly-absent Lamont could claim to have played any meaningful part in the referendum campaign.)
She leaves her party in the same abject state she found it, its position in the polls if anything slightly worse than it was after the SNP’s historic landslide victory in 2011. Her only achievement was to give Scottish Labour’s bitter, spiteful, tribal hatred of the Nats an accurate-looking corporeal manifestation, her face invariably contorted at First Minister’s Questions into a snarl of naked loathing for an opponent who’d done nothing other than successfully co-opt what used to be considered traditional “Labour values” after Labour abandoned them in pursuit of Middle England votes.
But we will say one thing for her – she went out with a bang.
Because the grenade Lamont lobbed over her shoulder as she walked out of the door is probably the most honest thing she’s ever done in her political life. For once acting on her true feelings, she’s left both the Westminster leadership and the Scottish branch office with an almighty mess to clear up, and a softer-hearted website than this one could almost pity them as they try to pick their way through the wreckage.
Her final comments, laden with barbs at Ed Miliband, ought in any sane world to make it impossible for any Westminster MP to take over the leadership of the Scottish “party”. To put Jim Murphy or Gordon Brown in remote charge would make Labour in Holyrood a laughing stock, its proclamations of autonomy a public joke. It would hand new FM Nicola Sturgeon a massive stick with which to relentlessly batter whichever hapless stooge drew the short straw of being the provincial glove puppet.
Of course, if we’ve learned anything in the last seven years it’s that just because doing something would utterly obviously be an act of complete lunacy doesn’t mean it’s possible to rule out Scottish Labour going ahead with it anyway. But if the party chooses an MP to take over Lamont’s job it’ll have done something we no longer believed possible, namely being even stupider than we thought.
But what are the alternatives? At this point in time, leadership of Scottish Labour is a political death sentence. Whoever gets the gig will inherit a seething nest of vipers, riven by internal wars, bitterness and distrust. (It seems to be the general view this morning that Lamont was betrayed by Margaret Curran, her best friend for decades.)
And while 18 months is a long time in politics, a heavy defeat in the 2016 Holyrood election currently looks inevitable, as a vibrant SNP surges to membership levels which are now perhaps ten times that of Scottish Labour. Whoever’s sat in the hot seat at that time will be expected to resign. So they’ll have spent a miserable year and a half in charge of a civil war, followed by a humiliating thrashing.
That doesn’t look good on the CV of any ambitious young up-and-comer, which is why we can’t see the likes of Jenny Marra or Kezia Dugdale – the early hot tip of many Scottish political hacks – wanting the job.
(And also, can anyone really see Labour putting her forward as a potential leader of Scotland with a straight face? First Minister Dugdale? Seriously?)
But who’s left? The party’s MSP lineup is a talent and charisma vacuum. When we scanned the list for potential candidates we found a bunch of people picking up taxpayer-funded salaries we’d never even heard of. (Mark Griffin? Claudia Beamish?) Most of them couldn’t get elected in their own right – the majority are list MPs.
There’s certainly no standout who could reasonably be expected to turn the party’s Scottish fortunes around. The position on offer is, then, that of a caretaker to try to steady the ship and hope for better conditions. Eliminating the ambitious and the too obviously useless seat-warmers leaves only a handful of senior figures in the twilight of their careers – Malcolm Chisholm is probably a bit too independently-minded, so someone more like Hugh Henry or Sarah Boyack could be plausible.
We could be mistaken, of course. Scotland has just 8.4% of the UK population but it provides Labour with 16% of its Westminster MPs, and Miliband might be willing to sacrifice any last shreds of Holyrood credibility in order to send someone who might carry enough weight to paper over the cracks and get enough of the party’s 41 MPs returned again in 2015 to bolster his fading hopes of becoming Prime Minister.
But Lamont’s explosive departure makes those cracks much wider, and leaves the future of Labour on both sides of the border shrouded in acrid, billowing smoke. Her wrath has been kept warm in order to serve her revenge cold. The next few weeks are going to be a lot more interesting than we’d been anticipating.
The next leader will have to be an experienced female politician( in other words “a has been”) from the Central belt, so that rules out the young pretender Dugdale. I reckon it could be Patricia Ferguson who is the least hopeless of a bad bunch.
Malcolm Chisholm…indeed, too independent-minded, too honest, too decent, too intelligent. I am in the strange position of an SNP member in a constituency where I respect and admire both the (Labour) MP and the (Labour) MSP and yet can’t vote for them because of the party they represent. Malcolm would be a worthy opponent for Nicola and he would be a good thing for Holyrood.
Never mind the October beer fest in Germany right now in Scotland it is a Popcorn fest you couldn’t make it up
I posted this, or similar, at the end of the last thread but it never went up.
So, another go.
On a politics programme, I think one of the Andrew Neil ones from Edinburgh, JoLa stated she would resign if the DEVO VOW was reneged upon.
There will be no Devo and now now JoLa.
She is getting out before the proverbial hits the fan. Not me Gov, the big bad boys living it up in London did it.
The Titanic that is London Labour has hit the iceberg, it is holed going down ere up. Just waiting for the boilers exploding.
Not long now.
There’s always Duncan Mcneil, the desk banger from Inverclyde, Labour’s answer to the Duracell bunny
Anas Sarwar?
London Labour are devoid of ideas or brains so it would be no surprise. I doubt anyone could possibly want the job leading them upto decimation in 2016. Sarwar however has always came across as someone who will “do as he’s telt”.
A potential candidate for the poison chalice could be recently elected pet dug of Gordon Brown, Alex Rowley.
Henry McLeish to come back after fighting a seat in Fife offered up quickly to get him in?
He is still regarded in Fife and he could steady the ship, but not take it anywhere unless London lets go of the strings.
I am coming around to the thought that Labour is so riven with factions and self interest that it is near ungovernable.
Sorry for O/T, any former Labour bods looking for an alternative might like to watch live the SSP conference which is just starting.
http://new.livestream.com/IndependenceLive/ssp2014
I wouldn’t be surprised if the new Scottish leader was an MP. Holyrood simply doesn’t have any intrinsic importance to Ed Milliband or Labour generally.
We have many faults, but we try our hardest to ensure that hypocrisy isn’t one of them, so we’re not about to turn round and pay tribute to Johann Lamont just because she’s quit her job.
A fair point. Indeed, I am a bit disappointed she has gone. Continued friction between London and Bath Street would have been entertaining…but we may get it yet. In the meantime we can watch as the “victors” tear themselves apart and the Tories try to explain why Unions are bad and why defaulting on debt is right.
Popcorn anyone?
I think they should go for the Have I Got News for you option, after all , a tub o lard couldn’t do much worse
Johann Lamont “apologises on behalf of all the people of Scotland.”
I may be wrong but isn’t Malcolm retiring in 2016? Too much of his own man for London anyway.
Ordinary mum Claire Lally, anyone? Haven’t Labour been telling us forever they want to reconnect with the voters!
BTW, is there any actual rule that says the leader has to be in (one of) the parliaments?
I couldn’t access the Hootsmon forum today. Think I’ll buy the Daily Reptile for a laff. Do you think the DR would wonder why they had a one day,one off surge in readership? Duh!
Pity she retired, vile human being who showed the true face of scottish laboour, i despise her and her stinkin party more by the day.
Just in – A Labour Leadership special offer!
http://thescottishscaremonger.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/branch-line-crown-of-thorns.html
…’a seething nest of vipers…’
Utterly unfair to vipers.
Malcolm Chisholm is standing down.
Mason Brown/Murphy are lying, tax evading, unchristian murdering criminals, who have betrayed the electorate for years.
What a result.It just gets better and better.Yeee haaaaaaaaaa!!!!
BtP: JoLa stated she would resign if the DEVO VOW was reneged upon.
You’re right, she did.
But did she have integrity enough to follow that through? I doubt it. So long as she was given respect from colleagues she’d do exactly as she was told – tow the party line on anything.
Sue Varley,
I’m not sure about Labour Party rules but I assume the next leader will have to be a party member.That pretty much means he or she will have to be an MP or MSP since that’s about the only members Labour has left in Scotland.
As Ninja Penguin was saying..Labour’s in the Shite
youtube.com/watch?v=Z9v_4htRbd8&list=UU_gwsX4TiHO1ktJ1flTUnJg
Sue Varley: Ordinary mum Claire Lally?
I enjoy good satire, and that’s perfectly razor-edged.
Its like Sooty and Sweep!
If Brown or whoever has their hand up the new SLAB leader’s arse contolling things from Westminster, then it will be a clean sweep- straight out of office for the rest of them at the next Hollyrood elections.
Ken Macintosh?
Westminster is far more important to Labour than Holyrood. Their plan for Holyrood always was for a safe pair of hands to implement London policy and keep the Scots quiet.The place holder needed to be bright enough not to put their foot in it, but dim enough to show no independent initiative. In opposition in Holyrood it is of even lower importance to WM Labour.
The big issue is getting Labour elected at WM. And, for that they need Scottish MPs. The scotland area branch leader is supposed to be leader of MPs, MSPs, MEPs and Councillors. WM matters most, by a long way, an MP will be chosen IMHO.
“I may be wrong but isn’t Malcolm retiring in 2016?”
Making him the perfect fit for the criteria required.
How will McTernan spin this mess?
For all Unionists and non-aligned No Voters the way back to health and sanity begins with a prayer. E.g. I am very sorry that I have sinned against democracy and all the people living in Scotland, who when I think about it are my brothers and sisters, and I hope that I will have the wisdom and courage to right the wrong and undo the damage as soon as possible
My money is on Ian “Scuttle Govan” Davidson.
I think Hugh Henry would do labour voters proud, but suspect he has no interest in the stress this late in his career.
If Malcolm Chisholm were to get the job and resurrect Labours fortunes in both Scotland and rUK it could STILL be in our favour,
Imagine the uproar if Labour were to get a marginal majority because of Scottish Labour mp’s?
If ever that was a good time for Scotland to sway a GE its 2016
there would be hell to pay in England,
GAME ON 🙂
She was conspicuous by her absence during the referendum campaign, she was only wheeled out on a Thursday to be sacrificed on the FM’s alter. When one of the most important debates of the campaign for the first time voters in the hydro, labour couldn’t even send a representative along FFS they let that eejit Galloway take their place.
So I would guess that there has been much in fighting blaming and back stabbing going on before the referendum and that’s probably why they can’t ‘celebrate’ victory, they are too riven with division. I can’t see any of the Holyrood candidates being politically big enough to heal the divisions but we must be wary of any sympathy votes for them.
Brown and Murphy are the men who took us into Iraq, wrecked that society, and left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced. Now we are looking at more of the same.
Brown would be an easy target for the Tories, and would carry no respect from them when Westminster deals with Holyrood, though they now have the measure of him when he ‘fell’ for the Cameron ruse.
All the Westminster RedTories are tainted by the tactics they used in the Referendum, as are the Holyrood RedTs.
Latest score update from Holyrood Park Stadium, Edinburgh –
Alex Salmond 4 – Scottish Labour 0
I would be very surprised if either Bottler Brown or Egg shell Murphy would find the courage and risk complete and utter humiliation by running against a new, popular FM, leading a huge party, on the top of her game.
Maybe an internal British Labour restructure is most likely outcome.
Why have a “Scottish” Labour “Party” leader? Aren’t they OneNation? Why not just call it what it is – Labour Holyrood Spokesperson.
This has lots of attractions for the incumbent – salary, expenses and they just need to read out Ed Miliband’s speeches. A great little earner.
Scotland on pause while Labour sort out their command structure.
I think Lamont perhaps did have an influence on the referendum result. The prospect of Labour one day governing an independent Scotland with her as FM/PM gave some people nightmares. Including me.
John H. says:
25 October, 2014 at 10:38 am
I think Lamont perhaps did have an influence on the referendum result. The prospect of Labour one day governing an independent Scotland with her as FM/PM gave some people nightmares. Including me.
LOL. Support for independence has just gone up 10%
we lost the vote, but emerged the winners.
🙂
No, who they need is someone well known, whose views are widely respected and are proven “Labour” to the core.
So what about Grahamski or Hotdogstall?
This I think must be linked to the Smith commission. The first meeting was held on Wednesday, and it might be fair to assume, that Lamont quitting, was not entirely unconnected. I think we can safely assume therefore, that British Labour fully intend blocking ANY meaningful new powers.
A parcel of rogues indeed.
🙂 🙂
More please
@handclapping
“Hotdogstall” hahaha. Perfect candidate, or should that be perpetual candidate?
I am so glad I recently joined the SNP, a party with honour and talent, which many south of the Border see and admire for their message, professionalism and dignity.
Can you imagine the damage this will do south of the Border as well? As someone said, it was always lose/lose for Labour stadiums with Tory, and they are so monumentally stupid they never saw the Tory knife coming.
Speaking of knives, the Rev.s analysis is rapier sharp as always, Hugh Henry is probably not stupid enough to take over, unless there is a stated break with London. Henry is the type to stand at the back handing out knives, urging others on.
Unless there is a clearly defined rule against it, I think that Labour will announce that their latest leader will only be a temporary posting until after the General Election, then they will wait to see which of their Scottish MP’s get kicked out, then put their preferred one in place, if they can.
Why should they rush it?
Did anyone see the docudrama about the gunpowder plot, I didn’t realise there was such an anti Scottish side to the plot. We can now be the gunpowder at the GE and blow the unionists to kingdom come and let the de facto parliament of England vote on it’s own laws and pave the road to independence.
For once I disagree with your assessment Stu……..
I recon the only way forward for ScotLab is to build bridges with LabUK
That can only be done by an MP.
Anyone know a washed up one eyed politician who could be used as a sacrificial lamb ?????
Slab shit the contents of their vile bowels all over the very Scots folks who voted for them.
Surely they will have learnt their lesson by now( the voters i mean)
No ambitious career politican will possibly take over the poisoned chalice. The writing is on the wall for the Red Tories in May 2015 and I honestly believe some polls are showing the Red Tories heading for THIRD PLACE in Scotland behind the Blue Tories…
However, that is all the sleep I will lose over the Red Tories. I am enjoying the SSP conference right now on Livestream…
The funny thing is Nicola has not taken over yet. Just wait until she gets stuck into the faux Labour Party with her genuine social-democratic and left views and policies.
I really hope the Red Tories can be destroyed FOREVER in Scotland and the SNP plus allies can take over the whole centre to left vote. Let the Blue Tories be the alternative with their neoliberal economic policies and similar role as the North British paid thugs of the Eton elite.
Michael Connerty gives a very revealing interview on GMS this morning, where he mentions the existence of a right-wing organisation within the Westminster Labour Party called the “Network”. Approx 1hr38mins in.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lt758
I have had a look about for more info about the “Network”, can’t find anything.
Yet Connerty says during this interview, “you know who is in the Networok, the same as everybody else”.
Sorry Michael, but I have never heard of the “Network”.
This is meant to be the faction within Scottish Westminster Labour who are the main reason behind Lamont moving on.
The penny finally dropped with them that there careers are about to come to a sudden end.
I would nominate Greame Morrice as the new labour leader.
He really is a snake in the grass and is conceited enough to let everyone know this.
If labour is not dead in the water with him in charge they would sink fast.
@ Nigel
Sadly, we still have too many who adhere, against all the evidence, to the “Ah’ve aye votit Labour. They’re fur ra workin man” tendency.
If an”ordinary mother” can be considered how about an ordinary journalist like Eleanor Bradford or an ordinary newsreader like Jackie Burd. They are already at the leading edge of apologists for the SLAB.
However I guess we are stuck with the only rational candidate Jackie Bailley. She has all the qualifications including failing to a answer questions and ducking the truth. She would be a real heavyweight for SLAB.
What a contrast between the departure of the Labour Group Leader at Holyrood and the impending departure of the First Minister.
Just heard that kezs dad is in the SNP…..wonder who elses parents are now members
The Network – LOL right wing group, so that will be Labour then?
It remains to be seen what Faisal Islam has in the way of e-mails that might incriminate Brown and others making the position for Labour in Scotland a lot worse. These e-mails could add petrol to a blaze that is already well alight… I’m sure the Tories wouldn’t mind if they were released as they already have nothing to lose up here
What about Malcolm Tucker and the Tardis ?
Surely thats the level of spin doctor sculduggery SLabour require ?
Won’t somebody think of poor wee Dicky Baker? He must be a shoo-in for the job!
I listened this morning on Radio North Britain to a succession of Labour politicians, starting with pathological liar Jackie Baillie, chuntering on about what a courageous leader poor JoLa had been during her short and disastrous tenure as Scottish Branch Office Manager. No lessons have been learned apparently. Everything they came out with was pure LabSpeak gobbledook, interspersed with the occasional obligatory dig at the SNP. How anyone can still vote for this dysfunctional party beats me.
For what it’s worth the only person who could stand a chance of improving Scottish Labour’s position is Douglas Alexander.
” “She wasn’t enjoying things and it was very difficult to get her to do anything during the campaign,” said one Labour stalwart last night.”
No sympathy for Johann, given her various hideous comments during the referendum campaign but is is feasible that she actually did as little as possible because in her heart of hearts she believed that independence was the best thing for Scotland??
Was Johann a secret ” Yesser” ?
If so, then she should have had the courage of her convictions and put the interests of Scotland and the people she served rather than the interests of the Labour Party!
If Johann has indeed resigned then she is obviously smart enough to see the writing on the wall for “Scottish Labour” following the Oban by election being a taste of things to come in the general election.
Labour in the UK and in particular, Scotland, is in it’s death throes and no-one mourns the wicked!
Two insights from this morning’s GMS.
First up Jackie Baillie who proffered the view that there was no problem here, move along. Somebody above mentioned a tub of lard – my first thought on listening to Jabba.
Second up was Michael Connerty who when pressed by Bill Whitelaw to name names in the coup, retorted that we all knew who they were – code for Ian Davidson and Brian Donohoe.
So there you have it and it will only get worse for Labour when they all realise that Milliband is unelectable as PM.
As to a replacement, it has to be an MSP and my bet would be on Ken MacIntosh who won the popular vote last time round. Their is an interesting synergy there between Milliband and Lamont. Both depended on the Trades Unions sector and proved to be not fit for purpose.
I’m mostly pleased for the SNP, as they deserve a decent weekend. Can you imagine what this will do to the remaining membership?
I’m sure those that burned their membership cards are at least feeling pleased they got out before this fiasco.
“tony Jensen says:
For what it’s worth the only person who could stand a chance of improving Scottish Labour’s position is Douglas Alexander. ”
You serious??? Not as far as any self respecting Scottish woman is concerned – given that Douglas Alexander was the ” brains” ( and I use that term very loosely ) behind the now infamous “patronising UKOK woman”!
Tony Jensen – go and eat your cereal!!! Lol!
Rats, we don’t get to see our leader of Labour in Scotland take responsibility for their actions. Yup, rats and sinking ships.
And how long before we see Jola emerge as the Lady Lament?
Btw, what does she know that we already know?
Here’s a thought,perhaps Annabelle Golding could come out of retirement to lead the Red Tories, she might actually manage to do a more credible job than any available SLABS!
Folks, whoever becomes the new Slabber leader you can bet anything you like they will arrive with a message full of deceit.
They know they’re getting hammered all over the UK.
Their message to Scotland will be geared towards 2015 and will be proclaiming some sort of change of direction, ie; “we now fully endorse a commitment to Devo Whitever Ye Want Tae coll it” etc.Be prepared.
We must remain focused on ridding Scotland of the red tory plague. Slabber went into partnership with the tories because
that’s what their London masters demanded.
And for as long as Slabber is nothing more than the branch office it is, then that will always be the case.
Keep London out of Scotland – get rid of the red tories.
Vote SNP.
Neil Findlay is well n highly thought of in union land. NHS shadow too. But has declares he want labour to position itself to left of snp. So dead ed prob won’t allow that to happen. Arsehole anas for the crown… Of thorns????
Stoket, I dont think they will change tactics at all. Its why lamont has left.Difference of opinion.
Will it be, the “Chalice from the Palace” or the “Vessel with the Pessel” holds the brew that is true
Which’ll it be HMMN ???…
C’mon “Crash” give us a laugh…tears are blinding me here
If Labour persist with the hollow job title of “Leader” regards their party (or Accounting Unit) in Scotland then I think they have to select the ONLY candidate that squares this circle.
They need someone from which supporters clearly sense a different Scottish identity, culture and possible alternative way of doing things.
A big hitting champion of all things proud Scottish butness. Someone who can maybe, just maybe, position Labour to the left of the Tories and UKIP in Scotland. They have to be available immediately to fill this vital role.
Of course the ONLY viable candidate is George Robertson – Baron Robertson of Port Ellen.
Let’s see how Nicola Sturgeon performs against a true Scottish socialist hero.
Wullie Galbraith
“Anyone know a washed up one eyed politician who could be used as a sacrificial lamb ?????”
Maybe James Kelly heard something about Lamont going before anybody else and suddenly realised that the staff at Celtic Park were on pish wages, so he gave it the full, “Kelly fights for ordinary punters wages to be increased”.
This would give him the image of being the saviour of the working class and be a shoe in for leader of the Labour Party at Holyrood.
Simples!
proudscot says:
” How anyone can still vote for this dysfunctional party beats me.”
Me too! However, some will in the GE … It could be anything from 20-40%
The answers to why this will happen, need to be found, and a BIG campaign to persuade voters away from SLab begun. A lot of this is simply tribal loyalty and nostalgia, I reckon. That can be overcome by a good argument.
@tony Jensen 11.18 Whit! are you havin a laugh. Wee Dougie the diminuative. I know labour are deperate, but really, come on.Sheesh
I agree with Heather McLean, away and eat your cereal.
Stupid boy.
@Edulis
Can’t see London labour going for Ken MacIntosh, he’s too much his own man and a loose cannon.
That’s why they used the unions to keep him out and shoe JoLa in.
tony Jensen says:
“For what it’s worth the only person who could stand a chance of improving Scottish Labour’s position is Douglas Alexander.”
You may be right! So let’s hope it’s some other typically dim stooge!
All this talk of Jim Murphy or Gordon Brown or whoever being the new leader of the Scottish Labour Party is a smokescreen.
Surely the real elephant in the room is Jackie Baillie.
She is just so obviously unmissable.
Lamont demands more powers for the Labour Party in Scotland.
But offers no new powers for the Scottish Parliament.
Once again putting the Labour Party’s interests before those of the Scottish people.
Self interest and Labour going hand in hand once again.
The so called ‘Scottish’ Labour Party is heading for oblivion in May and they only have themselves to blame.
Especially Lamont, Brown, Baillie, Sarwar, and Murphy.
Stu, good article … Some very interesting lines of thought about Holyrood-based successor. However, I’m going to nit-pick about 1 thing …. Let’s stop calling them Scottish Labour & call them what they are … The Labour Party in Scotland … As JoLa herself admits …
Every Labour MP and MSP can be charged with vilifying 1.6 million voters in Scotland.
As 95% of Tories voted No then that 1.6M contain the largest share of those Labour would want on their side. Will the the 1.6 accept any new Labour ‘Leader’ simply saying,”Oh, it was just politics, didn’t really mean it, now vote for me’.
Even if Labour won the next GE, it will still be their austerity policies being imposed on Scotland. Will that suddenly make it OK?
Watching QT, on catch up of course, many of the things Labour are just talking about, we wee doing e.g. minimum pricing on alcohol, focusing on real apprenticeships, protecting the SNHS, as best we can. I ask thought eh LabCon pair were to desperate to tell the FM he lost.
My main response was, no, Labour lost.
Eh? George Robertson you say, Murray McCallum, he of the World will end in a thunderous calamatous and terrible disasterous bad way,Oh my God, if the bad Salmond loving Gnatz get their Devil Way and gnashings of great teeth and terror people will invade the very streets of our beloved Britain and maybe even Scotlandshire as well
Aye… Good Choice, a real patriot, Idiot, but real Scotsman
Come to think of it? GOOD IDEA!!!
What about the cereal advert lady is she not a credible candidate. Or at least as credible as the rest of them?
If she was actually pushed, I wonder what would be the chances she’d turn on her erstwhile masters and spill the beans on all their wrongdoings? She’s pizen enough for that. Would depend whether her hatred and loathing were greater than for the SNP and Scottish self determination. Her obvious capacity for deep hatred might mean that those who gave her the old heave ho will find there is room for all on her bonfire.
His wee Dougie Alexander announced the date of the Reconsillyation Service for Slab.
“She wasn’t enjoying things and it was very difficult to get her to do anything during the campaign,” said one Labour stalwart last night.”
Her husband,perhaps?
Why don’t the Scottish Tories, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Lib/Dems form a new political Party at Holyrood and they could all “pool and share” their votes.
They could maybe call themselves, eh, I know,
“Better Together”.
I think you are underestimating ScotLab’s talent for self-deception.
I’m sure that the ambitious Dugdale will have convinced herself that she could be the one to open the Scottish electorate’s eyes and lead Labour in Scotland to glorious victory at the G.E.
halks says:
25 October, 2014 at 11:39 am
Stoket, I dont think they will change tactics at all.
Its why lamont has left.Difference of opinion.
__________________________
We’ll see, time will tell.
And i believe she jumped before she was pushed.
She seen and knew it was coming.
As i said, Slabber are in deep trouble in Scotland.
They have been found out, exposed for what they are and their
support is deserting them in droves.
I believe the latest new rent boy (or girl) will arrive with
a message of change. They have to do something to try and stem
the flow of supporters abandoning them.
Note i didn’t say they would be sincere in their message.
The message will be aimed at stopping the ever dwindling
support from abandoning them AND continuing to portray the lie
that Slabber are Independent from London.
To attempt no change whatsoever – not even the perception of
change – will be the final nail in Slabbers coffin. It is with
that in mind i sincerely hope you are correct.
As i said, i hope you’re right but i think i will be.
Time will tell, lets wait and see.
😉
PS, Chalks, if you sincerely believe she left due to a
“difference of opinion”, well, good luck with that one.
Surely the real elephant in the room is Jackie Baillie.
Now that is harsh
🙂
I am looking forward to the Sunday Herald tomorrow.
Lamont demands more powers for the ‘Scottish’ Labour Party.
But offers nothing for the Scottish Parliament.
Once again putting her own party’s interests before those of the Scottish people.
What’s new?
Ah, she has, at least, redeemed a little in my book by swiping at the Labour hierarchy while falling on her toothpick… sword’s a word for better politicians…
If she’s trying to lay all the blame for Labour actions at London’s door, though, she’s on a hiding to nothing. While you could argue that ‘the boss says it’s got to be done this way’ so that’s the way they did it, you’d also have to say that if you KNOW doing it that way will cause you a huge amount of damage YOU DON’T JUST DO IT. Labour’s MSP squad lied happily along with their Westminster counterparts. There is not a single Labour politician in the UK, nor even just in Scotland, that is fit to step up to the role of their leader in Scotland. Not one of them. I cannot imagine a solitary one of them being any more use than Lamont.
I’ll tell you what we will get.
We’ll get a good party member who will happily take orders from central office and not rock the boat at all. And Labour will continue to die in Scotland because, as Henry McLeish said on the radio this morning, London Labour does not understand Scotland at all. Can’t argue with that; the political landscape in Scotland has changed and they don’t understand what’s happened.
There was a huge lump of hard irony about listening to McLeish on about having an independent Labour party in Scotland separate from the Westminster party.
If the doss twats in the Labour set up in Scotland had decided to find their bollocks and campaign for independence we’d have had a fully independent Scottish Labour part pretty soon as a direct result of a Yes vote. As it stands, they got what they campaigned for, and they can pretty much sook on it.
@ caz_m noo if they amalgamate as Better Together does that no mean that Blair McDougall would be recalled as leader.
Davie Park @ 12:11:
Yes, I had been thinking that. Same goes for any of the ‘big beasts’ currently at Westminster who might fancy a go. They all have huge egos and will no doubt think that things would be going swimmingly under their watch. It’s that sort of thinking that’s allowing some of them to think there’s nothing wrong in the wider party this morning…..
Imagine the embarrassment if Jim Murphy became leader and then lost his seat in 2015.
Somebody said early on in the thread Labour (explode) its Labour Party we’re talking about here, they do things differently they ( Implode )& thank God for that,enough shite has been spread over Scotland already.
brushes ,dustpans, mops, & anybodys got a steamjenny clean up starts early doors 2015.
Douglas Alexander, Jim Murphy and Anas Sarwar are all Westminster-centric who find it impossible to speak “at” the Scottish people without sounding smug and patronising. The mere thought of “downgrading” their status by moving from the “big show” in London to “parochial” Holyrood will be anathema to them. If one of them is forced to fall on their sword and take the job of Scottish leader, SLab will simply be exchanging a reluctant Lamont with a reluctant and embittered Alexander/Murphy/Sarwar.
As for the Holyrood contingent. Jackie Bailie is equally smug and patronising in her speechifying “at” the Scottish people but is dishonest enough to fit the usual Labour bill. Nicola Sturgeon will have her for breakfast, lunch and dinner at FMQ but, then again, that would be the case who-ever SLab eventually plump for. I can’t see anyone else who could do a better job …. relatively speaking.
Can you honestly see one of the slimy sleekit, expenses grabbing Labour crooks giving up Westminster (higher salary, fraudulent expenses claims) for Holyrood.
The only way the likes of Murphy, Broon, Curran, Sarwar etc would come to Holyrood would be if they did both WM and Holyrood.
Broon taking over in Holyrood, it would interfere with his lucrative speeches around the world which he gets £83,000 a speech.
McLeish isn’t all that liked in Fife.
I cannot believe how happy i feel this morning.
Jola gone in 60 seconds. We all thought she would go after the GE. Hope the bitter women has a few more snidey comments to chuck about at Labour. I did say a wee while back that when they crumble , watch as they turn on each other and now it’s happening. Kismet 🙂
We are aiming at destroying Labour .Bit of a downer as they are doing it themselves. Still Wings should take some of the credit . This site kept up the pressure on the Labour party.
we should run a sweepstake , That’s stake Ms baillie Not steak, with the proceeds going to the winners local food bank. My money is on the eggman as like many have posted , the job will only be temporary . And if the cluncking fist returns we might end up with home rule for the 2016 SE.
Keza and Jenny m are kids compared to Nichola Sturgeon. She’ll be enjoying her breakfast today.
Surely ALL labour supporters see that their party is a glove puppet for WM now and will vote accordingly.
My money is on skelator. His egg assault will bring him a sympathy vote from 1 or 2 . And during FMQ Nichola can set up another sweepstake for the amount of times they mention the word eggactly 🙂
Does it get any better
gillie, that thought crossed my mind, with glee
I think they have to appoint an MSP, or someone who will try and become one. Cast your minds back to the days of Elmer, the LOLISP, that prompted Murphy’s review which gave as the One Dear Leader, lording every elected member in the whole of Scotland.
Are they going to reverse that now? In many ways JoLa was right, London give too little weight to Scotland (both Labour and in every other way. They need leadership in Holyrood, not a puppet dancing as someone in London, even a Scottish MP, tugs the strings.
But you look around their benches and shudder. Bateman has it on NNS – their mistake was in continuing to send their ‘big beasts’ south, leaving dross on the regional lists. From that pack there is no leader-elect.
They’re still railing against 2007, the BAIN principle is embedded. And it won’t do. JoLa’s mistake was in campaigning for NO, for in an iScotland she would have created her own authority, or a path to that for her successor, for she was never a leader, stooge or otherwise.
So where to from here Labour? Oblivion. And I don’t care who you appoint to take you there.
might need someone who hasn’t joined labour party yet
Anyone heard of the ‘Labour Network’?
Linlithgow labour MP Michael Connarty was radio Scotland this morning going on about it And how key members (Jim Murphy) only focus was on Westminster politics
Labour have totally lost it. They have no credible candidates in Scotland.
Michael Connarty sees no problem with Crash Gordon coming back but not standing in Holyrood. You could not make this shit up.
In case any British Labour Party members read Wings please read this.
My entire family and friends, including my life long labour voting mother in law (yes at referendum) will not be voting for Gordon Brown in any election. We are not alone. Kirkcaldy was 79% yes. Crash Gordon’s constituency does take in some strong ‘labour’ heartlands but times are changing. He would be better to go now before he is completely humiliated.
No one I know will vote for him and many many will take to the streets to campaign against him.
We could be debating a written constitution or how to use the oil fund or foreign policy but instead this…. Meh!
@JPFife says: 25 October, 2014 at 9:53 am:
“A potential candidate for the poison chalice could be recently elected pet dug of Gordon Brown, Alex Rowley.”
I’ve known Alex since my late wife used to deal with his childhood skint knees. On Alex first getting made leader of Fife Council his first action was to make cuts. He closed Council run Retirement Homes and took away the few bob the council paid to those young adults with learning difficulty who made garden slabs and garden furniture. This kept them off the streets and gave them a bit of pride that they were, “working”.
Alex’s next move was to spend several thousand quid, (a lot of money then), for a pink leather suite for his, “Fife House”, office. Yes, that’s right, Labour – the party of the people. Made cuts and spent the savings on their top man’s office furniture.
Next thing we knew he was tipped as a future big Labour gun and got a high level executive job in , “Labour in Scotland”. Only to be unable to keep his trousers on and thus faded from the scene in disgrace.
Did Labour think we old guys had forgotten? I would not trust Alex to look after my wee Papillon bitch.
So hopefully this will help big Eck decide which seat to stand for at the GE.
Whichever seat the branch manager sits in.
That would be fun, two departed leaders in 9 months.
If Anas Sarwar could inherit his dad’s MP post, could Blair McDougall be slithered into JoLa’s position?
I’m sure I remember him saying in a recent TV interview that he rather fancied becoming a politician.
Or will SLab have to go through the whole leader election process inc unions’ vote, to change their leader? As that seems quite a long process, will they do this before the next GE?
Will JoLa become leader of the Indy Slab party – oh, the irony, if so.
Will there be any deflections over to the SNP ?
So soon!! Tis but more ammo to use short term. I have a wry smile today, however this will soon be yesterdays chip paper. Keep our eyes on the prize dear people next May as spin,distortion and diverts are being written as I write this.
First blood in a very intense battle to come happens to be self inflicted! So what. They will only fall in May if enough trad voters get IT! Then vote other! Tis our job to ensure enough do get it, not from the spin but from face to face people like us every day till May. Wry smile has ambitions of becoming a huge grin 🙂
Jackie Bird and Eleanor Bradford have already been suggested above as new leader candidates – what about Glenn Campbell?
Tomorrow’s POoitics Scotland will be very intersting to see what line up we get form BBC Labour. Since Gordon Brewer lost Newsnight Scotland I have had the impression that he has to a great extent escaped the PQ Labour Management Straitjcket and has become relatively unbiased to the extent of occasionally giving Labour politicos a pretty hard time.
” surely the real elephant in the room is jackie baillie ” that made me laff, she deserves it.
Maybe Ms Lamont was just tired out by all the ‘knockout blows’ she was landing on Alex Salmond; the ones that Alan Cochrane kept writing about in the Telegraph.
Has everyone forgot about our UKOK hero Darling? Fits the Red Tory bill rather well with his Loretto schooling and neo liberal politics. 🙂
@Chitteringlicht – I understand from my mate (I am aCowdenbeath man but don’t live there now) That Cowdenbeath was YES also.
So not good sign for Broon.
On another note how would the Slab get someone into Holyrood before 2016 (not withstanding a by-election)?
How about Margaret Curran, she hates the SNP enough and it shows! I almost expect Lamont to leave the party and say we should have voted YES!
Let me have a quick recap since the referendum. S.N.P. membership soars, Labour membership goes down. Oil is amazingly discovered where none existed before the referendum. Milliband blocking the Smith Commission for English Labours benefit. Lamont resigns almost telling the peoples of Scotland that Labour are more concerned with England. E.U. puts a broadside across Conservatives which U.K.I.P. will milk for all it is worth. I am sure there is much more I have overlooked but these are some of the main themes.It is hard to understand how we cannot have joy in our hearts this morning.
@Bugger (the Panda) says: 25 October, 2014 at 9:57 am:
“Henry McLeish to come back after fighting a seat in Fife offered up quickly to get him in?”
I would have agreed with you until referendum week. If Henry had come over to YES he could have made a massive difference … but he didn’t. ATM: He seems tirght out of touch with both Labour Better Together and Labour for Indy and has lost a lot of the respect the YESSERS used to have for him. Best leave Henry where he has chosen for himself – Yesterday’s Man living in Yesterday.
Don’t know if you knew this but : –
After leaving mainstream politics Henry lectures a lot in the USA. Including, The US. Air Force Academy, University of Arkansas, Holding a visiting professorship shared between the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the University of Arkansas School of Law. He is considered an expert on European-American relations and on the European Union.
He is a consultant with J. Chandler & Co., distributor of Buckfast Tonic Wine. He has written some books including Scotland First: Truth and Consequences (2004), Global Scots: Voices from Afar (with Kenny MacAskill) (2006) (published in the UK as Global Scots: Making It in the Modern World), Wherever the Saltire Flies (with Kenny MacAskill) (2006) and Scotland: The Road Divides (with Tom Brown) (2007).
He also holds the following positions and titles: –
Privy Counsellor
Hartman Hotz Visiting Professor in Law and the Liberal Arts, jointly in the Fulbright College and Law School, University of Arkansas
Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver
Visiting lecturer at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Honorary Fellow at the College of Humanities and Social Science at Edinburgh University
Honorary Fellow at the Cambridge Land Institute, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University
Adviser, Consultant and Facilitator to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and the European Monitoring Centre for Change, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Adviser and Consultant to the LEED Programme of the OECD in Paris, France, including visits to Austria, Italy, and Mexico.
Consultant, in partnership with Jeremy Harrison, Cambridge (Public Value Partnership, working on new project development and evaluation of existing projects in the community and voluntary sector.
In August 2007 he was appointed to the Scottish Broadcasting Commission (established by the Scottish Government). He also chaired the Scottish Prisons Commission, which produced a report into sentencing and the criminal justice system in 2008 entitled “Scotland’s Choice”.
McLeish concluded a “major report” on the state of football in Scotland, which had been commissioned by the Scottish Football Association, in April 2010. McLeish claimed that Scottish football was “underachieving, under-performing and under-funded” at a press conference to unveil the report.
Methinks, oor Henry has more than enough extracurricular activities, and nice wee earners, to keep his wallet fat for the time being. Many of which he would have to give up on reentering main-stream politics.
Jackie Baillie… come on down, you’ve been awarded this week’s Poisoned Chalice.. Good luck, you’re going to need it…
(Bwaaaaaaaaahahahahaha…)
Rally in Trafalgar Square tonight.
Eddie Izzard, Bob Geldof, Bowie et al pleading for Johan to stay with us ?
Probably not, they lost interest weeks ago.
On a serious note, I find the remarks about appearance,weight and. Size to be distasteful and seldom funny.
For example, Jackie Baillie.
Her weight and size are the least offensive of her attributes.
Someones visual impairment should not be a target for scorn.
And in case it had not been noticed there are a lot of obese and visually impaired Yessers.
Rant over.
This Red Tories epithet means nothing to anyone outside the blogosphere. It just doesn’t ring any bells with anyone. Ask around your less politically aware friends and family.
Time for a rethink and a more crushing nickname.
Also, just been daydreaming . . . GE2015 Alex stands against Gordon
HandandShrimp says:
25 October, 2014 at 12:14 pm
Surely the real elephant in the room is Jackie Baillie.
Now that is harsh
==========================
Agree with you HandandShrimp – what has the poor elephant done to be compared with Jackie baillie.
Dugdale and Marra, are not Labour leader material, mind you the state Labour are in, Coco the clown could do a better job.
As for Lamont I’ve not one ounce of sympathy for her she sided with Westminster, and now has her just reward, good riddance to her.
Robert Peffers
Henry is considered an expert by all these institutions and yet he could not think up one advantage of Scotland running its own affairs and couldn’t even run his own office without getting in a ‘muddle’.
Aw, go on, Joanne. Even if They left you out of their loop, used you when it suited them, don’t stop now: reveal all about the Westminster wanglers (I think that’s the spelling) – the inside track on how they plotted and manoeuvred and fixed the Referendum. Go on, Joanne – you know you want to …. You could be a sort-of heroine yet. Sort of.
@Sue Varley says: 25 October, 2014 at 10:11 am:
“BTW, is there any actual rule that says the leader has to be in (one of) the parliaments?”
No rules, Sue, but very awkward for a Holyrood member to attempt to question the FM at FMQ’s when all the FM needs do is demand to be be questioned by the organ grinder and refuse to believe the monkey is able to speak on behalf of the London Labour in Scotland Branch Office . If Johann has done anything for Scotland it is to highlight the glaring chasm between Westminster Labour & Holyrood Labour.
It is now an established fact that there is conflict between the two and that the Labour Party is indeed the London Unionist party who are in charge. This is but the most recent example of London domination. Don’t you remember the upset when the Labour man came up from London and de-selected a group of sitting Glasgow Labour Councillors and forced the Glasgow Labour group to accept the London Labour choice of candidates?
We could be debating a written constitution or how to use the oil fund or foreign policy but instead this…. Meh!
sums it up well, Chitterinlicht.
Would the network not be connected to those Labour MPs who undertook a crash course in neo-liberal ideas in the States? The names which come to mind are Gordon Brown, Ed Balls, Jim Murphy, Douglas Alexander(?)
@domhnall dods says:25 October, 2014 at 10:26 am:
“Ken Macintosh?
Do you mean this Ken Macintosh? This is his version of, “The Creep”.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM2n-bxh2JM
Jackie Baillie. You should have heard her on GMS this morning and Isabel Fraser (???) giving her a real roasting. She kept saying everything was dandy and people were working together well in Scottish Labour She has her eyes on Johann’s fiefdom and does not have the wit (remember the geographic physical separation prediced if Scotland voted yes) to realise it is a poisoned chalice.
Lamont was just a `Lightning Rod` to attract all the flack from the Yes side while the real policy makers were kept out of the spotlight , I think Brown,Murphy,Darling were used in a similar role esp Murphy who was made by his own party to look like a laughable crazy dancing monkey .
I think the quiet ones during the Referendum will start taking over because they are not seen to have been such Ba####ds during project fear.
You should write “it’s a slownews day” more often.
For what it’s worth, I’m betting on Dear Gordon Brown not thinking through the consequences (again).
@Croompenstein says:25 October, 2014 at 10:57 am:
“I didn’t realise there was such an anti Scottish side to the plot.”
If you have not as yet realised it,Croompenstein, it really was not so much an Anti-Scottish”, thing as an anti-Roman Catholic thing. It has driven British History since the Southern Britons adopted Anglo Saxon culture while the Northern Britons adopted Celtic culture. In both cases it was not an interbreeding thing as the Southern lot were elite leaders keeping the natives Britons as serfs, while the Northern Christian saints were celibate. So the Southern lot are mainly only cultural Anglo Saxons while the Nothern Britons are only culturally Celtic.
You only need look at actual text of Article II of the Treaty of Union to see the truth of that fact : –
“That the Succession of the Monarchy to the united Kingdom of Great Britain, and of the Dominions thereto belonging, after her most sacred Majesty, and in Default of Issue of her Majesty, be, remain, and continue to the most Excellent Princess Sophia, Electoress and Dutchess Dowager of Hanover, and the Heirs of her Body being Protestants, upon whom the Crown of England is settled by an Act of Parliament made in England in the twelfth Year of the Reign of his late Majesty King WILLIAM the Third, Intituled, An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown, and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject: And that all Papists, and Persons marrying Papists, shall be excluded from, and forever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Imperial Crown of Great Britain, and the Dominion thereunto belonging, or any Part thereof, and in every such Case the Crown and Government shall from time to time descend to, and be enjoyed by such Person being a Protestant, as should have inherited and enjoyed the same in case such Papist or Person marrying a Papist, was naturally Dead according to the Provision for the Descent of the Crown of England, made by another Act of Parliament in England in the first Year of the Reign of their late Majesties King WILLIAM and Queen MARY, intituled, An Act declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and settling the Succession of the Crown.
Note also how, even then, they were confusing the issue with the wrong use of England, Britain & the United Kingdom.
@ Nigel says:25 October, 2014 at 11:01 am:
“Slab shit the contents of their vile bowels all over the very Scots folks who voted for them. Surely they will have learnt their lesson by now( the voters i mean)”
Err! Nigel, I hope that’s not you suggesting Labour in Scotland’s remaining voters suffer from learning difficulties? You do those who actually do suffer such difficulties a grave disservice. I personally know several who are most certainly YES voters.
I would suggest the reason why Labour in Scotland voters still vote for them is due more to self-interest, blind team loyalty or just plain blind hatred of Alex Salmond and the SNP engendered by MSM/BBC propaganda.
Joking aside it is hard to understand how anyone, with access to the facts, could vote other than for independence.
Somebody cleverer than me suggested that Alex Salmond saw that he needed to get rid of ‘Scottish’ Labour before independence could ever become a reality.
Starting to think #indyref provided Alex with the opportunity.
British Labour Party to busy pursuing a Westminster agenda to understand this.
They are absolutely the cause of their own unwinding. it could have been quite different.
Article II of the Treaty of Union
(Pooling and Sharing and Better Together for everyone, except you know who.)
That the Succession of the Monarchy…
and the Heirs of her Body being Protestants…
And that all Papists, and Persons marrying Papists, shall be excluded from, and forever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Imperial Crown of Great Britain…..
and be enjoyed by such Person being a Protestant, as should have inherited and enjoyed the same in case such Papist or Person marrying a Papist…
Ah, but this was long before Better Together and Pooling and Sharing.
That’s all been sorted now, surely? – What do you mean, No.
Oh right; the Catholics are no’ in it, is that what you’re sayin’. An’ do they know about this – an’ how they’re no in the poolin’ and sharin’ and the Better Together? They’ll no be pleased when they find out – half o’ them voted fur it in IndyRef.
And so the animals were all equal apart from those specified in Terms and Conditions, about which no animal was permitted to speak.
Only someone whose ego is gargantuan, would fail to see that the Slabbers leadership is a poisonous chalice!
@ Rosa Alba, …. oh wait,…
Murray McCallum says: 25 October, 2014 at 11:40 am:
“Of course the ONLY viable candidate is George Robertson – Baron Robertson of Port Ellen. Let’s see how Nicola Sturgeon performs against a true Scottish socialist hero.”
Do you think, perhaps, that Nicola could do a better job of it than this candidate as her deputy?
: –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlmfCOa3hrw
I’m not sure I would believe anyone who climbs the ladder of Labour is a nice person in real life. Some of the things Johann has said about and to Salmond are disgraceful.
The Nats aren’t the only target of ScoLab’s bitter, spiteful hatred. That snarl you mention is common to most of them. It’s the result of 40 years of mediocrity: every time they see the Nat’s success, it reminds them of how inadequate they themselves are.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that, by showing up her colleagues as she left, that indicated a level of honesty. She probably did it for revenge because they’ve probably been skulking around at her back trying to undermine her for ages, and as for Ed sacking the guy without telling her, that sums them up.
Sorry, was busy writing a report, and watching the lifestream conference in Independence Live.
My choice for leader, got to be Elaine Smith. She’s managed to take the Labour majority down to under 3000 from 10,000 in 1999.
Coatbridge and Chryston.
I’m not sure what all the excitement is about.
The post of “Scottish Labour Leader” is a non-post in a non-party.
The “leader” of Labour in Scotland will have had nothing to do with the 2015 General Election in Scotland as that will be run by the Labour Leadership and the MP’s.
The Scottish Parliamentary election in 2016 will be run by whatever Labour MP’s survive 2015.
The function of the “leader” of Labour in Scotland is to shout abuse at the SNP in the Scottish Parliament and to provide a focus for the BBC and the media to present Labour in Scotland as “Scottish Labour”. To be quite honest about it, any Labour MSP will do.
The only question is if Labour wanted Lamont out which replacement did they have in mind and why.
@Seasick Dave says: 25 October, 2014 at 2:42 pm:
“Henry is considered an expert by all these institutions and yet he could not think up one advantage of Scotland running its own affairs and couldn’t even run his own office without getting in a ‘muddle’.
You got it in one – Seasick Dave. With all those other interests Henry was not paying attention to the basics – and he is still not paying too much attention. Here’s a thought – more business’ fail because the owners take on more than they can cope with than do so from not working hard enough at what they already have.
Meanwhile, back in the Holy Land.
The latest register of MPs outside interests has revealed that George Galloway -who supposedly “represents” a deprived Bradford constituency- “earned” £265,350 last year from second jobs.
The rapidly pro-Unionist MP “earned” £100,650 from appearances on Press IT, an Iranian state owned network.
Some £96,000 also came from Al Mayadeen, a Beirut based network which refuses to reveal its’ financial backers.
With his Parliamentary salary “socialist” Galloway now “earns” more than £300,000 a year (Guardian 24/10/14)
wrath of khan? I would say more like the judean peoples front at the end of “The Life of Brian”
the party has become a hollowed out shell. Filled with people who would barely pass as a Councillors office assistant. No real talent, just place men who owed their place to someone they knew. You could argue that Labour has changed into some sort of political ponzi scheme. Its a scheme ready to burst as they have fewer and fewer folk coming in at the bottom to prop up the overachievers at the top.
So the woman who wanted a debate is gone. Frankly – she was never up to it. I would not be surprised if it were her husband who had talked her into it as a nice wee earner.
Scotland needs a better sort of politician than those who see it as nothing more than a nice wee earner.
I await the news that the Hothersall-spin-bot exploded due to a metaphysical dichotomy.
Donald: With his Parliamentary salary “socialist” Galloway now “earns” more than £300,000 a year (Guardian 24/10/14)
He needs that extra cash. Those Havana cigars are expensive.
A bit of overanalysing going on here I think.
This is simple. It is about winning as many seats in May 2015 as possible.
Do you really think Ed gives a damn what happens beyond that? Do you really think Mad Mags cares about anything other than becoming the next Secretary of State for Scotland?
This is typical Labour, ruthlessly preparing the ground by clearing away anything that will get in the way of their winning Scottish seats at Westminster next year.
If Ed and cronies think this interest is best served by installing an MP as Slab leader then that is exactly what is going to happen.
They will gladly sacrifice any hope of a respectable result in 2016 because it simply does not matter to them.
Is it true that Kezia Dugdale is Fifi, La Bonbon, the mad dervish who would jump into the Scotsman site a few minutes after articles were published, a lot of times with comments already published before the article was even submitted, whip herself into a frenzy with crazy rubbish then crash out again when people corrected her nonsense?
Over on my own blog I pondered just who was left on the bridge of SS Scotch Labour to take charge now Captain Lamont has jumped ship.
Brown? I can not see Murphy or Darling being happy with that.
Murphy? Neither Brown nor Darling would be happy with that.
Darling? After his great success with the Better Together Campaign …… nope, just do not see it.
Anas Sawar… he is in the Murphy camp so Brown will not let him have the job.
It does not matter where you look there is some poor numpty in Scotch Labour who will receive the wrath of Murphy or Brown because they support the other.
Maybe Iain Davidson MP as he is equally hated by both Murphy and Brown but is willing to toe the bayonet the SNP line.
Perhaps SLAB would like to have Alex Salmond lead them, They would then have an effective politician with integrity that would make them better together and could shake up westminster.
Yohann has finally got her wish. She was always calling for somebody to resign.
Ed Miliband barely knows the difference between Edinburgh and Johannesburg.
An anecdotal bit of information everyone may find interesting. I was speaking to a client this morning, he has just retired as an executive of one of our major retailers and is an active member of business for Scotland, a very respected guy in his field and has worked all over the world for various retailers. He mentioned that while attending a private function related to the commonwealth games he got into conversation with Johann Lamont and mentioned that he was a YES activist with business for Scotland, with tongue in cheek he asked her to join in the campaign for an independent Scotland to which Johann Lamont answered with “I wish I could” and immediately turned on her heel and walked away. From her answer you can assume that in her heart she would love Scotland to be independent, but the party line must be followed, how many others in SLAB had the same sentiments but followed the party line. The mind boggles to think where the Slaver party goes from here.
Personally I’m not a fan, but Sarah Boyack is more capable than Lamont IMO. She is a list MSP now after loosing to Marco Biaggi. But I could envision her stepping up for a “caretaker roll” of a year or so and I couldn’t imagine her doing a worse job than Lamont or Grey.
Stoker, are you saying that lamont agreed with london labour and didnt have a difference of opinion? That is fundamentally why she is gone, whether she jumprd before pushed is irrelevant.
If they agreed with her that they have to change, then she would still be there.
“to which Johann Lamont answered with “I wish I could” and immediately turned on her heel and walked away. From her answer you can assume that in her heart she would love Scotland to be independent, but the party line must be followed”
If that is true, then she is an even worse person than I thought. To go against her conscience in such a momentous decision!
Can we not start a Petition for Blair Mcdougall to Become the new Scottish Labour Party Leader.
I can’t see why Yes supporters have any regard for Malcolm Chisholm.
He is venomously anti-independence and as much of a hypocrite as the rest of them.
So let me get this straight. Labor represents Scotland in the English Parliament. Labor is a minority party, and has
little chance of being the next Government. Labor is in disarray, and has few people who are up to the job, and no one wants it. So who is representing Scottish interests in the English Parliament? SNP? If they are the only reliable governing body in Scotland, whay is their talent being wasted in the English Parliament where they are a minority party. Is this common law according, or the common constitution according to the English?
“Is it true that Kezia Dugdale is Fifi, La Bonbon”
Often alleged, no evidence ever provided.
Jackie Baillie…
Scottish Labour Leader, smart boy wanted but not too smart!
Toom Tabard goes with the job! 🙂
Finally got within reach of a broadband signal to find out which clip from The Wrath of Khan was in the article.
Kudos.
(I could have sworn there was a comment referring to Moby Dick that I wanted to read again, but I can’t find it now. Weird.)
Oh, I see it was on the next post. Same clip. As you were.
Best Star Trek ever. Apart from Amazing Grace, which was the cringe of the millennium. Especially when you’re in a cinema in America.