Right on cue
Posted on
March 16, 2013 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Sharp-minded readers will recall a piece from earlier this week, in which we crossed swords with a Scottish Labour press officer angrily denying that the party wanted the Scottish Government to introduce a no-evictions law for Bedroom Tax arrears:
“You wrote that SLab has a specific policy proposal relating to evictions. Don’t assert – prove. Show me where you get it from.”
Will this do, Alan? (Our emphasis, as if it were needed.)
If there are any other Scottish Labour policies that the Scottish Labour press office needs us to clarify for it, it’s welcome to ask any time.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the self same press officer who provided the press release for this particular article. The problem with the Labour party is trying to find one of them that isn’t a liar.
Excuse me if I’m wrong, was it not Labour under Gordon Brown who first introduced the “Bedroom Tax”, or are Labour suggesting that people renting from Private Landlords are less worthy than People renting Social Housing?
When a handful of men signed over our freedom in 1707 they did so without asking the people of Scotland for permission and their act of treason was repaid with titles of land and purses of gold. Three hundred years later and the people of Scotland have been given the opportunity to finally have a say in our own destiny. This is despite the fact that Scottish Labour conspired with the Westminster G…overnment to rig the electoral system in Scotland to prevent us ever having that opportunity and repeatedly refused to consider a referendum on independence for Scotland. Indeed, Labour voted against a referendum in the previous Scottish Parliament alongside the Liberals and the ‘Token’ Conservative.
You who continue to conspire with governments we did not elect can no longer peddle the myth that the British Establishment in London sees Scotland as an equal partner in this so called Unity of Nations or ‘United Kingdom’. The British Establishment has stated on record for all the world to see that we are not a Nation but a region of England. Your refusal to demand a retraction and an apology for this grave insult can only be construed as acceptance by the Better Together Coalition that the British Establishments assertion that we are not a Nation is correct.
One day many years from now the future children of Scotland will look back on this moment in the history of our Nation. That history will conclude that in our greatest hour of need many stood side by side and dared to be Bold and dared to be Brave and dared to be Free. Sadly, the history books will also tell of those who put their own careers and their own gain before the people of Scotland. The ("Tractor" - Ed)s and cowards who conspire to deny the people of Scotland our God Given Right to be Free will forever be condemned for their treacherous act of treason.
Have Faith in your own ability and dare to be freeSee more
And will the Labour party give a guarantee that, should the Scottish government introduce a blanket “no evictions policy” none of their councils, eg Glasgow, North Lanarkshire etc will kick up a huge fuss about the fact they cannot evict people in arrears? Will their councils also make up the short-fall for housing associations if people fall into arrears? What about councils not run by either the SNP or Labour? Can we have a guarantee from them that they’d be happy with the Scottish government making a centralised decision which binds all councils?
Only asking because usually Labour are all against centralisation and the SNP government dictating to their councils. Looks to me like they’re just trying to put the government into a lose / lose situation which the Labour party and their tame media will use to hammer them either way. Surely the Labour party wouldn’t do that, right? Not over something as critical as what’s happening to some of the most vulnerable folk in society?
Yup
“On 17 October 2002 Andrew Smith announced plans for a new form of Housing Benefit (HB) which would no longer be directly linked to rent levels”
The reform of Housing Benefit (Local Housing Allowance) for tenants in private rented housing Standard Note: SN/SP/4957 UK Parliament briefing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Housing_Allowance
OT. An interesting scenario has been speculated on over on Scot goes Pop. IF the bold Major were to fall on his sword in Falkirk, and Denis Canavan were to stand as a Yes candidate, should the SNP stand aside
http://scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/poll-who-should-carry-independence.html
Perhaps Labour don’t actually have this as an official policy; rather, they’re suggesting it as a possible Scottish Government policy rather than something they themselves would seek to implement. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.
This will be the same New Labour Party that sold trade unionists down the river over their right to strike.
On the Dennis Cavanagh line – why would Dennis wish to sit for a Westminster Parliament he wants to see the back of?
Over the moon. I commented just the other day that I feel if the Yes campaign can get the facts out to every voter by post or newspaper then I believe Scotland will become the country it should be.
Just received a letter reading that a campaign publication will be sent to every home in Scotland giving the real facts about why Scotland will have a brighter better future being Independent.
Looks like I have found another worthy investment to receive a share of my electromagnetic wave rebate.
Strangely when the SNP council in Dundee said that they would not evict tenants who couldn’t pay their tax (although they would still try to get payments), Labour voted against then.
Must admit to a huge guffaw on reading this. The man set himself up perfectly and deserves the pelters. Well done Rev.
On a possible Falkirk by election….. I don’t much mind whether its Dennis, a Green or an SNP candidate, so long as the folks in Falkirk get someone who will fight for them instead of start fights in a bar.
Say YES Falkirk.
I saw the Scot Goes Pop piece, and I think it’s an utterly brilliant idea. If Eric Joyce resigns, the SNP should step aside and Dennis Canavan should stand as a Labour For Independence candidate. After all, if Alistair Darling can chair the No side and still serve his constituents in Parliament, there’s no reason Dennis couldn’t too. It could be a huge watershed in terms of taking the Yes campaign to Labour voters.
“why would Dennis wish to sit for a Westminster Parliament he wants to see the back of?”
For the same reason current SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs do?
The quotation attributed to Kezia Dugdale in that Scotsman article is quite chilling – vicious, barely sane. And that is an elected representative? God help us if these sociopaths ever get near political power.
O/T But my daily sneaky read of the Herald in Waitrose without actually buying it has yielded another gem from Gardham.
Today, in a piece supposed to be about party conference season, he opines that these are crucial times for the Yes Campaign (only!) which simply ‘must’ get a huge lift in the opinion polls by the end of it or will be seen to have failed.
So … if the polls don’t move in our direction – failure. Strike one for Magnus.
If the polls move only a little in our direction – failure. Strike one for Magnus.
If they move substantially in our direction – saw it coming. Strike one for Magnus.
I see you’ve had your cake Mr Gardham. Would sir like to eat it now?
A successsful candidate for LIP in the future potential Falkirk by-election would be the demise of the labour party in scotland and just for the hell of it would be very interesting, also would be genuinely good for the people of Falkirk. Vote Yes to Freedom 2014
Jackie Baillie was on twitter complaining that the SNP govt were not helping bedroom tax victims. Naturally, when it was pointed out that it was a Westminster policy, and Darling, Brown and the Chairchoob hadn’t even voted against it, she labelled us Cybernats.
I had to cheer myself up by watching Labour being ripped to shreds at that Trade Union meeting. 😉
This item stinks of two-faced political opportunism by (Scottish) Labour attempting deflection of responsibility for their own policy.
So Labour want Alex Salmond to pick a fight with Westminster.
I first saw that suggestion about Canavan standing as a LFI candidate in Falkirk in the comments section on the NNS article about the story, and thought it was a good idea then – nearly came over here and pointed it out. I don’t know if Scot Goes Pop thought of it independently.
Whether Canavan would want to do it is another matter. He’s not as young as he was and he’s not had his troubles to seek. And he hasn’t been “Labour” for anything for quite some time as far as I know.
On the other hand it would only be for two years maximum. But then on the third hand (I’m turning into a Buddhist idol here….) it would mean spending the period of the independence campaign in London, and who would do that if they could help it, and would he be best employed there? I don’t know, interesting conundrum.
Re Falkirk, it very much depends on Joyce getting a 12 months or more custodial sentence, I don’t see him walking away from what is probably the only anchor in his life. It would be fantastic if Dennis Canavan felt up to the task – he’s well on his way to becoming the touchstone of truth and principle in Scottish politics, and he’d blow out of the water whichever C-list candidate SLAB put up. In fact even if they had one of their so-called Westminster big beasts available, he’d still tan their arse.
‘He had the highest majority of any MSP in the 1999 election. He resigned his Westminster seat in 2000 in order to concentrate on representing his constituents in the Scottish Parliament. Canavan retained his Holyrood seat in 2003, again with the biggest majority in Scotland.’
Yes, I know, he’s not going to stand down. He’s got two more years of troughing, and nobody can make him give it up.
The Labour Party in Scotland (not ‘of’ or ‘for) are a failure from the bottom up. Many slide up the greasy pole as careerists via unions or student society. They will say and do anything to clamber to the top. Dullards who can win favour through nepotism, cronyism, conniving and by any other means. I’m certain they forget the last thing they said because it was an expedient and not a held belief.
If Joyce was forced to resign as Falkirk East MP, and Dennis Canavan wanted to stand, I think it would be a good idea for the SNP not to put forward a candidate for a by-election. It would be great to see Canavan stand as a Labour for Independence candidate. It would force the media and the No parties to recognize that the SNP are not the sole supporters of independence. They know this already but a Canavan victory, which would almost certainly be a hammering of the unionists if he stood, would be a major boost to the Yes camapign. It would all come down to Joyce being forced to resign because of possible legal proceedings, and Canavan wanting to stand.
If that scenario develops and Joyce resigns I am struggling to see any downside whatsoever in allowing Dennis Canavan a staight run at it.
Don’t be surprised if you ever find out Joyce is being told quietly to stick it out, Falkirk Labour must be crapping themselves
Tried to add this, but it didn’t work:
I’m not altogether sure that he could use a Labour for Independence tag on the ballot paper. What would Labour for Independence make of it?
I doubt they’ve trademarked it, and I suspect they’d be thrilled anyway.
Don’t be surprised if you ever find out Joyce is being told quietly to stick it out, Falkirk Labour must be crapping themselves.
This. A thousand times.
Joyce isn’t Labour, hasn’t been since his last arrest, so don’t see what influence Falkirk Labour would have over him.
S**t, right enough, it’ll just be his hatred of the SNP then, (and his ego).