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The Kings Of The South

Posted on March 09, 2014 by

We again commend this week’s edition of the Sunday Herald to readers as 69p (for the digital version, or whatever the physical one costs in a newsagent these days) well spent on some interesting and balanced journalism.

qosayr

Iain Macwhirter’s column is a particularly good read today, unusually incendiary and impeccably argued, but the thing that most caught our eye was a nice piece of investigative reporting on a theme Wings readers will find very familiar.

The story, entitled “Labour split deepens as MP blasts Lamont’s bid to devolve tax powers”, is a little more revealing than the usual tales of splits between the Holyrood and Westminster factions of the party, based as it is on an unusually candid letter not intended for public consumption outwith the ranks of its own supporters.

Written by East Kilbride MP Michael McCann, some of the quotes are explosive:

“Leaving aside the way the announcement [about Scottish Labour’s proposals to fully devolve income tax] was made and handled, serious questions have to be asked about how we make policy in Scotland. It appears that every time we contemplate policy changes the Scottish Labour Party feels the need to reach into the reserved powers bag, as if it contains the panacea for all ills; let me tell you it doesn’t.”

“In the independence referendum campaign we argue that we are better when we pull our resources as a United Kingdom together; yet by proposing to devolve income tax we defeat our own argument.”

“All too often these policy suggestions appear to make us look more Scottish than the Nationalists. That’s a weak position and it’s not serious politics because we are a UK party.”

The latter point is expanded on in another document uncovered by the Sunday Herald, namely Mr McCann’s comments on Labour’s internal reorganisation after the crushing Holyrood defeat of 2011.

“The component parts of the British Labour Party have always had their separate identities but they have not been autonomous. Neither should they be. If we widen the scope and role of a Scottish leader and deputy Scottish leader we undermine the British Labour Party.”

These comments are particularly interesting in the light of subsequent adjustments in the party’s labelling, which have been highlighted often by this site but have never been explored by the Scottish media. After the election of Johann Lamont, much was made by the media and commentators of her supposed complete control of the Scottish “party”, including not only its Holyrood MSPs but also its Scottish MPs at Westminster.

“The reforms will mean that Labour officially has a full Scottish party leader, in charge of all its MPs, MSPs and councillors, within the UK party. Technically, the outgoing leader, Iain Gray, is head of just the parliamentary group at Holyrood.”

That status has now been quietly but unequivocally rolled back. At all party functions and conferences Ms Lamont is now officially introduced not as the leader of anything called “Scottish Labour”, but as “the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland”. Most conspicuously, she was totally excluded from the party’s investigations into suspicious goings-on around candidate selection in Falkirk, which ought to have been under her jurisdiction.

tlpis

But we knew all this already. What Michael McCann’s intervention reveals is the sheer magnitude of the hostility at Westminster to the party’s Holyrood B-team. The contempt directed towards its MSPs by their London-based compatriots has been startlingly open in recent weeks, with its most senior figures happy to be named and quoted in print attacking the MSP group’s devolution plans, and even threatening to boycott this month’s Scottish conference in protest.

But Mr McCann’s comments show that the objections are deeper and more fundamental than mere policy disagreements. To Labour in London, greater devolution isn’t just a bad idea, it’s a mortal ideological threat to the party’s very foundations.

Any decisions about further devolution after a No vote will, of course, be made at Westminster rather than Holyrood. In the light of what the party’s MPs have said both in public and in private, it’s all but inconceivable that the thoughts of Lamont’s Devolution Commission will be worth two-thirds of a damn even should the next UK government be a Labour one.

It’s rather like Queen Of The South holding a board meeting and announcing that if they finish anywhere in the top six of the SPFL Championship they expect to be automatically promoted. Nobody can stop them from wanting it, nobody can stop them from holding a press conference announcing that it’s their plan, but at the end of the day they don’t get to make the decision and it isn’t going to happen.

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71 to “The Kings Of The South”

  1. Marker Post
    Ignored
    says:

    What’s also compelling is the contempt that the UK party holds the Scottish branch in.

    According to article in Newsnet, an unnamed Labour MP said of his MSP colleagues, “It is a small gene pool up there, isn’t it?”

    http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-politics/8851-lamont-facing-revolt-over-income-tax-devolution-plans

  2. Alfresco Dent
    Ignored
    says:

    Again Stu, another tightly focused point. That the MSM (Sunday Herald excluded) do not pick up on points such as this can only lead to one conclusion;that they are actively in cahoots with Labour in Scotland.

  3. Susan
    Ignored
    says:

    The sad thing is that most die hard Labour Party supports are of the same opinion as the East Kilbride MP Michael McCann.

  4. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    Sounds an awful lot like a trap snapping shut does it not ?

    Hope Labour supporting Scots and undecideds also recognise shuch a sound.

    Labour are in a trap either way in this make no mistake.

    Scots Labour MSP’s dont care about this outcome(or are too stupid to reconginse the warning signs) and dont care about misreresenting facts to voters.

    Labour MP’s gloat about soveriegnty of Westminster in all this.

    Disaster either way for Labour in Scotland – come on ‘undecideds’ wake up and smell the proverbial.

    If you are looking for certainty and facts of post Sept 18th vote – there you have it.

    Clear Now ?

  5. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    More powers for Holyrood would make people like McCann increasingly irrelevant and almost certainly likely to be excluded from the bulk of Westminster business as a quid pro quo to address the West Lothian question.

    McCann and his ilk are clearly getting twitchy. Yes Scotland needs to make these divisions plain. Anything that Johann’s “debate” offers up will need to be examined very carefully because people like Mccann will be desperate to scupper it. When is this due?

    The easiest answer is just to vote Yes.

  6. Dave McEwan Hill
    Ignored
    says:

    More to the point
    Anybody who hasn’t bought a Sunday Herald should go out and buy one now – or buy two and give one to a neighbour.

    We really must support and encourage this organ (and it is cheaper than some of the Sunday tabloids -which I see SOS has become today).
    And the best thing about the Sunday Herald is that it is a good read throughout

  7. Les Wilson
    Ignored
    says:

    Even the die hards must be considering an exodus from Slab, the actually cannot delivery anything. They are powerless in their position to UK Labour, while UK Labour wants to keep the Scottish votes, it as ever cares nothing for Scotland.

    They are Westminster centric and will continue to lean right, to appeal to the middle England votes, not where Labour Traditional hearts lay.
    Scotland is needed but not heard, realisation of this must damage the confidence of Slab.

    It does bring chaos to Slab, and disaffection to the party, which might now contribute to a total meltdown. Realisation,that at some point after Independence Slab could be resurrected as a truly Scottish party, is their hope of any future power.

  8. bookie from hell
    Ignored
    says:

    When a deal was done SNP,LABOUR on bedroom tax Scottish Parliament the Labour MPs down South might as well been on the Moon

  9. Harry
    Ignored
    says:

    Not on this topic but I happened to catch the Sky paper review this morning at around 7.45. The headline in the background was about a third of big businesses saying “we will leave Scotland” in the event of a Yes (turns out it is “could leave” but we’re used to that now). So I pressed record. One of the reviewers was a woman called Petrie Hosken (no, me neither). The following is an exact transcript of what was said by her.

    Hosken: I’m half Scottish so I’m half interested.

    Presenter next to her: How would you vote?

    Hosken: I’d vote No, because I would want my children to be able to..sort of..have a..you know..good old passport and be able to move around, it’s just easier the way it is. I’d vote No.

    Another belter! Where do they get these no marks from? Probably deliberately chosen for their sheer ignorance.

    By the way Rev, the pic above is of Ayr United about to take a penalty!

  10. Alt Clut
    Ignored
    says:

    Conclusion clear. If you know any Labour voters, supporters, members point all of this out gently but firmly. In the event of a ‘no’ vote their party will be used as the tool to try to emasculate this country. Do they want to be a part of that ? If not then vote ‘YES’!

  11. caz-m
    Ignored
    says:

    Scottish Labour don’t like the spotlight put on them, and BBC Scotland don’t like the spotlight on put on Scottish Labour either.

    The two of them use each other to lie daily to the Scottish people.

    Rev, we need keep up the excellent exposure to this shower of self serving gangsters.

  12. HandandShrimp
    Ignored
    says:

    Harry

    LOL – because an independent Scotland would be unable to print a passport on paper. We would, returning to the stone age, use megaliths and they are bloody hard to carry around with you.

    The madness out there is depressing. However, the drizzle appears to have stopped so I might wash the car.

  13. Dave Beveridge
    Ignored
    says:

    I was talking to a Labour voter last week. He’s never voted for anyone other than Labour and he utterly despises Alex Salmond with a passion. And I mean REALLY despises! Reckons he’s the sleaziest of a really sleazy bunch but is better than the others at covering his tracks.

    This guy is voting Yes in September and so are most of the people he knows. The thought of a Tory-free zone up here appeals greatly to him although he says he’d have no problems with one if that’s what Scotland voted for, unlike now. Of course he knows that’ll happen once our sun has become a red dwarf. Makes you think though.

  14. Malc
    Ignored
    says:

    Anybody else having problems getting Newsnet site. I keep getting site not found message. No issues anywhere else.

  15. Dave Beveridge
    Ignored
    says:

    NNS fine on IE, Chrome and Firefox for me.

  16. SquareHaggis
    Ignored
    says:

    @malc

    Newsnet working fine for me.
    Try deleteing your cache.

  17. Brian Powell
    Ignored
    says:

    I thought this line in the removed Labour webpage:

    “Labour devolved Scotland when we set up the Scottish Parliament in 1999”.

    A far as I remember Labour called it the Scottish Executive.

    It was the SNP when they had fuul power who took down that sign and put Scottish Government.

    In fact I remember seeing that in Ian McWhirter’s documentary, The Road to Independence.

  18. Ken MacColl
    Ignored
    says:

    O/T I know but just heard Clegg state “The choice is between Hope and Fear”
    Problem is he was not talking about the Referendum and the LibDems policy.

  19. BBC Scotlandshire
    Ignored
    says:

    It’s all moot anyway according to Danny Alexander as we will not be allowed to retain our Scottish identity post-separation:

    http://www.bbc.scotlandshire.co.uk/index.php/city-news/683-scots-could-be-forced-to-become-english-warns-alexander.html

  20. heedtracker
    Ignored
    says:

    It’ll be interesting to watch how much devo Tory England will “allow” Scotland to have before they decide to get shot of Scottish MP’s. There’s probably a point of no report return but the spectacle of Ian Davidson etc cross bench grovelling even harder is going to be horrible fun to watch.

  21. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    yeah Macwhirter’s allowed to have a go on the Sunday Herald. The circulation’s so low (they think) it won’t have an effect in the referendum. It’s become a pressure relief valve for YES supporters. when Macwhirter was on STV politics show, the day it was announced we couldn’t use the pound by Osborne. Iain’s take on things was well that’s that it’s a done deal and will turn voters away from independence.
    He held out no hope for a YES vote . Of course he was speaking to a wider audience than the Sunday Herald gets.

  22. Clydebuilt
    Ignored
    says:

    BTW I’ll be buying my copy of the Sunday Herald at the newsagent.

  23. Malc
    Ignored
    says:

    @squarehaggis
    Thanks that fixed it

  24. Bugger (the Panda)
    Ignored
    says:

    @Clydebuilt

    Macwhirter is a fully paid up Devo whatever member.

    If that were dangled in front of his nose, 4 weeks before the election he would support it with all his heart and pen, despite knowing in his heart of hearts that it really is not deliverable.

    After a YES vote he will be an independence supporter but a critic, I hope honestly and positively, of the Scottish political evolution.

  25. Squarehaggis
    Ignored
    says:

    @Malc

    You’re very welcome.

  26. galamcennalath
    Ignored
    says:

    None of this really new. Any illusion that Labour in Scotland is simply other than London Labour’s Scottish branch is simply cheap veneer. There may have been some devolution of power and decision making to the Scottish Parliament, however no such devolution actually occurred within the Labour Party.

    Let’s all hope that over the next few months it becomes crystal clear that neither Labour nor Tories will offer further significant devolution. It is important everyone in Scotland realises there are only two horses running, independence and status quo.

  27. Col
    Ignored
    says:

    When are we actually going to go on the attack? I personally think we should be putting the boot into Labour big time. They do it instinctively towards the Scottish Government and YES movement. Lets get them on the back foot for a bloody change cos all we seem to be doing is fending off attack after attack. We must attack Labour, Westminster-Commons and Lords, Tories, and all the other back stabbers to this nation. Come on.

  28. AnneDon
    Ignored
    says:

    It certainly gives us an insight into how afraid Labour’s backwoodsmen are of being answerable to the party in Scotland; their contempt for Holyrood; and, of course, their willingness to put their party [careers] before Scots.

    Not sure if this is part of the same narrative, but Labour4Indy folk are being barred from the SLab forum on Facebook, and all pro-indy postings have been deleted.

  29. Ken
    Ignored
    says:

    “We are better when we pull our resources”.

    And we know where they are “pulled” to, don’t we?

  30. Oneironaut
    Ignored
    says:

    Hmm, does this mean that when that Yes result comes up on the 19th, that Lamont’s head will be the first to roll?

    Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person.
    If only Sarwar was her assistant… 🙂

  31. Linda's Back
    Ignored
    says:

    Newsnet Scotland has an interesting article on Gordon Brown’s expenses

    http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/8853-former-pm-brown-blasted-over-expenses-claims

  32. faolie
    Ignored
    says:

    Wonder what wee Dougie Alexander would say about this? Probably another 20 minute speech containing the square root of nothing. Coz he knows…

  33. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour has struggled with being in opposition in Scotland- under Johann Lamont they are unelectable- the power struggle between the westminster group and holyrood will happliy be resolved with a yes in september

    . re Iain Macwhirter, another great article today in the sunday herald… i am quite mystified by any negativity towards this guy. along with Ian Bell they th

  34. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Labour has struggled with being in opposition in Scotland- under Johann Lamont they are unelectable- the power struggle between the westminster group and holyrood will happliy be resolved with a yes in september

    . re Iain Macwhirter, another great article today in the sunday herald… i am quite mystified by any negativity towards this guy. along with Ian Bell they are doing a guid job taking the no arguments apart. If only there were more like them in the press. When is the Sunday Herald finally going to nail its colours ro the mast as it has done before? From today’s issue it clearly wants to.

    Great to see Palmerston Park being used to make your point Stu (however tenuously). The floodlights tall and proud… there are those who claim we are too small a club for the top flight, our stadium too small to comply with the spl and it would lead to financial disaster etc etc

  35. Macart
    Ignored
    says:

    Those really are the facts of life.

    There is no Scottish Labour party, there is no Scottish Labour leader, there is no consensus on any powers. The reason? There is only British Labour and its not headquartered round these parts.

    Ms Lamont says and does nothing of any significance without prior HQ approval and neither she nor any other Labour MSP can say they stand for a Scottish Labour voice.

    They very demonstrably don’t.

  36. Desimond
    Ignored
    says:

    Andy Murray the victim of abuse.

    Damn those Cybernats…It must have been them, right?

    http://archive.is/BpvXk

  37. Clootie
    Ignored
    says:

    So we vote NO saying that we need you to run our country and the majority of 650 Westminster MP’s will vote to give Scotland more powers as a reward and this legislation will then sail through the Lords.

    Would anyone believe that?

  38. Robert Peffers
    Ignored
    says:

    On the devolution topic there are several ways of looking at things. The first being the truth that the Union is named, “The United Kingdom”. This for a very good reason. That is exactly what it is, a bipartite union of kingdoms. Yet Westminster has morphed itself into a quadratic union of countries by, “separating”, the two Kingdoms, (there’s that pejorative again), along country lines but with Westminster itself retained as the, (unelected as such), de facto parliament of the country of England. Thus Westminster is the de facto Country of England parliament. It is funded as the United Kingdom with uncapped United Kingdom funds. It legislates for England then adds wee bits on to accommodate the other three countries. It is thus devolving England’s parlliamentary powers to the other three English vassal countries. Another point is that little question of why the British Nationalists, (another pejorative term), fought so hard insisting that devolution was not a referendum question, (i.e. able to be voted for), then now devote so much, “separate”, party time in the referendum debate talking about it? The biggest, “Red Herring”, in the impressive Better Together campaigns armoury of other smaller Red Herrings.

  39. Obi Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    “Great to see Palmerston Park being used to make your point Stu (however tenuously). The floodlights tall and proud… there are those who claim we are too small a club for the top flight, our stadium too small to comply with the spl and it would lead to financial disaster etc etc”

    Sorry to be pedantic but the picture is of Somerset Park, Ayr.

  40. Tam Jardine
    Ignored
    says:

    Obi Jim
    Aye… right enough!

  41. Obi Jim
    Ignored
    says:

    :0)

  42. Arbroath 1320
    Ignored
    says:

    That status has now been quietly but unequivocally rolled back. At all party functions and conferences Ms Lamont is now officially introduced not as the leader of anything called “Scottish Labour”, but as “the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland”. Most conspicuously, she was totally excluded from the party’s investigations into suspicious goings-on around candidate selection in Falkirk, which ought to have been under her jurisdiction.

    I just love the idea of Lamont being *ahem* the leader of Scottish Labour. I still can not get my head round the idea of her being in charge of all Labour councillors, M.S.P.’s and M.P.’s. I wonder how good old Gordo the Magnificent took to the idea that Lamont was now his boss. 🙂

    Mind you things do not seem to be running as smoothly as Lamont wants us to think these days do they?

    http://tinyurl.com/pyeop4v

    When you think of the trouble Lamont has controlling her rabble and then add in the trouble the great Gordo the Magnificent is in, see the link from Linda, methinks Labour is beginning to feel the strain from being a fully paid up member of the Rainbow party. 🙂


    Linda’s Back says:

    Newsnet Scotland has an interesting article on Gordon Brown’s expenses

    http://newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/8853-former-pm-brown-blasted-over-expenses-claims

  43. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    @Dave Beveridge

    On the Labour voting / Salmond thing its a 2 way street.

    Know a lot of ‘socialist leaning YES voters’ who despise Labour (and I mean despise everything related to Labour; for their continual smoke & mirrors betrayal of Scotland) and in terms of ‘sleaze’ we all remember the open cesspit that was ‘Monklands’ Labour council and the hedonism of current ‘Glasgow City’ Labour council, before we move on to the laughing stock that is ‘Aberdeen City’ Labour council.

    Always enjoy reminding Labour voters of the historic facts rather than the ‘production line’ unfounded mantra assertions about the First Minister.

    Dont forget to lob these points back in Labours direction.

  44. JLT
    Ignored
    says:

    The cracks are appearing.

    To be honest, a part of me wonders when the real shouting match will begin. Surely, there has to be a moment sometime between now and September, when real dissension must breakout in Scottish Labour ranks.

    How can Lamont ‘promise’ devolved powers when even members within her own cabinet; let alone London Labour, disagree strongly with her.

    Surely someone like Ponsonby is going to catch her out by asking when these powers will be agreed with London. Even the Unionist reporters will want to know very soon as to what powers have been agreed.

  45. gordoz
    Ignored
    says:

    JLT:

    Seriously – on Labours form this will only happen after Sept 18th.

    Anything sooner would require a backbone ! (and in the entire Scottish division there isn’t even one to share!)

  46. Anne (@annewitha_e)
    Ignored
    says:

    No matter the splits in Labour, sadly the broadcasting media will be all over the ‘more powers’ announcements from them and other unionists parties in the months to come. Just keep pointing out that they can’t guarantee anything from Westminster especially with a GE in 2015

  47. CameronB
    Ignored
    says:

    The Labour party are internationalist? Well only if you count imperialism as internationalism.

  48. JLT
    Ignored
    says:

    Gordoz,

    I don’t know. Ken McIntosh is apparently ‘concerned’ at what Lamont is suggesting, and I’m getting a feeling that even some of the more ‘Unionist’ reporters are now asking what powers Scotland will get.
    If Lamont can’t answer, or gives an answer that is severely rebuked by London, then something has to give. The Scottish public will finally see that there is nothing on the table in the event of a ‘No’ vote, and that SLAB have lied to us all along ( …along with Scottish Libs and Tories, but then again …what did you expect!)

    I think something will give before September. It will be someone like Ponsonby who will get an answer. After seeing him seething when Osborne did a runner from Edinburgh, I think Ponsonby and co are now beginning to want answers from the ‘No’ camp. It’s slowly building up to that.

    At the end of the day, even they are being made fools of!

  49. john king
    Ignored
    says:

    “Seriously – on Labours form this will only happen after Sept 18th.

    Anything sooner would require a backbone ! (and in the entire Scottish division there isn’t even one to share!)”

    As someone famously said
    “A shiver ran along the back benches looking for a spine to run down!

  50. setondene
    Ignored
    says:

    @Robert Peffers

    Good analysis of the ‘UK’. I agree with you.

  51. jingly jangly
    Ignored
    says:

    Just read the Sunday Herald, thought I had picked up my Scots Independent by mistake!!!

  52. lumilumi
    Ignored
    says:

    @ annewitha_e (3.51pm)

    Bang right on about the media and their bigging up the “more powers after a NO vote”, a.k.a “Jam Tomorrow”. We know how that went in 1979.

    Every Scot should be made aware of it and the fact that “Scottish” Labour, “Scottish” LibDems, “Scottish” Conservatives, and, indeed, political parties actually registered in Scotland (SNP, SSP and others) can promise anything until they’re blue in the face but it just WILL NOT happen in the Westmister parliament, dominated by English MPs. They cannot “allow” Scotland anything more because it’d outrage their English voters who’ve been conditioned to think of Scots as subsidy junkies and benefit scroungers by the MSM.

    As to the media… Reporters Without Borders produces a World Press Freedom Index. They use various criteria, such as actual threat to life (mostly relevant in third world countries and/or effective dictatorships) to problems with media ownership and big money influencing media (relevant in first world countries).

    http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

    The United Kingdom languishes at 33. Have a look at the top 10: all small/medium-sized independent countries. In fact, the first “big” country is Germany at 14, then Canada at 18. The United States is at 46.

    As a Finn I’m a bit worried about our neighbours to the east… (Finland at 1, Russia at 148… The map is scary, and lots of Russian media carry anti-Finnish stories. As to nasty neighbours, I think Finland trumps Scotland.)

  53. Davy
    Ignored
    says:

    Surely the scottish debater of the year will be able to convince her fellow labour proud Scot’s to follow her lead. I mean they just have to watch her displays at FM’s question time to see how good she is.

    Pass the bucket.

  54. Taranaich
    Ignored
    says:

    All too often these policy suggestions appear to make us look more Scottish than the Nationalists. That’s a weak position and it’s not serious politics…

    There it is, folks: policy suggestions to give Scotland more autonomy is a “weak position,” and “not serious politics.” The very notion of looking “more Scottish than the Nationalists” is a bad thing to him. Wouldn’t want to look too Scottish, would we?

    Cringe cringe cringe cringe cringe cringe cringe.

  55. edulis
    Ignored
    says:

    Wee Wullie Rennie in the Politics Scotland Programme today proffered the thought that there would be a real offer on the table after a ‘No’ vote because Ming will see to it. Apparently Wullie has ‘tasked’ him with pulling the threads together. So that is alright then. In the meantime, his view of the divisions in the Labour Party was that people like Ian Davidson and Mike McCann are on the ‘periphery’.

    The next few weeks will be interesting as we wait on the Labour Party making its Scottish declaration of intent absent the MPs who will boycott proceedings. Music hall farce in the offing. At least it’s good for a laugh.

  56. Thomas William DUnlop
    Ignored
    says:

    Holyrood B-team ?????

    I think you are being a tad too generous there, Rev.

    At Holyrood what we have the C or D select. The B team was wiped out in the 2011 election

  57. lumilumi
    Ignored
    says:

    @ edulis

    Aye, you could not make it up. Music hall farce…

    Wee Wullie Rennie putting his trust in Ming and saying everything’ll be all right and we’ll have a federal UK once the LibDems control the UK parliament.

    It might’ve escaped wee Wullie’s political radar but the LibDems are NOT going to win the next UK GE. They’re unelectable to all but the hardcore faithful due to their reneging on all important election pledges and becoming the Tories’ lapdogs, human shields and apologists.

    All this Scottish political schitzophrenia is of course due to being part of the UK and the UK political system, namely the undemocratic FPTP election system. The UK cannot reform as long as Westmister refuses electoral reform. The AV referendum was a farce to give the LibDems a scrap. AV isn’t PR and any PR-minded person would’ve found it hard to support such a bothched proposal. (Reminds me of a republic referendum in Australia in the 1990s when the Aussie establishment watered it down by offering the Qeueen or a President elected by MPs when what people wanted was a head of state elected directly by the people.)

    Look what happened in Scotland after a proportional representation system was introduced in the reconvened Scottish Parliament. A revitalisation of political, social, business life, new ideas, ground-breaking legislation – even by the Labs and Libs. (The Labs and Libs have become quite reactionary since SNP took power, though… :-D)

    The reactionary Westmister elite fear this kind of newness and new initiatives, especially from the subjects (i.e. ordinary people). So vote NO to keep their hegemony.

  58. heraldnomore
    Ignored
    says:

    Interestingly McCann, who I have the misfortune to represent me down there, also mentioned that it was the BLP that yanks his chains, confirming that he recognises not the SLP branch and thus the Scottish leader

  59. lumilumi
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Thomas William Dunlop (7.07pm)

    As to the B/C/D team.

    Think of it this way. If Labs, Libs and Cons think Holyrood is just a parish council, their elected representatives will have no aspiration and will act accordingly. If the focus is on Westmister electoral success, everything is subservient to that.

    Contrast that with parties that are actually registered in Scotland (SNP, SSP, Greens, even SDA) who treat Holyrood as a real parliament and who have aspirations for Scotland regardless of Westminster.

    I personally think that indy Scotland will attract better political talent, focussed on Scotland without the distraction of Westmister throughs.

    I happened to see a couple of episodes of a Finnish “reality TV” show where the teenager was given control of the family budget for a month. (I think it’s an international format but I’ve only seen the Finnish version.)

    The point was that in the beginning, the teenager selfishly wanted this and that and was very irresponsible, all her pocket money coming from mum&dad. But the thing was, given responsibility, she started acting responsibly. Budgeting for all the bills and slating her parents and younger brother for wasting their shared money.

  60. Billy Manson
    Ignored
    says:

    My wife thinks I’m mental, but it’s just a little bit of OCD. I’m concerned that this fool said ‘pull’ our resources rather than ‘pool’. I don’t believe that people THAT stupid should be in any sort of position whereby we have to listen to what they say. Does it help the cause of YES when we use the comments of idiots to further our case?

  61. Baffers
    Ignored
    says:

    Anyone who’s had the, um, opportunity to meet Mr McCann in person will not be surprised by the political diarrhoea that flows in these statements. I’m not one for personal slurs against someone simply because they hold a different view…plenty of very decent Labour folk around, and i consider myself a natural Labour supporter, but this guy was just not pleasant company, and made a blackout blind look bright.

  62. leginge
    Ignored
    says:

    Definitely important to support any main media outlet that provides balanced reporting so I have registered as advised I was tickled to note that
    when registering for the glasgow herald it asks for your address as either Scotland or Rest of Uk – is that deliberate mefinks, soon to be ‘Remainder Uk’.

  63. Rod Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    I have had enough ,if the No Campaign chooses , by lying and distorting and stealing democracy,
    I personally reserve the right to resort to actions outwith democracy.
    You vile Westminster vermin should be aware , we tried the democratic way, if you choose to ignore democracy then hell mend you.

  64. Rod Robertson
    Ignored
    says:

    The “Scotsman” has banned e many times ,usually for disagreeing with Unionist propaganda or “Duncan ” from Edinburgh.
    I have for decades played by the Westminster rules ,now I have had enough.

  65. Margaret Brogan
    Ignored
    says:

    There is no doubt that Ian Bell and Iain MacWhirter are honest journalists who are writing in support of the people of Scotland. The eloquence and anger contained in some of their articles is quite inspiring. I don’t understand the antipathy directed at them from some of the comments.
    I receive posts from Iain McWhirter’s blog and have forwarded them frequently. His comments on Barosso’ s contribution to the debate have gone all over the world!
    Poverty has been at the heart of his recent writings and I would commend them to anyone who feels passionately about the way in which the people of this country have been abused.
    They are the equal of Derek Bateman in print journalism, another campaigner of great stature.

  66. Doug Daniel
    Ignored
    says:

    “pull our resources”

    *goes absolutely fucking mental*

    “POOL” RESOURCES, NOT “PULL” RESOURCES, YOU STUPID FUCK. NOBODY TALKS ABOUT A “CAR PULL”, UNLESS IT’S GEOFF FUCKING CAPES.

    *relaxes*

  67. Morag
    Ignored
    says:

    Good luck with that one Doug. Pointing out malapropisms around here seems more likely to get you badmouthed by people trying to force you off the blog, than to change anyone’s perception of the English language.

  68. Harry Shanks
    Ignored
    says:

    @ Morag

    Just to keep the pot boiling – confusing pull & pool isn’t a malapropism at all, as any Hyda Baker fan will tell you.

    And I can say that without fear of contraception.

  69. Morag
    Ignored
    says:

    🙂

  70. lochside
    Ignored
    says:

    If you’re making a point about delusions of grandeur Rev, leave Queens ( the only team in the Bible) out of it.

    Or have you forgotten the Scottish Cup semi-final result of 2008 against the ‘Dons’ already?

  71. call me dave
    Ignored
    says:

    ken

    Listen to Morag. “she knows you know” 🙂

    Cant be bothered with commenting on Brown or Ming they are beyond the pale. Both frae Fife too doubly hurtful…geez!

    PS. Murray wins three sets!



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