The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Back-seat driver

Posted on February 19, 2013 by

We’ve been (rather childishly, we admit) suggesting that “deputy” Anas Sarwar was Scottish Labour’s real leader for longer than we care to remember now. It was nice of the Daily Record to finally confirm it for us today, though.

anasleader

26 to “Back-seat driver”

  1. Scott Minto (Aka Sneekyboy) says:

    And of course that “attack” on the Scottish Government attracting jobs to Scotland because they came from Amazon is utter tosh.
     
    The thrust of the argument is that since they avoid UK tax they shouldnt get set-up funding to entice them to create jobs here, despite the fact that the Tax status is wholly a failing of the UK government and not the Scottish government and as we have seen on this site 10 months previously, the investment in attracting jobs is very beneficial to the local communities:
     
    Wings Over Scotland: Labour’s Attack Boomerang
     
    Not only is Sarwar economical with the facts, he is also setting himself and his party against providing jobs for his constituents (and therefore tax revenues to fund public services also).

    Hopefully an independent Scotland would close those tax dodging loopholes that Westminster seems powerless (or unwilling) to close!

    Reply
  2. Peter A Bell says:

    Never thought i’d say this, but Johann Lamont might be the better option for British Labour in Scotland.

    Reply
  3. Luigi says:

    What an insult. Is Johann Lamont going to just shut up and accept this? Has the lamb been silenced? Apart from Ian Gray, I cannot imagine any of the previous SLAB leaders would have tolerated this public humiliation.

    Reply
  4. steven luby says:

    Ed Millaband of the ‘North’!

    Lots of sound against every policy around,from a ‘regional’ and national party thats lost its way.

    A New Labour flag waver with all the self belief of a rampant teenager.

    I’m sure deep down he’s very shallow and narrow minded but then again,i’ve been accused of being cynical for supporting Scottish Independence for over 30 years.     

    Reply
  5. heraldnomore says:

    Munguin’s singing his praises too

    link to munguinsrepublic.blogspot.co.uk

    I’m assuming Johann gets out to play tomorrow?  

    Reply
  6. EdinScot says:

    This would be a good time for the daily rectum to instruct Lamont to do her bin laden routine.  What?  Oh she already is.   

    What a bunch of charlatons British Labour are.  If Salmond wasnt attracting the likes of Amazon to give our population much needed jobs after the shambles that Labour helped wreak on the UK economy and continued by the Tories disastrous austerity cuts, Anas Sarwar and co would be the first to accuse him of not doing enough to bring in investment! You couldnt make them up.

    If the choice is between Lamont and Sarwar as the leader of British Labour in  Scotland then things have really come to a sorry pass. Somebody please turn off their life support.  It really is too painful to watch.

    Reply
  7. Jiggsbro says:

    What an insult. Is Johann Lamont going to just shut up and accept this?
     
    Johann Lamont was unavailable for comment.

    Reply
  8. ronald alexander mcdonald says:

    She can’t be accused of disloyalty to her London masters.

    Reply
  9. scottish_skier says:

    I reckon with a bit of make up and padding, Anas could pull it off at FMQ’s. Best remain seated though; standing up would be a dead give away.
    However, I’d imagine that even if the SNP noticed, they’d probably keep quiet.
    After all, he’s the one writing that shite, so why not?

    Reply
  10. Chic McGregor says:

    Time for a Lament for Lamont?
     
    Altogether now:
     
    “Who’s Sarwar now? who’s Sarwar now?….”

    Reply
  11. Triskelion says:

    By the way…I’m loving Niko’s bar.

    Reply
  12. Macart says:

    Whose heart is achin’ for breakin’ each vow
    Who’s sad and blue, who’s cryin’ too
    Just like I cried over youuuuuuuuuu.
     
    Glen Daly finish. 🙂

    Reply
  13. lumilumi says:

    Is this news?
     
    Hasn’t everybody known that la Lamentable is a puppet, the leader of Labour in Scotland in name only? Labour consider their Westminster MPs, such as Anas Sarwar, much more important than any of their MSPs in the wee pretendy parliament in Holyrood.
     
    Anas Sarwar would be a gift to the YES side if his inane, inept, insidious ramblings were ever truly reported in the MSM. Alas, they’re not.
     
    Slightly O/T, just came across this piece from the BBC:
    link to bbc.co.uk
    Quite unbelievable how Scottish unis capping their fees for rUK & non-EU-students at the same level as rUK tuition fees is spun as a wicked, bad, insidious thing. Those horrible, chippy Jocks at it again…

    Reply
  14. Dunc says:

    Oh, I see Jiggsbro beat me to the inevitable “unavailable for comment” gag… 🙁

    Reply
  15. Boorach says:

    For a real belly laugh have a read of this, might even put a smile on your face Rev.
     
     

    Reply
  16. Boorach says:

    Apologies, iPad won’t allow me to copy URL in on firstpost… here it is
     
    link to bellacaledonia.org.uk

    Reply
  17. lumilumi says:

    Sorry to go O/T but there’s something I wanted to say about something WoS covered a week and a bit ago link to wingsland.podgamer.com and BBC Scotlandshire a couple of days later  link to bbc.scotlandshire.co.uk
     
    Namely, politicians saying one thing for one audience, another to another audience. The latest example being David Cameron in India, boasting how Indian students are welcome to study (and pay fees) at UK unis. Forgot to mention the visa “reform” dictated by domestic policy, i.e. graduates are no longer allowed to stay on for a couple of years. Applications from prospective Indian students are down something like 25% because these talented, bright young people no longer feel welcome in the UK. Better to apply to other European countries, or the US, Canada, Australia…
     
    Now, politicians have always tailored their speeches for their audiences, and in the “good” olden days word of their duplicity wouldn’t get around. The Internet has changed that to a certain extent but it’s still an uphill struggle in countries with a compliant mainstream media, such as Scotland.
     
    It’s a very frustrating situation, and hampers true democracy.

    PS. Loved BBC Scotlandshire’s Brian Cox south and north of the border 😀

    Reply
  18. lumilumi says:

    @boorach 5.00 pm
    😀 Thanks for the link.
    Maybe Westminster will also tell Ireland, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, etc. that they can’t use English either! And they’ll of course tell countries like Finland to stop teaching their hallowed imperial language to foreign sprogs, as young as 9 yrs old. After all, England owns English.
    😀

    Reply
  19. Doug Daniel says:

    Well, it’s now almost 6pm (7pm in Copenhagen) and the article STILL has Sarwar down as “Scottish Labour leader”. So, looks like it’s official!
     
    Can you imagine having Sarwar in your back seat though, telling you where to go in that nasal mumble of his? I think I’d drive head-first into a wall.

    Reply
  20. Tamson says:

    To be fair, the Sarwar family know a lot about tax…

    Reply
  21. frankieboy says:

    No matter what, the Labour Party will argue black was white. Its the adversarial approach of the Glasgow ned:
    ‘Are you lookin’ at ma burd?’

    ‘Naw’

    ‘How no? you sayin’ ma burds ugly?’

    Reply
  22. Amanayeman says:

    I notice that he talks about millionaires getting tax cuts. Do you think his daddy told him?

    Reply
  23. Jen says:

    I find Mr Sarwar to be an awful politician, comes across as a few marketing people I know, full of hot air and no substance. 

    Reply
  24. CameronB says:

    Seemed appropriate for a puzzle or something.
     
    link to upload.wikimedia.org
     
     

    Reply
  25. CameronB says:

    Edit: aka the Thinker.

    Reply
  26. CameronB says:

    @ Rev. Stuart Campbell
     
    I didn’t want you to miss the pic above. Works on lots of levels if you have a wee think about it. Not that I think you’re taking requests, but you could possibly have it bobbing around on every Answar thread. That’s its real Latin name, stick it in Wiki.

    Reply


Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. If your comment does not appear immediately, DO NOT REPOST IT. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.


  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,868 Posts, 1,234,617 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “?Foreign Affairs Committee? ?@afet.europarl.europa.eu?· 59m Today at 13.00 European Parliament will discuss territorial integrity and sovereignty of Greenland and the…Jan 20, 12:07
    • James Cheyne on The Secondhand Amendment: “We can only accept it was a America problem if we discount every other Country that is under going the…Jan 20, 11:56
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “Ms Forstater says of Judge Kemp’s error: ““The quote in my section wasn’t found anywhere else, so it was either…Jan 20, 11:47
    • Alf Baird on The Secondhand Amendment: “According to postcolonial theory all we can ever expect in a colonial society is a ‘mediocre meritocracy’ (Memmi), much as…Jan 20, 11:29
    • Alf Baird on The Secondhand Amendment: ““Timing as broadly predicted by many on here!” Yes, colonial ‘justice’ seems predictable, in this instance timed to do maximum…Jan 20, 11:08
    • TURABDIN on The Secondhand Amendment: “EUROPE & THE YANKEE BULLY BOY & HIS BAGGAGE Could the EU be getting its mojo back. Conceived as the…Jan 20, 10:38
    • Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: “Jane Russell, eh? Whew, what a scorcher! But I thought she was deid. How depressing that while still alive she’s…Jan 20, 10:13
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “Is it possible that Ms Russell is the “judicial colleague” who exchanged correspondence with Judge Kemp? On the face of…Jan 20, 10:12
    • James Cheyne on The Secondhand Amendment: “In Lorna’ version of the treaty of union case being real you will find only two biological sexes entered into…Jan 20, 10:03
    • agentx on The Secondhand Amendment: ““The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) confirmed that a preliminary hearing on Murrell’s case is scheduled to take…Jan 20, 09:58
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “In Sandie Peggie’s case against NHS Fife, the representation for NHS Fife was provided by KC, Jane Russell. Ms Russell…Jan 20, 09:16
    • Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: ““should be allowed into a female only space, such as a public toilet, on a case by case basis” Sure.…Jan 20, 08:56
    • Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: ““This implies that it is not inherently unlawful for a trans female to be given permission to use a female…Jan 20, 08:47
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “According to Naomi Cunningham, who represented Sandie Peggie v NHS Fife it is UK government lawyers who are saying that,…Jan 20, 08:38
    • Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “If I was you, YL, I’d be taking steps. There can be little doubt “the Donald” will be coming for…Jan 20, 08:29
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “Criticism from different sources of the tribunal findings in the Peggie case as reported in Personnel Today. “Dr Foran pointed…Jan 20, 08:25
    • sam on The Secondhand Amendment: “From the latest blog post at Legal Feeminist where Naomi Cunningham blogs. “The second question arises from the government’s arguments…Jan 20, 08:08
    • Young Lochinvar on The Secondhand Amendment: “Timing as broadly predicted by many on here! They can’t even be subtle about their machinations..Jan 20, 00:51
    • Michael on The Secondhand Amendment: “Or was it John Doe who was googling on behalf of the Judge?Jan 20, 00:44
    • Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “H McH No other incorrect accusations to throw about? Confused as you’ve been asking the wrong questions? You are so…Jan 20, 00:39
    • Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: “@Marie I think there is something odd when people living in a country that is so desperate for immigrants that…Jan 19, 22:38
    • Marie on The Secondhand Amendment: “If you knew anything about how independence-minded Scots felt about their country you would know that a long-standing major concern…Jan 19, 21:54
    • holymacmoses on The Secondhand Amendment: “It’s quite remarkable that Judge Walker (via Ms Muir) thinks that it’s OK to farm out work on an enquiry…Jan 19, 21:24
    • Scot Finlayson on The Secondhand Amendment: “Man in wig looking out for man in wig. I wonder what % of `trans women` went to Scottish fee…Jan 19, 21:21
    • 100Yes on The Secondhand Amendment: “Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) confirmed a date has been…Jan 19, 21:16
    • Mike on The Secondhand Amendment: “I see the separated Mrs Murrell was in a biker jacket and shorter hair cosying up to Ian McKellen, Graham…Jan 19, 21:06
    • Marie on The Secondhand Amendment: “Judge Kemp blaming a colleague for HIS flawed judgement in the Peggie case. Kemp is incompetent, irresponsible and truly pathetic.Jan 19, 20:45
    • Hatey McHateface on The Secondhand Amendment: ““Scotland has always been a place to get out of” Odd. You and the regulars who never tire of gurning…Jan 19, 20:30
    • Bilbo on The Secondhand Amendment: “With another top Tory defecting to Reform, the Easdale brothers offering a six figure sum to Labour to defeat the…Jan 19, 20:14
    • Bilbo on The Secondhand Amendment: “I see that Labour front benchers are calling Reform fascists and Swinney has called people who protest at migrant hotels…Jan 19, 20:01
  • A tall tale



↑ Top