God loves an optimist 264
Posted on
December 23, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The Independent, 22 December 2014:
We can only admire Mr Murphy’s ambition.
Archive for the ‘comment’
The alpha ned 219
Posted on
December 22, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Fans of the bewildering in Scottish politics don’t look set to be disappointed in 2015.
Jim Murphy’s only been the Scottish Labour “leader” for a week, but already he seems hell-bent on hurling the party’s North British branch into the padded walls of its cell with more vigour than ever before, heroically ignoring the open door.
The Legacy 234
Posted on
December 21, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Iain Macwhirter in “Disunited Kingdom” (Cargo Publishing, 8 December 2014):
It’s a difficult assessment to dispute.
An economy with the truth 141
Posted on
December 19, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
By now readers will probably be familiar with STV News reporter Stephen Daisley’s superbly withering review of Alan Cochrane’s referendum diaries. One quote from the book aroused particular interest:
According to Cochrane, the Canadian economist told the First Minister: ‘I’m only here for one day, Alex, but don’t f— with me or I’ll be up here a lot more often.’“
But did that really happen?
Oilmageddon 116
Posted on
December 19, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Political etiquette is a funny thing. Should some of the more vocal supporters of a Yes vote dare to express any degree of satisfaction at a couple of dozen journalists’ jobs being lost on a Unionist newspaper, social media is suddenly aflame with pious, angry lectures about the poor taste of rejoicing in others’ unemployment – regardless of whether it might perhaps have been caused by the paper’s own unethical actions.
But when tens of thousands of blameless oil workers face unemployment just before Christmas, it’s proving all but impossible for Unionists to keep a lid on their glee.
A Christmas bonus 84
Posted on
December 18, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Hang on a minute. We just got yet another begging email from Labour.
Those vacancies sound familiar. The amount, not so much. £87,500?
Running terrified 181
Posted on
December 18, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The egos of the SNP’s tiny band of six Westminster MPs must be swelling by the day. For weeks we’ve been recording Labour’s standard, decades-old mantra of how Scots mustn’t vote SNP or the Tories will get in. In today’s Herald, meanwhile, no less a figure than the Prime Minister warns that if we vote SNP, Labour will get in.
And the Lib Dems? The Lib Dems have completely lost their minds.
The preposterous truth 251
Posted on
December 17, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
BBC News, 12 September 2014:
The Guardian, 17 December 2014:
And with a mighty rush, rebellious Scots to crush, eh readers?
Start as you mean to go on 342
Posted on
December 16, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
When Jim Murphy spoke on last night’s Scotland Tonight, he’d been the “leader” of Scottish Labour for approximately 60 hours. Here’s how he’s going to play it.
Let’s quickly examine those statements, shall we?
The man who should know 117
Posted on
December 15, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
The Times, 14 December 2014:
“Scottish Labour has an ‘intellectual deficit’ because it is filled with ‘time-servers’ given seats to keep them quiet, according to Paul Sinclair, who served alongside Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour leader, and at the heart of the ‘no’ campaign against Scottish independence.
As someone who wrote Johann Lamont’s speeches for the last three years, on this occasion we’re going to defer to Mr Sinclair’s superior expertise.
But seriously 328
Posted on
December 13, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We suppose we should offer a few thoughts on this, then.
And we don’t mean Kezia Dugdale’s freakishly gigantic hands.
Final destination 64
Posted on
December 13, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
In an alternative universe, Keir Hardie reacts to news of the election of Jim Murphy.
