Oooohhhh The Irony!

Now, I am an accountant. Yeah, yeah, not a boring one! The first rule of accountancy is prudence.

Now auditors are even more boring than accountants if that is believable. And they are even more prudent, checking to see that every last penny is accounted for.

So it is incredibly ironic to see how the Audit (yeah, that's right AUDIT) Commission has just lost £10,000,000 because it was invested in an Icelandic Bank.

Oh, how I laughed.

Glenrothes By-Election

It was once famously said that a week is a long time in politics. Well if a week is a long time, then a couple of months must be a lifetime.

Just think back to the height of summer, or as we call it in Scotland – the mild part of winter. Back then in July, just after John Mason won Glasgow East, Gordon Brown was teetering on the brink. Nobody knew if he would make it through one week to the next as PM. Some were questioning if Glasgow East was the final straw.

Fast forward to the Glenrothes by-election. Where are all the Labour MPs who were calling for the PM’s head? If Labour lose this seat, will there be the same clamour for GB to resign.

NO.

Why? Because people see GB as the best person to get us out of this economic mess that HE precipitated over. Oooohhh the irony.

He may yet be saved because of his own incompetence.

But that probably won’t save them from the wrath of the Glenrothes electorate.

The Three Muskateers

The nominations have closed on the Scottish Labour Leadership with three names being thrown into the ring.

Andy Kerr
Cathy Jamieson
Iain Gray

Nominations have also closed for the deputy leader as well with Bill Butler and Johann Lamont being put forward.

Something just isn't adding up for me though with Cathy Jamieson.

Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston (also my MSP), is a prominent member of the Campaign for Socialism organisation within the Scottish Labour Party.

Now she gives her nomination to Bill Butler for the deputy leadership which would make sense as he is seen to be on the left of the party.

However, Smith does not give her nomination to any of the candidates standing for leader. Why is that? Does she not believe all the hype there has been recently about Jamieson returning to left wing policies?

There's been a murder!!

WOW!!!

That was all I could say last night as the unbelievable news came through that the SNP had taken Glasgow East.

Personally, I thought that they would have got within a couple of thousand of Labour, but ultimately come up short.

How wrong was I ?!!

Granted, Labour's campaign didn't get off to the best of starts, but even so, it has been an awesome effort by the SNP to take this seat.

If the SNP continue on the form they are on, who would bet against them achieving a "YES" outcome in an independence referendum? First Salmond takes the Gordon seat with a swing of 21%. Then he turns the political landscape upside down by his party becoming the biggest party in Scotland by gaining an incredible 20 seats at Holyrood. Now his party have taken a Westminster seat that has been Labour for generations.

Next stop independence?

What next for poor Frances Curran, oops, I mean Margaret Curran. She must have thought she was a certainty for the job as she was the MSP for part of the constituency and the fact that the area had traditionally voted Labour.

WRONG!!!!

She must have also considered herself to be one of the favourites to become Scottish Labour Leader, but surely she cannot stand for it now. She will struggle to be selected for the Bailieston seat at the next election in 2011, so I think she is heading the same way as New Labour - Out the door!

Glasgow East Countdown

It is just as well for Labour that they have a million percent majority in Glasgow East, because they are trying their best to lose this by-election.

First there was the fiasco over selecting a candidate. Then when one was picked, she couldn’t remember which part of Glasgow she lived in. Now, even at 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning, when I am staggering from one side of Sauchiehall Street to the other, I still know where I live!

If that wasn’t enough, she tried to pull the wool over our eyes, by getting the endorsement of a “93 year old war hero”. The war hero turned out to be 67 and only 4 at the time of the said war.

Tony Blair ripped up by-election protocol when he used to visit by-election constituencies to lend “support” to the Labour candidate, but where is Gordon Brown on this occasion? Either he is extremely complacent, expecting a Labour landslide, or he is running scared.

Or maybe there is a third option. Maybe he is sitting in Drowning Street, sorry Downing Street, concocting bribes to ensure that the electorate vote in his favour and effectively keep him in a job. Like the freeze on the fuel tax announced this week.

The latest opinion poll showed that Labour had a 47 – 33 percent lead over the SNP. However both Political Betting and ASWAS seriously question the detail behind this poll. Maybe that is why Labour is canvassing the SNP candidate for his support for next Thursday!

I seriously doubt that the SNP will be able to pull off the 20 odd % swing needed to take this seat. But then again it wasn’t that long ago that the SNP came from nowhere to wrestle the reigns of power away from Labour at Holyrood.

So anything is possible!

Dummies Guide Of How Not To Run A By-election

By the time Thursday the 24th of July comes along, Labour will be thinking they have fought an election campaign already. And that is just to get a candidate in place to fight the Glasgow East by-election!

Firstly, Councillor George Ryan pulled out of the selection meeting at the last minute, citing the catch all "family reasons" for his decision. The other two candidates were then told the meeting would be cancelled, effectively saying to them that they will not be chosen to be the Labour candidate.

How Labour can afford to turn away two people who are actually WILLING to stand for the party is beyond me, but that is another story.

So, after the dead cert for the candidate withdrew, Labour apparently were scurrying about looking for someone to stand. The leader of Glasgow City Council, councillor Steven Purcell was apparently asked but he ran a mile.

According to the Sunday Herald, eventually Margaret Curran MSP is going to be asked. And she was fourth choice.

But this is just incredible short-sightedness in my opinion. It is just solving one problem by creating several more.

For one, it would probably mean a further by-election in this area if Curran was to resign her Baillieston MSP seat. How would the electorate take to that?

Secondly, she is one of the likely contenders to replace Wendy Alexander as leader in Scotland. They haven't got many to choose from as it is, so if another one were to go, you'd be scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Of course, Labour may have a masterplan up their sleave just waiting to be delivered in the shape of John Reid.

M.P.s Expenses

After the debacle yesterday in the commons when M.P.s showed just how greedy they were by voting to retain their generous expenses, I thought what a life! The amount they are allowed to claim for their second homes, £24,006, is more than a lot of the people in Scotland get paid each year, particularly in Glasgow East. And that is just for their second homes.

If Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting had been about politics, I guess Renton's opening mantra would have been:

Choose a M.P.s life.

Choose a cushy job.

Choose a lucrative career.

Choose not to see your family.

Choose a f______g big John Lewis television.

Choose John Lewis washing machines, ministerial cars, John Lewis compact disc players, and John Lewis electrical tin openers.

Choose crappy health, high cholesterol and life insurance.

Choose the public to pay your fixed-interest mortgage repayments.

Choose a second home.

Choose to back-stab your friends.

Choose a John Lewis three piece suite on taxpayers money in a range of f_____g fabrics.

Choose for the taxpayer to pay for your DIY and wonder which home to read the papers in on a Sunday morning.

Choose sitting on that John Lewis couch watching mind-numbing sprit-crushing reality TV shows, stuffing f_______g junk food into your mouth at the tax payers expense.

Choose rotting away at the end of it all, when the electorate find you out and crawl back into the undergrowth with a seat in the Lords or some other unearned reward.

Choose a future on the Board of a FTSE 100 company.

Choose a M.P.s life.

But why would I want to do a thing like that? Because I have f______g morals!

Who's Next?

Wendy Alexander last week!

Nicol Stephen this week!

Annabel Goldie next week?

Charlie Gordon - aka Cathcart Comedian

Newsnight was quality last night.

Charlie Gordon, less than 7 months after playing the fall guy role, said that he was considering standing for Scottish Labour leadership.

But that wasn't the most funny part. At the start of the interview asked if Labour were going to win the Glasgow East by-election, he stated that we shouldn't take the electorate for granted. However, asked later about the independence referendum, he said that Salmond would lose the referendum!

Make up your mind. You either take us for granted or you don't!!

Glasgow East By-election

There is nothing like the prospect of a by-election to get the pulses racing in anyone interested in politics.

The Glasgow East by-election likely to be held on the 24th July, has potentially more riding on it than simply returning an MP to Westminster.

Firstly could this be an oportunity for the Solidarity Party to get a foothold at Westminster? The Herald today hinted that Tommy Sheridan may be about to stand.

A more likely, but equally challenging result, is an SNP victory. The SNP have apparently been trying to get people like Elaine C Smith to stand in a bid to secure the 22% swing needed to win the seat.

If the unthinkable does happen, what will happen to Gordon Brown. There are already reports that he will be advised to leave if results don't go Labour's way.

But aren't Labour missing the point (again!).

Sometimes there is just a mood for change. Labour should know it better than anyone after their 1997 result. They are going to lose the next election no matter who is in charge.

Why don't they just see the current term out with Brown in charge and then make the change after the election?

Oh yeah!! Because that would be like common sense!!

Bye Bye Wendy!

Well, Wendy has come to her senses…..at last!

She has finally accepted what most of us have known for some time, that her position was untenable.

However, instead of doing the honourable thing, way back in November, she limped on and allowed the drama to be conducted in the media for a further 7 months, doing the Labour Party irreparable damage.

Salmond and co probably couldn’t believe their luck as each new revelation came along about the expenses for a contest that never was.

Now that she has gone, will the SNP be trembling in their shoes about her successor?

I hardly think so!!

Let’s see who the contenders are likely to be. Andy Kerr? Cathy Jamieson? Margaret Curran? Hardly in the same league as Alex Salmond.

One thing the Labour Party does want this time around though, is an actual contest. This way, at least any dodgy donations will actually be going towards something.

But what will an actual contest do to a Party that already seems to be in decline? Will it launch a civil war that will end in its demise?

As Labour are so out of touch with the voters, perhaps they should be reminded that kind of back-stabbing does not go down too well and with several by-elections coming up, they better watch they don’t suffer a similar kicking to the one they got in Henley.

Get Up, Stand Up

I work in the NHS. I am also a member of Unison.

Now it is the time of year when the annual pay award is being negotiated. The offer we got this year was 2.75%. Unison balloted us to see if we wanted to accept it.

I duly looked to see what the inflation rate was. 3% the Bank of England told me. (oh dear they are way off their 2% target!!). 3% may be the official rate but when you consider the increase in mortgage payments, the 10% increase in petrol prices, food prices have gone up 15% and gas and electricity prices have gone up about 20%, you have to think their 3% is a little light.

Therefore, I had no hesitation in putting my cross in the DO NOT ACCEPT box of the ballot. Who in their right mind would vote for effectively a pay decrease? It would be like turkey’s voting for Christmas.

Other Unions had already voted on the NHS pay proposal. The GMB Union rejected the pay award by a massive 96%.

So I was extremely optimistic that my colleagues in Unison would vote against this ludicrous offer.

However, unbelievably 65% of them voted in favour of the offer!! WTF?

Karen Jennings, Unison head of health, said they would not hesitate to renegotiate if inflation continues to rise. How far does it have to rise? Forgive me for being naive, but I would have thought if inflation rose above the amount of the pay award, it is time to renegotiate?

Forgive me, if anyone actually reads this, but I am getting extremely pissed off at people in government making a mockery of hard working people. I am also getting pissed off at people allowing it to happen.

When are we going to wake up and realise what is happening?

What Goes Around Comes Around

You know when you are on your way down and out when the stuff that used to work in your favour is now working against you. Take Jim Sheridan MP. On Radio Scotland this morning he was bleating about the press’ treatment of Gordon Brown, whilst grossly insulting the intelligence of the electorate at the same time.

He said that because voters vote for whoever the press tell them to, it is extremely unfair how Gordon Brown and his Labour government is being treated.

Oh, my heart bleeds for them!!

Firstly, I can recall, barely a year ago, how one newspaper had Scotland’s head in a noose, indicating if you voted SNP, then you were effectively killing Scotland.

I can’t recall Jim Sheridan or any of his colleagues north or south of the border complaining about that.

Secondly, virtually every single major press outlet was still telling us to vote Labour at the last election, or at the very least not to vote SNP and look how that worked out.

So, Jim Sheridan and your Labour colleagues, unless stop patronising the voting public you will find yourself out of power for a long, long time.

Tories Torment

What are the Tories all about? A couple of decent results and they think they are destined for Downing Street! Nothing like counting your chickens!

At the Tory get together this week in Ayr, Annabel Goldie claimed that the Scottish Tories were on the up. That may be stretching it a bit. But here is a question I want to ask Goldie and Cameron. How many MPs do you expect to return at the next Westminster election?

Let’s assume they hold on to all the seats they have. Wait until I get my calculator. Yep, I’ve got the answer ~ 1. Now let’s look at the seats they could win. Perth? Doubt it. Angus? You joking?! Dumfries and Galloway is a possibility. Stirling is another, but then you are getting into the realms of massive swings needed.

But I can see an answer to the problem that is so bloody obvious. There are two words that would bring about a Tory government in Westminster for at least the next 30 years and a substantial increase in the number of Tory MSPs.

Being the nice guy I am, I will tell the Tories how to achieve this.

Scottish Independence.

It goes without saying that not having to worry about Scotland, the Tories down south would be in a lot stronger position. Up here, disassociating themselves with the bad people that brought about the poll tax, the Tory Party might once again reach levels akin to the 50% they reached back in 1955.

Who knows, after independence, the SNP might disband and lots of them might join a revamped Tory Party. Some of the policies the SNP are pursuing at the moment are not a million miles away from the ones the Tories would be proud of. More police on the streets, cut in business rates etc.

But today in an interview with Brian Taylor, Annabel Goldie admitted that she would vote against a referendum on Scottish independence. She would not give the electorate the chance to have their say.

It may have been 11 years since the Tories have been in power, but it looks as if they are still hanging on to their old habits.

They love keeping Scotland down.

Be Prudent!!

One of accountant’s favourite words is prudence. I should know, because I am an accountant.

Prudence means estimating on the side of caution although Wikepedia’s, equally appropriate definition is, “Conventionally, prudence is the exercise of sound judgement in practical affairs.”

Now, Grant Thornton is an international accounting firm and one of the biggest in the UK.

So when Grant Thornton claims that Scotland would be a rich nation if it were to become independent, then people should sit up and listen.

Based on a prudent estimate of 82.5% of North Sea revenues, Grant Thornton say that we could afford to cut corporation tax from 28% to 12.5% and cut income tax by 5p in the pound and still have £2bn of a surplus.

I say prudent estimates of North Sea revenues because the SNP are demanding a 95% share of the revenues, compared to the 85% estimated in the study. If 95% was taken, the surplus would rise to £6.2bn.

Now, Labour has repeated stated in the past that businesses would leave in their droves if Scotland were to become independent. Is it just me, or would the opposite happen with businesses flocking INTO Scotland when tax rates are so low?

Independence?

BRING IT ON!!

Going Round In Circles?

Labour are doing that many U-turns at the moment, they are at risk of going round in circles.

Can you believe anything they say anymore?

Remember at election time they were saying that if we voted SNP then extremely bad things would happen to Scotland! Well we are still waiting.

Remember barley a couple of months ago, Wendy Alexander claimed that a referendum was a distraction and would only feed the SNP's obsession.

Remember Alexander then got her Unionist mates together and set up a commission to look at the role of the devolved Scottish Parliament, EXCLUDING independence.

Now, she has completely bypassed her own commission and is saying what is Salmond waiting for. She wants a referendum on independence right now with a simple yes or no to the question.

Labour are an absolute joke and I sincerely hope that this political gamble comes back to bite Alexander on the arse when Scotland votes yes to the independence question.

Black Day For Brown

Two years is an astonomical amount of time in politics. There are governments that have not even lasted two years. However that may be that amount of time that Gordon Brown has left before he is ousted.

This week saw Labour get an absolute kicking in the local elections in England and Wales. If this trend continues through to the election, expected in 2010, then Brown will be out the door faster than you can say, "Ten years of economic stability."

If the local elections results weren't bad enough, Labour then went and lost the London Mayor elections to a Tory candidate that may have been more at home in the Monster Raving Loony Party.

So where can we look to in history to see when the last time such a local election whitewash happened. Well not too far. John Major suffered a similar fate in 1995, before being punted out of office in 1997.

The Labour Party are scheming behind the scenes to try and replace Brown. But at the end of the day, sometimes you just have to accept that you can't influence anything. People want change. They are sick and tired of Labour spin and they want an alternative. For the majority of people in the UK, that alternative is seen to be the Tory Party.

So fast forward to 2010. I would imagine the Tory Party would be the last party most Scots would vote for in order to give Labour a kicking. This leaves the Lib Dems and the SNP. Maybe this will give Salmond the votes he needs to achieve his ambitious target of 20 MPs.

If the Tories are elected in 2010, what will this mean for Scotland?

One thing that is pretty certain to happen is the introduction of English votes for English laws in Westminster. Is this just another step to the separation of the Union?

Let's hope so!!

Fuel Shortage

What is the last thing you should say if you want people to avoid panic buying? “Don’t Panic Buy.”

As soon as those words are uttered, people are racing off to the nearest petrol forecourt faster than you can say “Oil Refinery.”

Remember those big long queues back in 2000, the year of the fuel protests, well expect to see similar queues in the coming days as the prospect of a strike at Grangemouth looms ever closer.

The proposed strike is about the changing of the company pension. And it seems that both sides have really dug their heels in and are playing out a war of words in the media. 97% of the Union members voted for strike action, which gives an indication of the feeling. Therefore I wouldn’t expect either side to back down any time soon.

But the people who shout, “Don’t panic buy,” really p!ss me off. We have got enough fuel until Friday they claim. Aye, very good. What happens when Friday comes though? It is perfectly understandable why people go and fill their cars up.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few days and if Scotland does run out of fuel, what the political fall out of this will be.

Anyway, better go. I’ve got a car that needs filling up!!

More Labour Party Conference

A couple of weeks ago, I asked how long Wendy Alexander had left as Scottish Labour Leader. Judging by Gordon Brown’s address at the Labour Party Conference in Aviemore earlier in the week, perhaps my question was a bit premature.

For Brown said

"And I believe that Wendy Alexander is not only the leader of our party here in Scotland but she will be the next first minister of Scotland whenever an election is declared."

As stated in my last post, I think I have about as much chance of getting elected First Minister as Alexander has. Although I can tell Brown exactly when the next election will be declared. It’ll be four years after the previous one!

Will it be four long years of learning for Labour? Perhaps a time to reflect on what went wrong in the previous election and learn the lessons? Maybe a time to stop being obsessed by the SNP and offer their own vision of how they see Scotland’s future?

I say we should stand up for the people of Scotland and for the young children of Scotland and we will be the front line of defence for them against those SNP cuts.

– Gordon Brown

I will lead by exposing the dishonesty of the SNP.

- Wendy Alexander

SNP is taking Scotland back to the days of Margaret Thatcher through local government cuts

– Andy Kerr

Yeah. Right!!

Who is advising the Labour Party? Have they learned anything from their fall from grace last May?

Alexander claimed:

"Here at Aviemore, the fightback has begun. It's time to go to work."

What the hell have they being doing for the last ten and a bit months?

Oh that is right! Firstly they were denying that they lost the election. Then they were saying a long protracted goodbye to their UK leader. Then their Scottish leader decided to give someone else a chance. Step forward Wendy Alexander! Elected unopposed. A fresh start for the Labour Party. But wait a minute, what is this? A dodgy donation?

No wonder they haven’t had time to consider the rest of us!

So how do you think Alexander rates her performance in the months since she took over? This was the very question she was asked during a webcast at the Labour Conference.

We all know most politicians love themselves, so given the donation debacle, you might think she would give herself a 7 or 8 out of 10. But, oh no!! Alexander thinks her performance has been a top notch, can’t be faulted, aspirational 10 out of 10.

The long and short of it is that Labour has learnt nothing from the last election and if they continue in the same vein, they will be a lot longer than four years on the opposition benches.

Labour Party Conference

Gordon Brown PM today addressed the party conference in Aviemore and claimed that Wendy Alexander would be the next First Minister of Scotland.

Personally, I think I have more chance of becoming the next first minister, than she does. However, if the unthinkable were to happen, then I would seriously consider leaving the country.

The thought is that unbearable!

Iraq - 5 Years On

According to Pressy Bush, the world is a safer place because the US went to "war" in Iraq.

According to me, that is complete crap.

In the 5 years since the invasion, there have been 82,249 civilian deaths from violence in Iraq alone.

Not to mention, armed forces deaths, terrorist attacks in Australasia, Spain and London, restrictions on air travel etc etc etc.

The Lib Dems, today called for an enquiry into the fiasco. One day they may get one.

And one day, Bush and Blair may get tried for war crimes.

Can’t Take It Anymore?

Just like everyone, I was shocked by recent events in the Welsh County of Bridgend. 17 young people seeing no other option, than to take their own life.

The police and some of the affected parents are trying to pin some of the blame on the media and internet chat rooms. As much as I despise the red-tops and the way 24 hour news is going generally, trying to push the blame onto them is utter bollocks.

Some of the areas they really should be looking at, particularly in young people are schooling, peer pressure, relationships and puberty. All these often come to the fore all at the same time and it is simply sometimes too much for young people to deal with.

The Samaritans were on the streets of Bridgend last Saturday night reminding people of the service they provide. Schools have also been urged to train teachers in suicide awareness. All this is very commendable, but would money not be better spent on tackling the biggest causes of suicide?

But Wales has only a fraction of the problem Scotland has. Suicide rates in Wales, England and Northern Ireland are 8 per 100,000 population. In Scotland it is 14.7. It is particularly a problem for males, aged 15-44 from lower socio-economic groups.

In 2002, the Scottish Executive launched a ten year strategy to try to tackle the issue called Choose Life. A pretty patronising and ill-thought out title, if you ask me, but nevermind. One of its aims was to cut suicide rates by 20% in Scotland by 2013.

894 people claimed their lives in Scotland in 2002, making us third in the European suicide rates per 100,000 people, just behind Finland and Poland. However, there is some reason for optimism. The latest figures reported today in the Herald show in 2006 the number of suicides had dropped to 755. Perhaps vindication of the “Choose Life” strategy.

Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency. Indeed researchers have warned that the drop in figures may be due to different, less successful suicide methods are being used. The actual suicidal behaviour may not have altered.

The key for me in tackling Scotland’s problem with suicide is suicide survivors. And I am not talking about cry-for-help suicide attempts because the person had too much to drink last night, but feels alright now attempts. I am talking about people who have deep rooted feelings, but have somehow managed to pull through. These are the people we need to listen to. What are their issues? What made them “Choose Life”?

This may help drive down suicide numbers, but tackling the underlying mental health issues, is a whole different ball game.

If you are feeling suicidal, please phone one of these numbers before you do anything else.

Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 (6pm to 2am)
Childline 0800 11 11
Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 or email jo@samartians.org

More Power

Nicol Stephen has appeared on the radar for the first time since……, well the elections come to think of it. Ahead of the Lib Dems conference in Aivemore this week he has been talking about more powers for the Scottish Parliament. Apparently, the world is moving his way!!

I just couldn’t believe it when I read that. What have the Lib Dems done in the last 9 months to shape thinking around more powers for the Scottish Parliament? Aye, exactly – NOTHING!

The debate has been around the SNP wanting independence and Wendy Alexander’s Commission being hijacked by Gordon Brown.

The fact is that the Lib Dems were offered the opportunity on a plate to shape the landscape of Scotland when the SNP asked them to enter into coalition talks, but they flatly refused even to enter into negotiations.

So how they can credibly claim that the debate is moving their way when they have all but been forgotten in Scottish politics is beyond me!

And another thing that pisses me off is this quote from Stephen:

"We must take this chance, we must seize this opportunity. We want powers for a purpose. We still have single ministers in Whitehall who expect to control the lives of tens of millions of people from their desks."

So why does he not support independence? If he is that concerned about having more powers, then why not have the ultimate power of how Scotland is governed – INDEPENDENCE

Another By-election

Another election, another SNP victory. This time in the in the Highland ward of the Perth and Kinross Council. Is this the way it is going to be from now until independence? SNP victories?

The sister of the previous councillor won an emphatic victory. Kate Howie gained more than double the votes of her nearest rival. Is this a sign of how well the SNP are running the country, or is it just a decision based on local politics?

Result
Kate Howie, SNP, 1,891
Graham Rees, Tory, 940
Andrew Kenton, Lib Dem, 229
Anne Chatt, Labour, a paltry 97

Turnout 43.6%

Rock 'n' Bankroll

Share prices can go up or down. That is the advice that is always given when shares are being sold. So why do shareholders start complaining when the shares they are holding become virtually worthless?

I know, shares influence your pension, your mortgage etc so it is in your best interests for them to complain blah, blah, blah, but why should the taxpayer bail out shareholders who cannot read the warning signs?

The Chancellor became the Darling of all the opposition political parties when he gave them plenty of Rocks for them to throw at him by announcing that Northern Rock would be nationalised.

However, the shareholders were unbelievably not happy with this. What would they rather the bank be sold to another private company where they would have probably received a fraction of the amount the government will offer in compensation. Or would they have preferred the business went down the pan, where they would not receive any money at all?

Roger Lawson, chairman of the Northern Rock Shareholders' Action Group said he thought there were "good grounds" for legal action.

Why?

The same thing happened a few years ago when Railtrack shareholders were up in arms.

An old adage springs to mind – live by the sword – die by the sword.

SNP Win Elgin City South Council By-election

John Sharp, the SNP candidate, has won the Elgin City South council by-election following the death of the Independent Councillor, Alastair Bisset.

The SNP claimed 32% of the vote with Independent candidate Mr Simpson 25%, Labour 17% and the Tories 10%. Swing from Labour to the SNP was 6%.

Is this a trend that is set to continue, wiping Labour off the Scottish political map, or is this a result that is unique to the North-East where the SNP tend to do well?

Only time will tell.

Report

Discussion

Can Wendy Survive?

I am going to see the Smashing Pumpkins at the SECC on Tuesday night. Although it is the fourth time that I have seen them, I have been counting down the days ever since I got my ticket.

It looks like we are also counting down the days to the end of the tenure of the fourth Scottish Labour leader since devolution. Wendy may have won a moral “victory” this week, but it is a bit like your team winning the final game of the season when you are already relegated and are facing the prospect of administration.

No sooner had the verdict from the Electoral Commission come out, than the Sunday Herald are reporting that Gordon Brown is about to hi-jack Wendy’s Constitutional Commission. Now Labour made a big thing about this at the time, but now Papa Broon wants to downgrade it to a review or a working party. And he wants it to be led by Westminster.

If that wasn’t enough, Wendy has had to do a bit of moonlighting as a plumber. For the amount of leaks that are coming from Labour at the moment are enough to keep anyone busy. The latest shows that a Shadow Cabinet minute shows that the tactic of reading a pre-prepared loyalty script to selected journalists has been a successful one.

Yeah, right!

Then there was her well documented performance at the vote on the Scottish Budget. Having put forward an amendment to the budget, which was accepted by the SNP, she and her colleagues then failed to vote for it. All, that is, except for Cathie Craigie, who voted against it. By mistake, allegedly. Must be hard, all those options to choose from!

All this must be enough to make her wonder why she even wanted the post in the first place. Then along comes the revelation that she may be facing a further Electoral Commission investigation as well as a police one. This time the claim is that she misled businessmen into funding her constituency office to the tune of £12,000.

The Smashing Pumpkins have been a band, on and off for about twenty years, because of the ability of Billy Corgan, their lead singer. The next Labour leader will have to be just as gifted if the Labour ship is going to be turned around. Andy Kerr may be licking his lips at the prospect of a leadership election, but this job may be beyond his capabilities.

Top Trumps

When I was younger, I used to have a couple of sets of Top Trumps. I can remember having a few sets of the popular cards, but I vividly remember having the set that had sports cars in it. However, at Our Scotland we have seen some Top Trumps played out with football, politics and golf cards.

For a start we had the unveiling of the new Scotland manager who will take us into the World Cup qualifying campaign. George Burley trumped Mark McGhee, Graeme Souness and Tommy Burns to get the job.

Burley said during a press conference, "Now the dream is to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. The country has belief, I'm certainly up for the challenge and we'll go for it."

If he continues the progress that we have made during the last couple of years, then we could just make the World Cup.

Secondly we had the resignation of Peter Hain as Work and Pensions Secretary and Secretary of State for Wales. The Electoral Commission well and truly trumped him by referring the matter of an undisclosed £103,000 to the Metropolitan Police.

After Hain has set a precedent, Wendy Alexander must be sweating on the decision of the Electoral Commission over her suspect dealings. Mind you, she has been waiting that long, that she may have run out of sweat. Will she be the next to be trumped?

We also had the clearance of the first hurdle for the Scottish Budget. The £30bn budget was passed by just 2 votes with the Tories voting with the government. Is this a sign of things to come? The Tories snuggling up with the Scottish Government?

Finally we come to the man himself, Donald Trump and his plans to invest a zillion pounds into Scotland. Well, Scotland has been totally Trumped over this one. Trump is calling all the shots and if his deal doesn’t go ahead, I will be truly and utterly amazed.

Money, Money, Money

This week, amongst other things, we have been talking about money at Our Scotland.

Firstly there was Labour’s opposition to the Scottish Government’s deal with councils in order for them not to increase council tax. Wendy Alexander agreed in principal that ring-fenced funding should be slashed, yet said the cuts agreed went too far. Can she make up her mind about anything?

Secondly there was the issue of the £30bn budget that is due to be voted on in Parliament this week. The Green’s, who seemed awfully friendly with the SNP at the outset of this parliament, indicated that they are unlikely to vote with the SNP. With Labour definitely voting against it and the Lib Dems likely to abstain, it would be all down to the Tories.

And all I am saying is that it must be a sign of the times, that a Scottish Government does a deal with the Tories and nobody says anything. And let’s look at one of the deals that have been done. More police on the streets. It was one of the more laughable aspects in the lead up to the election.

Party X – We are going to put 1,000 more police officers on the streets
Party Y – Well we are going to put 1,001 more police officers on the streets
Party Z – Is that all? We are going to put 1,002 more police officers on the streets

In all honesty, what difference does 1,000 extra police officers on the street make? Maybe this is radical thinking and nobody has thought of it before, although I very much doubt it, but would the money not be better spent on sorting out why the crime is happening in the first place. Maybe it could go into supporting initiatives to stop people re-offending. Maybe it could go into funding activities to keep some teenagers off the streets and out of trouble.

Instead they might as well put their extra funding in my back pocket, because crime is about as likely to go down by doing that as by putting extra police on the streets.

Talking of back pockets Peter Hain and George Osborne are the latest in a long line of MP’s and MSP’s to be spotted with undeclared money poking out of their denims. Surely there should be a review of political funding, because either people have total disregard for the rules governing funding or they just don't have a clue about their obligations.

Join in the debate at Our Scotland.

OIL

Oil is what makes the world go round. At least that is what we are told. Virtually everyone in the Western world needs it and for the countries that own it, well they are just can’t get rid of the dollar signs in front of their eyes.

Don’t know much about the technical side of this, but the UN has opened up negotiations for 162,935 square miles of sea bed in the eastern Atlantic, which is thought to be rich in oil. Who are the countries most affected? Ireland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland.

Now 30 years ago, the significance of the oil revenue was greatly underplayed by Westminster governments to help quell the rising Scottish independence movement. This time around we are all a little wiser about the value of oil as well as its finite availability.

However, who is going to be at the negotiating table on Scotland’s behalf? A Westminster government. Will they sell us down the river just like last time? Perhaps they will only get 25% of the area they could have negotiated, just in order to maintain their precious union? Paranoid? Well Westminster has form on this subject.

Another country that has a little interest in oil is the United States of America. This week we saw the year long circus move up a gear as the New Hampshire primaries took place. Hilary Clinton made a mockery of the pundits and pollsters as she took the honours.

What will Bill be called if she does get into the White House? First Lady? First Man? Maybe since he will have done his job for Hilary, it will be First In Line To The Divorce Courts.

I am just glad that George W will be out of office by the time the negotiations for the Atlantic oil is concluded, because the facts weren’t looking good if negotiations went well for us. Can just imagine the US Government portfolio on us:

Scotland
Lots of Oil
Rogue Government (according to Westminster)
Weapons of Mass Destruction

Bush – “Bomb the B******s !!”

Keep up to date with Scotland’s threat to international security at Our Scotland.

Happy New Year!

I haven’t been about for a bit, suffering from prolonged election fatigue!

Well last year was simply a sensational year in Scottish politics.

The election itself was sensational. There was voter confusion, helicopters not getting off the ground, mad-man swinging a golf club, counting machines not working and counts postponed. All that before 11 o’clock at night!

When the result was announced , just before tea time the next evening, it couldn’t get more dramatic. It came down to the final declaration. And what a historic declaration. The Labour hegemony on political power in Scotland was finally broken. There was a new dawn. Alex Salmond was First Minister.

Salmond was quickly in action dealing with the first terrorist attack in Scotland of its kind. An apparent suicide bomber drove straight at Glasgow Airport intending to cause death and carnage.

After Jack McConnell vowed to continue as Labour leader, his position soon became untenable and Wendy Alexander got elected unopposed. She had hardly got her feet under the table when she was embroiled in trouble. An allegedly dodgy donation for her leadership election campaign has been acknowledged as illegal by her own party. What makes it even more unbelievable, was that she was elected unopposed. Will she be following Jack McConnell sooner rather than later?

Another thing that bit the dust in 2007 was the Best Small Country in the World slogan that Scotland used. Although papers released in 2008 show that Scotland would have been a whole lot bigger (economical) independent country if it wasn’t deceived by successive Westminster governments about the value of its oil revenues.

So 2008 has kicked off with a real political hot potato. Will the year continue in similar fashion?

Keep up to date with all the political debate at Our Scotland.