Gerraff!

May I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your comments - all 47 contributions to the posting about Labour making schoolboy errors (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll try better) on the first official day of the Glenrothes campaign.

I'm not publishing any of the comments because I'd have to sort out what was worth publishing from the stuff that was simply vitriolic.

I'll just say that if I think Kezia Dugdale should be criticised on my blog then I'm quite capable of doing it myself.

I'll also say that Ms Dugdale has retracted the allegation that Nicola Sturgeon was removed from a shopping centre in Glasgow:

The Sturgeon Affair during the Glasgow East by-election. My source is still absolutely adamant that it happened but I don't believe for a second that Nicola Sturgeon would take the trouble to email me if her side of events wasn't the truth.

I have a huge admiration for Nicola Sturgeon - take the politics out of it - she's a cracking role model for young women in Scotland.

If Kezia has been courageous enough to admit that she was wrong and that the Deputy First Minister is a better politician than Kezia alluded to then that admission and segued apology should be welcomed as the positive contributions they are.

Raging about the pavements

The Pigeon Has Landed!

And brought me news that Edinburgh Conservative councillor Jason Rust is proposing different speed lanes to ease congestion problems - on the pavement.

Yes, I laughed, especially at this bit:

Cllr Rust told the BBC Scotland news website he sometimes came across the problem during his lunch break while walking from his west end office to buy a sandwich.
He said: "Now and again I am in a hurry and get stuck behind people who are walking along at snail's pace, stopping every few seconds, and it is a minor irritation.
"This would be a practical measure to see if it works.

Imagine being delayed slightly in the streets of a busy city, eh? Whatever next? I'll bet some eejit comes along and puts a flamin great tramline down the middle of the street and reduces the pavement width...

Just in case you thought Rustie was on his own, though, in steps the Lib Dem councillor in charge of transport in Edinburgh, councillor Phil Wheeler, to say that he'd listen to suggestions and then gave an endorsement of a survey carried out by Nurofen, allowing that company to get its product advertised on the BBC website:

Phil Wheeler, Edinburgh City Council's transport convener, said: "The results of this survey are interesting.
"More interesting, perhaps, will be to see what serious proposals can be put forward to try to deal with the problem."

Anybody with more than two brain cells knows that the idea is barking mad:

1. How would you legislate for it?

2. How would you signpost it?

3. How would you enforce it?

4. Who lets these councillors out on their own?

Why would a solicitor with respected Edinburgh firm Anderson Strathearn not see the barkingness of the suggestion he was putting forward? Why would the heid honcho (transport) of Edinburgh Council not treat the proposal with disdain? Why would a Lib Dem councillor be giving credibility to a survey by a commercial operation that states the blindingly obvious (people get annoyed when their progress through crowded streets is impeded)?

Is it all just so we all think we need painkillers?

Glenrothes - Labour campaign starts with a blunder

The campaign to fill the casual vacancy in Glenrothes will be announced in the House of Commons today.

Not wishing to be left behind, Labour's headteacher candidate, Lindsay Roy, marched his troops straight into the bus station to start leafleting. Shortly after, suffering a rejection reaction, Labour troops marched off into Postgate to campaign there.

Trouble is, as all of us know, party political campaigning isn't allowed in Postgate and security soon appeared and frogmarched Labour's campaign right off the premises.

Gaffe early, gaffe often appears to be Labour's campaign slogan these days.

Irony irony

Nothing to do with laundry, just read on the BBC website that David Yelland was in 10 Downing Street during all this reshuffle speculation but "He refused to answer reporters' questions."

I doff my cap ...

Tumbleweed

Since I was still at work at 21:43 (approximately), I had a wee look at the website of the Commission to Repaint Devolution.

Yes, it's true, it is still there and still eating up public money to replicate just part of what the National Conversation is doing - and a right poor job the de'ils are making of it.

I was pure dead excited to note that there is a wee discussion forum lurking on that website these days, but it was sharp intake of breath time when I saw that it had a grand total of 11 posts. Eleven exactly. Fantastic. How much money is this farce wasting?

Wonder if the failure has got anything to do with the rules?

As the forum is moderated, there will be delay between submitting a comment and that comment appearing on the website. We will not display comments that are abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory or that fall outside the Commission’s remit. Comments that include hyperlinks will not be permitted and we reserve the right to restrict the length of individual comments to a maximum of approximately 500 words and limit the number of postings by any one person, to encourage breadth of discussion.

Whit larks ...

Time to pick a fight

There's a chap who goes by the name of Scottish Tory Boy (it's not his fault - he's ginger). I'd like to pick a fight with him (he's smaller than me).

On Thursday of last week the wee nyaff posted a tale alleging that Christina McKelvie MSP had been heckled in the chamber by Lord George Foulkes. Much as I'm prepared to believe that Lord Foulkes can be an oaf (mainly because I'm biased), this allegation surprised me because I watched FMQs and hadn't seen it.

Not willing to decry Scottish Tory Boy without checking, I looked at the Official Report - nothing there. Still holding out the benefit of the doubt, I watched it again on Holyrood TV – you’ll find it beginning at 24 minutes and 55 seconds.

It just didn’t happen. I do hope that Scottish Tory Boy and those who commented on his post without bothering to check the facts will apologise. While George Foulkes is a political opponent, I don’t think he should be accused of oafish behaviour when he is innocent.

While I’m picking a fight, though, on Friday of last week the matinee idle of Toryism in Scotland alleged that John Wilson MSP had referred to grey squirrels as 'English squirrels'.

On a whim (and a computer), I checked this as well. It is, I am most troubled to report, another fabrication. Are things not bad enough with Labour's leaders lying to us all the time? Do we need a Tory Boy to do it too?

Let's take another lovely wander through the Official Report for the debate.

John Wilson's comment wasn't that greys are English, he said:

The red squirrel is under serious attack, especially as a result of the arrival
of pox-carrying grey squirrels from England.

Which was presumably why the sponsor of the debate, Deputy Leader of the Conservatives Murdo Fraser MSP wanted to establish border posts, patrols, tank traps, barbed wire, spotlights and immigration control between Scotland and England:

The plan is to create a border, as such, to stop the spread of squirrel pox into
Scotland, the idea being that anything north of that border will be free of
squirrel pox

So no-one said English squirrels then? Well, someone did:

the grey squirrel is the English squirrel

I have, of course, deliberately taken that quote out of context because I'm like that.

Who said it? You might well ask! It was that fine highland gentleman, doyen of the Conservatives, Jamie McGrigor.

I do hope, again, that an apology will be forthcoming from STB and from those who commented.


Meanwhile, news reaches me of alcohol-induced shenanigans in the Scottish Youth Parliament. There's a Conservative debate on alcohol tomorrow ...

Slipping a bit

I was intrigued to see the Conservatives launch a new website, and pleased that there's a Scotland section on it - even though it refers to Scotland as a region rather than as a nation.

Seems there's not much going on in the Scottish Conservatives, though, nothing since May 8th, in fact - which is the last time David Cameron spoke about Scotland. "Plan for Change" is the Conservative party legend ...

Screengrab below:

CARDAS

The Campaign Against Responsible Drinking And Sobriety is an organisation opposed to some of the Scottish Government's proposals on changing the alcohol culture in Scotland. Interestingly, one of CARDAS' alternatives to the SNP proposals to change the alcohol culture is "change the culture" - up you could not make it...

Anyway, I had heard that CARDAS is funded by supermarkets - the very organisations which profit from high through-put volume in alcohol (and which help to put students' unions out of business through cheap off-sales). Now it's been pointed out to me that there are other backers - these ones actually recognised as supporters by CARDAS.

Step forward the Responsible Drinkers Alliance. Sounds like a fine organisation, doesn't it? Fine, upstanding people who enjoy a small dry sherry of a Saturday evening. Just like the Tobacco Institute researched lung cancer ...

If you follow the link from CARDAS' site you won't get anywhere. Remember what it says about the Responsible Drinkers Alliance there, though:

The Responsible Drinkers' Alliance was founded with assistance from the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) who felt that for too long the voice of the responsible consumer has been left out of the debate over the future role of alcohol in British society. The RDA aims to provide a forum for debate and a stronger voice for the responsible consumer on matters concerning alcohol.

You can find something very similar elsewhere on the web at the Drinkers Alliance.

There you have it - the drinks industry is funding opposition to any new restrictions on their industry - whodathunkit? CARDAS members are the patsies being duped, which is ironic, considering that CARDAS members include students' unions which would benefit from the more responsible attitude to drinking being promoted by the Scottish Government.

I'll come back at some point to go over the Drinkers Alliance facts, but here's a starter - why are some of them referenced and some not? I recommend everyone watches "Thank You For Smoking" - an excellent reference point.

Labour, oh Labour, how bad it is how bad

Having watched Labour's Glenrothes candidate Lindsay Roy on Politics Now, let me just say that I was right - Labour should have had Helen Eadie as a candidate. Not for Helen the tame shooting of Labour's wounded Prime Minister who Mr Roy said should have called the election a year ago, shouldn't have punished the poor with extra tax, and should get his finger out and get on the stump in Glenrothes.

Helen would have inspired us all - only Helen can save Labour now. There's still time to change your candidate you Labour types. Have courage, march on Kirkcaldy and demand a change!

Anyway, Gordon Brown and the reason I know he's playing the end-game - even when he's got through his conference fairly well and come out the other end still sailing, no-one is talking about what his policies are or where he's taking his party, the best anyone is saying about Broon is that he's survived for now. It's not if, just when.

One hears, so one does ...

A whisper, carried on the wind, tells me that CARDAS - the Campaign Against Responsible Drinking And Sobriety - is funded by the supermarkets.


"Eh what?" says I, "Surely not!"

Also, Glasgow Nautical College has been closed by flooding - oh the irony.

There's evidence that Gordon Brown lied during his speech to Labour conference yesterday. What is it with Labour leaders and lying these days? Iain Gray repeated his lie about his name being on the first piece of legislation passed during his speech as well.

He who has a Tait is lost - you heard it here first!

Worst of all, I agree with a Times columnist