Gordon Brown Speech - "Sit Down in Sympathy..."

Was it just me who heard a quick burst of "Sit Down" by James, right at the end of the standing ovation for Gordon Brown before the cut away with the rather apt line "Sit down, sit down sit down in sympathy"? Also, did the backing track to the standing ovation feature rhythmic clapping because they were scared the delegates wouldn't?

Labour Embrace the Saltire - Independence by Creep?

I note from the Labour Party Conference that efforts are belatedly being made by senior Scottish Labour figures to wrap themselves in the Saltire. Given that Lord George Foulkes thought the rebranding of Scotland's trains with stylised Saltires was part of "Independence by creep", will we now see him foaming at the mouth on TV and blaming the SNP for his Scottish Labour colleagues wrapping themselves in the Saltire as well?

The idea that this will somehow be their secret weapon to vanquish the SNP at the forthcoming Westminster election is frankly laughable. The talk is of "reclaiming the Saltire" from the SNP but in order to actually have any kind of positive effect this would have to be coupled with actually embracing a Scottish identity as a party and putting the wishes of the Scottish people first. As long as they are controlled politically and funded by London, there is zero chance of this happening.

It seems that they are actually being pulled onto the SNP's ground. Who do you really think will benefit if the focal point of the Scottish election campaign is the Saltire? The SNP have traditionally done well when feelings of Scottish identity have been on the increase and there is little doubt that an intensive election campaign with multiple parties embracing the Saltire and emblazoning it on all their literature will play into the SNP's hands and leave Labour in Scotland nursing their wounds for years or even generations to come.

The truth is that the attempts to indoctrinate with Britishness have failed, despite the best attempts of Gordon Brown and there is more than a hint of desperation creeping into Labour's tactics now. I have never been surer that Independence is within touching distance. Everything suggests that Alex Salmond and the SNP are playing a blinder tactically against some woefully inept opponents.

Gordon Brown in Cuts U-Turn

Gordon Brown has finally been forced to change his tune on the cuts agenda. This was going to be his dividing line with the Conservatives in the General Election but he has been forced to admit that Labour would make cuts. The video below sums it up nicely.

Contrasting Religious Reaction to Al-Megrahi Release

I note from The Herald today that the Church of Scotland have backed the decision to release Al-Megrahi and have said the decision sent a message to the world about what it meant to be Scottish, echoing the sentiments of Kenny MacAskill during his announcement.

The Reverend Ian Galloway, Convenor of the Church and Society Council of the Church of Scotland, said: "It is not about whether he deserves compassion, it is about whether we have the capacity to give it and it is really important for the fullness of our humanity that we remain capable of showing mercy."This decision has sent a message to the world about what it is to be Scottish. I understand the deep anger and grief that still grips the souls of the victims' families and I respect their views."In a remarkable move, the Scottish Catholic Church has declined so far to comment on the matter. In the absence of Cardinal O'Brien who is believed to be on holiday, a spokesman for Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, said he was not taking a particular stance on the subject.

Yes, you read that correctly, the Catholic Church in Scotland is not taking a view on a matter of compassion and mercy. That is like the Leader of the SNP not taking a view on Scottish Independence and it sounds like a total cop out on an area that the Catholic Church should be providing some leadership and guidance. Interestingly, the same Most Rev Mario Conti, Archbishop of Glasgow had plenty to say in defence of Michael Martin who recently stood down as Speaker of the House of Commons.

Edit: The Catholic Church comes off the fence at last.

The Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, said the decision was a sign of strength and would be supported by many Scots. Archbishop Conti said: “I personally, and many others in the Catholic community admired the decision to release Abdelbaset al Megrahi on grounds of compassion which is, after all, one of the principles inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament by which Scotland’s Government should operate.

“The showing of mercy in any situation is not a sign of weakness. Indeed in this situation, with the pressures and circumstances of the case, it seemed to me a sign of manifest strength.
“Despite contrary voices I believe it is a decision which will be a source of satisfaction for many Scots and one which will be respected in the international community.”

Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi Decision

Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister should rest well in his bed tonight for he sleeps the sleep of the just and the merciful. Much has been said in the media about the decision to send the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing back to Libya to see out his few remaining days with his family and much of it has focussed on the intervention of senior US politicians who have urged against his release on compassionate grounds.

What has Scotland to learn from the USA of either Justice or Mercy? Is it just to detain suspects without trial, fly them to other countries and have them tortured? Is it merciful to maintain the death penalty, as is the case in many US States?

Mercy and Justice go hand in hand and the decision to allow a seriously ill man to see his family before he dies is an act of compassion which brings definition to both of these concepts, the twin pillars which support any progressive society. To allow Mr al-Megrahi to die in a Scottish prison would be vengeance, not justice and it is important for the sake of our society that this distinction is always uppermost in our minds. Vengeance is rarely just and never merciful and breeds only resentment and hate.

Kenny MacAskill has shown that the Scottish Government can take the biggest decisions of the day, based firmly on the evidence in front of it without fear or favour and with no regard to the exhortations of the media or interference of foreign powers. The evidence is clearly that Mr al-Megrahi is critically ill with prostate cancer and in the interests of making this decision in an open, transparent and fair manner, Mr MacAskill has sought the views of all parties involved. Justice and Mercy have been served today and that is a reason for Scotland to be proud tonight.

Let the People Speak...

No man has a right to fix the boundary of the
march of a nation; no man has a right to say to his
country, “Thus far shalt thou go and no further”.
Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891)

So begins "Choosing Scotland's Future", the consultation document on further constitutional change which was launched in August 2007 by the Scottish Government and which provides the foundations of the National Conversation. In the post-Calman days of devolution, this quotation actually sums up the essence of the debate which is ahead of us. The Calman Commission, paid for by the Scottish Parliament and backed by the three parties which favour limited change to the constitutional settlement was expressly forbidden from considering the possibilities offered by Scotland becoming a normal, independent Nation.

A recent opinion poll by the British Broadcasting Corporation found that a clear majority wanted the opportunity to have a referendum on the issue of Scottish independence in 2010, as is currently proposed by the SNP Scottish Government. Tavish Scott, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was asked on television recently how he could oppose a referendum and call himself a Liberal Democrat. His supporters may say that the question was harsh but it is easily justified as it is surely neither Liberal or Democratic to deny the People a say on the biggest issues of the day. What could be more democratic than settling the issue at the ballot box?

At it's most fundamental, the question facing the political parties active in Scotland is this: If all the Parties who support the union are not prepared to trust the people of Scotland to make their own informed choices, why should the people of Scotland trust any of these political parties to represent their views in future? They may not want to publicly admit it but I would wager that this is causing some of the more astute strategists some sleepless nights. No political party worthy of the name would want to be seen to be denying the electorate a voice.

The second question for the unionist parties is also an interesting one: If you are so convinced that the Scottish people will vote against Independence, why are you so scared to put your case in a referendum? There are a number of factors at work there. There is no reliable model for working out which set of voters would be more likely to turn out in numbers come an independence referendum. Though the opinion polls currently give the status quo the nod, even when the SNP government's own choice of question is asked, there is the vexed issue of differential turnout. It is one thing to tell pollsters which position you would nominally support but it is quite another to go out and vote for it. The SNP clearly believe that the pro-independence voters would view it as a once in a generation chance and would grab it with both hands. I believe that this is the case and it seems that this is what the other parties believe too, despite their rhetoric to the contrary. Why else refuse to have it? No political party avoids a fight they think they will win, especially given the effect a defeat would have on the morale of the SNP.

The other reason, the elephant in the room, if you will, is that everyone expects there to be a Tory government in Westminster by the time an independence referendum comes around. We will be back to the democratic deficit which existed prior to devolution and which motivates so many people to seek constitutional change. The difference this time is that the SNP are in Government in Scotland and can show that they are standing up for Scotland against a Tory UK Government that was not voted for in any great numbers by the people of Scotland. By the time November 2010 comes, it is likely that the Tories will be making rather large cuts as their hand is forced by the biting recession, left to them like a poisoned chalice by the departing Gordon Brown. A vision of a prosperous, independent Scotland buoyed by oil revenues at that time may well chime with a Scottish population which is sick of unemployment and stagnation under the status quo.

Nuclear Weapons

I have been stirred from my semi-retirement from blogging by the news that David Cameron has apparently "warned" Alex Salmond about the possible use of Holyrood powers over planning to block the new generation of UK nuclear weapons being based in Scotland.

This is breathtaking arrogance from the man who would be Prime Minister. His comments were recorded for a BBC programme about ten years of Scottish devolution. In the same programme he also admits that his party got it wrong when they opposed devolution. These seem to be two contradictory positions: it seems that he doesn't like the fact his party went against the overwhelming views of the Scottish people in the devolution debate but at the same time he is perfectly happy to ride roughshod over their views when it comes to the imposition of a replacement for Trident. In every test of public opinion, the Scottish people have said they do not want Trident or nuclear weapons and the Scottish Parliament echoed this view, voting against them in June 2007.

Far from using this issue to "pick a fight" with Westminster, Alex Salmond is doing exactly what he was elected to do and that is standing up for the people of Scotland. Whether Cameron realises it or not, he is illustrating exactly why people vote SNP and is giving them ever more reason to. The images conjured by his comments take us back to the days of the poll tax when hugely unpopular policies were inflicted by a Conservative Government on Scotland. The frustration felt by ordinary people about their powerlessness and the obvious democratic deficit was one of the catalysts for the devolution campaign and could also form the basis of a major push towards Scottish Independence.

Is this the start of a Conservative push to alienate voters in Scotland and accelerate Independence? It would certainly be in the interests of their party in the longer term if Scotland, which has traditionally returned a majority of Labour MPs, was suddenly removed from the UK Parliamentary equation. The tories would have a much better chance of staying in govenment in perpetuity and that must be something being considered by the tory strategists. Of course, the tories traditionally do so badly in Scotland at Westminster elections that their campaign room shows a map which includes the rest of the UK but is missing Scotland. They say a picture tells a thousand words and it certainly says a lot about their attitude to the people of Scotland.

Breaking News: John MacDougall MP Dies

The BBC Are reporting the sad news that John MacDougall MP has died after a long illness.

Rest In Peace.