Work as if you lived in the early days of a better nation.
-Alasdair Gray.
I keep seeing this quote when catching up on the news about the upcoming Scottish election and it cheers me. Alasdair Gray is a well kent SNP supporter and this quote goes some way to summing up my feelings about Scottish independence. Blair and Brown leant heavily on the aspirations of millions of people in 1996-1997, fooling them into thinking that we were getting a real alternative to what had gone before. Instead we got the same, and in some cases worse. The major difference this time around is that the SNP are offering the opportunity for the people to take their destiny in their own hands- to change the system and bring political accountability back to Holyrood. Blair and Brown sold us a white elephant and have subsequently gorged on power to the extent that Blair is loathed around much of the world as well as on his own doorstep for his role in Iraq and Brown has been characterised as a control freak intent only on becoming the PM.
I want Scottish independence for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because I don't believe the problems in Scotland are given sufficient attention as part of the Union. Westminster and Whitehall have plenty of other things to do you see- foreign adventures, sorry I mean illegal wars of aggression, nice wee holidays at the expense of the tax payer or at the behest of American businessmen looking to locate in Britain (no strings attached, honest), the Olympics in London (how many billion at the last count?), fending off the pesky David Cameron and his laughably 'resurgent' Tories (capital punishment support and all), sleeping with various characters they perhaps shouldn't be (hello David Blunkett! hello Ron Davies!), finding a "good day to bury bad news"- the same day that thousands of innocent people perished in the appalling attack on the WTC, funding extravagant property purchases (hello Geoffrey Robinson and Mandelson!), taking gifts from pornographers (Richard Desmond) and speaking of gifts- the one thing that may yet topple this shower of crooks, liars and self-aggrandisers- selling peerages for the House of Lords, where laws are passed that govern every single one of us! I could go on, but I don't think I have to. New Labour sold us a big fat lie and it's time for change. If you vote Labour then you're voting for more of the above. Feel free, it is your choice. Lies, sleaze, fraud, it is all there for you to change.
EDIT: I've just read the Sunday Herald (06/05/07) and discovered that Alasdair Gray isn't the author of the above quote. Dennis Leigh wrote it and Gray put it in one of his books.
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25 comments:
In the words of Noel Gallagher: 'Would you stop supporting your' favourite football team because you didn't like a player?'
Let them sleep with who they like - you're a puritan. I can see why you and that well known bigot Brian the bus driver are on the same side these days.
Bus regulation, anyone?
heh heh.
I didn't say they couldn't, just that they probably shouldn't have. And please don't lump me in with that man. I have a bad enough time taking his buses in Perth as they are the only bus transport available there nowadays. Bring back Strathtay Buses!
I'm only pulling your leg.
Hey Niall,
If you care so much about Scotland why have you and many good others abandoned us and left us with the fecking junkies, Eh?
I'm only away for a wee while, and had there been a job in Scotland I would have stayed. There wasn't so didn't. And therein lies the crux of the problem. Not enough job creation!
it doesn`t matter who`s in power, they`re all gonna fuck up somehow. that`s why you should form a new party and run! do you think britain is in a better or worse state than it was in 1996? i don`t live there so i havn`t a clue. anyway, hope you`re making use of that millenium dome while you`re down there by the way, some of my money went into that didn`t it...?
Is salmond paying you or what? You seem to be forgetting the good things labour have achieved during their time in power (and there have been some) - like peace in N.I. (or closer then anyone else has got!) and oh, I don't know, devolution for Scotland!
http://www.richardneville.com.au/
Abandon Niall for some flower power!
What about the big issues Niall? Scotland is a pampered wee corner of the world - what about africa? What about global warming? Stop feeling so sorry for yourself and start worrying about the folk who need your help.
Navel gazer! Little Scotlander!
Labour have achieved some good things Lorraine- they've crystalised the need for more political accountability certainly. As for achieving peace in Northern Ireland? Or as near as? I don't think Labour can be credited entirely with that. I'd be more inclined to credit the Irish with that as well as the global circumstances that surrounded it- particularly the WTC attacks that I mentioned. As for devolution for Scotland- I don't recall saying it was a bad thing, just that it hasn't gone far enough.
If you are contented with the current government and all that it has done then feel free to vote for them. I'm not, nor are a great many people. I admit that a great portion of what I wrote was one-sided, but not one bit was untrue and I could have gone on and on. Labour rode to power on a a great deal of goodwill and have used it all up.
The opportunity to work as we live in the early days of a better nation is there for all of us to vote for. Life is probably quite good for a lot of people that read this blog, but it isn't for a large number that don't and unless the issue is forced and change for the better is made to happen then it will continue that way for them. The SNP is the only party offering that opportunity to us which is why I'll be voting for them. And no, Alex Salmond isn't paying me, believe it or not I'm paying for him, through my monthly contributions to the SNP. I feel that strongly about the issue.
Uncle Joe! How I look forward to your wind-ups my good fellow. Funnily enough I often think about the less fortunate, I believe it is those thoughts that have led you and I to put together a charity for such worthwhile endeavours no?
As for global warming? Agreed, which is why I believe an independent Scotland should pursue an aggressive policy of investment in renewable and clean power technologies, building on an existing platform to help us reduce our emissions and become a world leader in these areas. See that happening in the Union? I don't.
I think the majority of people wanting to be politicians should be questioned, it seems like some mad ego power trip to believe you can change things and want to control a country in such away. It's almost like celebrity status for the upper classes or so-called intelligent!
We mustn't forget labour had a lot of debt to clear from when the tories were in charge and that the SNP were once known as the Tartan Tories!
What happened to my other comment in response to yours about jobs in Scotland Niall?
Not sure what happened to your comment Lise- I deleted one of my own but nothing else. Post it again. As for forgetting that Labour had a lot to clear up after the Tories, 10 years is long enough to have done that. It doesn't make up for their continued inability to deal with Scottish problems. Labour has been taking the Scottish vote for granted for too long now. And the Tartan Tories jibe was a false accusation made up by Willie Ross to continue treating Scotland as his 'own personal fiefdom' in the words of Andrew Marr. It was nonsense then and it's nonsense now. Labour and as Tory as the Tories are nowadays. Ross would be turning in his grave.
Do you think a constant Tory Government in England (the result of independence) and a greener than thou Government in Scotland would do more for climate change than a Labour UK Government? The UK is one of the best performers in the world on reducing greenhouse gases and Miliband has made pledges which, for all their claims, the tories haven't met. You would rather live with clean hands in Scotland than get your hands dirty fighting the important battles!
I like your blog, so I do.
Ps Lisa - you'll have seen that I put your and Bob's names forward for Indian Summer today.
There is no reason that we can't have clean hands in Scotland and get them dirty fighting the important battles later on! Anyway, my concern isn't what the Tories do in England in the event of an independent Scotland and it is hardly fair to pick on me with that! And the UK is one of the best performers at reducing greenhouse gases in part because of the Scottish energy sector's hydro plants as well as the unbalanced amount of nuclear power stations we have in the country, built primarily to provide for English electricity needs. A country of 5m people, sparsely populated and with almost two thirds of the landmass unconnected to the National Grid doesn't need 7 nuclear power stations over a 50 year period does it?
The SNP! You snivelling little liberal/tartan tory dimwit.
I can't be bothered to tear apart all of your bullshit so just this will have to do.
"Blair and Brown leant heavily on the aspirations of millions of people in 1996-1997,[1] fooling them into thinking that we were getting a real alternative to what had gone before. [2]"
(1) Uh? That statement is meaningless waffle. That's what politics is you knacker. Does the SNP not 'lean heavily on the aspirations' of people? Jeezass man. Think before typing will you!
(2) Implying that the electorate are all (or those who voted labour at least) idiots easily led to vote for devious mind controllers. Your political savvy and your silly little idealist 'deep' and penetrating 'knowledge' is at a level of a six year old!
All the best Niall. Numpty and class traitor!
Ah Bill, so nice to hear from you as always. Glad to see your ability to put words into other people's mouths lays undiminished also. I don't imply that everyone who voted for Labour were idiots at all. And I don't accept that the statement you quote is meaningless waffle either- why is it? It's 100% true. As for the political savvy and little idealist 'deep' and penetrating 'knowledge'? I don't recall claiming to have either of them, still nice of you to judge me on criteria set by yourself. And the class traitor bit? I'm dead middle class me. Right down to the loans I took out to pay for my education that remain unpaid and the fact I still live in my overdraft and am renting a room. Still must be lonely being the only true working class hero like yourself eh? Good luck out there- there's middle class peole trying to keep you down at all opportunities! Watch out!
Drivel again.
get a job!
I have a job!
You're not working hard enough then!
More jobs in academia? Just what Scotland needs. Then in 50 years time more Economic Historians can huddle round the same small fire pontificating whether or not it was a sensible idea to base a country's future on a finite resource.
And what finite resource would that be? Banking? Renewable energy production? Whisky export? Tourism? Oh wait you mean oil! In the initial period, yes oil would be very important, but anyone with half a brain can see that it is not going to last forever and that the other areas of the economy would have to be strengthened to offset the declining stocks of it. It wouldn't be terribly difficult either what with the likelihood that oil is going to increase in price over the coming years as well. So in 50 years time Economic HIstorians may well look back at on whether or not it was a good idea to diversify and regenerate an economy that has stagnatated over the last 50 years as a result of continued ignorance of Scottish underperformance. I reckon they'll agree it was.
Banking maybe, but we'll see how that does when not plugged into London. Renewable Energy Production? Oh dear. The less said about that the better. Tourism? No chance, because the whole place will be covered in those little windmills in a vain attempt to complete the above.
Finally, as an economist I would expect you to understand simple laws of supply and demand! The reason oil prices will increase is because it will be in such short supply, i.e. you won't have a lot to sell. So it doesn't matter if it costs $500 a barrel if you have sweet fa of it.
Not plugged into London? Tell me how that will work? By virtue of London arguably being the financial centre of the world all banking is plugged into it. Independence will not make a jot of difference in that respect.
Renewable energy? What's the problem here? Windmills aren't the only kind of renewable enrgy production, there are offshore wind farms as well as wave farms. Don't be so naive as to think that there will be windmills everywhere, they are only being built at the moment because the Scottish Executive is being told to support them.
Tourism? Largest industry in Scotland, excluding oil. You honestly think the government would ruin its largest onshore industry? For what?
Oil? Don't patronise me with supply and demand lessons! At the moment Scotland doesn't control its oil use and as a result has no control over the where it goes. In an independent Scotland control would rest in Edinburgh meaning the government there would decide how much gets sold. By increasing our renewables sector and seeking to reduce oil dependency the output of oil could be slowly reduced so as to make best use of it with rising prices. At the moment it is being sent to the rest of the UK whose consumption is far far higher than it would be in Scotland. A population of 5m versus a population of 55m shows this.
So no, I don't accept your arguments!
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