Bothering the Fourth Estate, again...

You all heard that Gordon Brown is apparently considering reinstating the post of Secretary of State for Scotland to full-time status right? Oh you didn't? Well, luckily for you I wrote a letter to The Herald talking about it. Just so you know...


Not since the times of Willie Ross and Jack MacLay has the Secretary of State for Scotland had arguably any real relevance to the political climate. Andrew Marr described Willie Ross as viewing Scotland as "his own fiefdom". Douglas Alexander, on the other hand, has managed to make the position more of an irrelevance than it was even under Margaret Thatcher.

Gordon Brown's consideration of the reintroduction of the position to full-time status is nothing more than a tokenistic gesture designed to pay lip-service to his numerous critics in the country of his birth, now that he's got the big job down south and is making a show of his "Britishness". Far better than restoring the Secretary of State to full-time status would be to recognise the politics of not just Scotland but the UK itself has changed. More co-operation between Whitehall and Holyrood would be a start.

And of course, the all important link for posterity: http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/letters/display.var.1470046.0.0.php

And before anyone starts moaning about my thesis and me not having time to write letters, the letter is of direct relevance to what I am writing! And funnily enough I just co-wrote a joint paper last week that discusses the role of the Secretary of State for Scotland in the post-war period at great length. It is apparently finding its way into a book about economic leadership in small countries in the twentieth century. Don't worry about finding it, I'll let you know ALL about it when given half the chance.

At the risk of talking too much about politics...

I was going to write about this myself, but it seems Neal Ascherson has beaten me to the punch, as well as probably putting it more eloquently than I would have here. Now who would honestly believe that Gordon Brown would meddle in political affairs outside his department? Oh.

New favourite quote #7.

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.

History Repeating?

"We meant to do better, but it came out as always."

Viktor Chernomyrdin, former Prime Minister of Russia, talking about an unsuccessful monetary exchange performed by the Russian Central Bank in July 1993.

Why can't I shake the feeling that the above quote will have some resonance after next week's election? Scotland has a real opportunity to stand up for itself and take responsibility by forcing the issue and voting SNP. More political accountability, more power to Holyrood and the chance to make the MSPs there start actually earning their not inconsiderable pay (including expenses obviously). Devolution is a step towards independence, it's just that political events have conspired to present Scotland and its people with a wonderful opportunity to effect real change in the country for the better sooner that anyone expected. If Labour retains its position it'll be the same old same old. Westminster is not accountable to Scotland and doesn't really care- that was proved in the Conservative administration and indeed the current incumbent's administration. Or perhaps maladministration would be more apt. Either way, I really hope that the voters take this chance to make a change for the future of Scotland. And that the quote above is rendered irrelevant to the conversation.

Londonium.

I've been told on several occasions recently that I've not posted enough pictures or said enough about London and how I am getting on down here, so consider this post as my way of making it up to you all. Mitch and I took a walk on Valentine's evening after a lovely wee meal in Strada by St Paul's (which will feature heavily in the following pictures since it is my favourite building in London). We walked round St Paul's,


across the millenium bridge,


on to the millenium walk along the South Bank,


where I tested the zoom function on my camera...


before we then kept on walking until we passed Blackfriars Bridge,


until we saw the Houses of Parliament!


with that lovely purple lighting at the bottom- where could that come from we wondered? Although not really, since it was patently obvious that it was related to this:


The London Eye! Aye, it's big right enough.


And allows for fancy looking pictures to be taken with the minimum of effort, or artistic talent,


before normal service is resumed.

Mitch and I then walked across the bridge leading up to Westminster, took a wander around Parliament Square, along St James' Park where we debated as to whether we were behind Downing St (we were, but it was awfy dark) and then walked along Wateloo Place to Picadilly Circus,


before we wandered along to a wee cafe called Stockpots West End where Mitch wasn't overly keen on getting her picture taken.


We then made out merry way to Charing Cross Station where Mitch got the Tube home and I settled for the train to Beckenham, but not before I took another wee picture of the wheel, this time in a different colour.




There we are, I do have a load more of other pictures (mostly St Paul's I admit) that I'll post in time, but for now that'll have to do. I have work to do!