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.

Disenfranchisement.

Patty Windsor is on BBC tv just now telling the talking head how she was approached, unsolicited, by the information officer regarding her vote. She was told to put an X in the box of the candidate that she wanted in the STV ballot paper. In doing this, Patty and her husband's votes became invalidated and contributed to the estimated 100,000 spoiled ballots that have made these election results dubious to say the least. An independent investigation will apparently be held. If it is as effective as the various 'independent' investigations commissioned by this Labour government then I won't be holding my breath. What clown thought it was a good idea to hold the two elections simultaneously? As Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Republic says, not fit for purpose. (If my deduction skills are up to scratch that is.)

I propose that the spoiled ballots are separated into FPTP and STV and analysed. If it transpires that a significant majority, if as I suspect, are the STV ballots then the STV-based election should be re-held. Democracy and voting are too important to leave 100,000 rightful voters without a say in the political process, especially when there is all the bleating about how the election suffered from a low turnout. Congratulations Electoral Commission et al, you've just succeeded in making it lower. Well done.

Voting.

I've made my position quite clear over the last few days on here regarding who I'll be voting for today, but I would like to ask just one thing of the few people that read this blog. If you can vote today, please do. It's incredibly important and a lot of people have given a great deal so that you have the option. Please use the opportunity to make your views clear, even if it is a spoiled ballot. Or worse! Just kidding. It takes only a wee bit to make sure you at least have a say in the running of the country. Voting is a privilege.

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.