It turns out, according to a Herald report, that Scotland isn't the 'subsidy junky' filled nation Red Ken and that clown Kelvin MacKenzie (how it pains me to share a surname with this moron) have been claiming it is. More details here. Hmm, I guess that means that the SNP's claims may have been a little more accurate than the London-loving Scottish Labour Party gave them credit for. Now why does that not surprise me? Oh wait, is it because the Scottish Labour Party has consistently sold out to the South? Aye, in one. Quelle surprise!
Dear Ken and Kelvin,
Please read the above link with care and apologise for your inaccurate pronouncements and general ignorance of anything North of Watford. Oh and GIRUY you pair of muppets.
Best,
Niall
Showing posts with label the union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the union. Show all posts
Friday, 2 November 2007
Thursday, 14 June 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, 10 May 2007
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.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
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.
-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.
Monday, 16 April 2007
Bothering The Fourth Estate.
The Herald decided to print my latest offering of one of my many potshots at the Union, details below:
Word power
Speaking of long words, I too await a day. The day when the antidisestablishmentarians of the Unionist parties in Scotland get their comeuppance. Not long now, I suppose.
I'm not in the habit of using ridiculous verbosity normally (honest), but it was a response to the following letter:
Count on it
Your previous correspondents (Letters, April 6 and 8) have come up with the usual suggestions for the longest word in English.
But anyone with a Chambers dictionary and too much time on their hands can find a word 16 letters longer, as I am afraid I did a long time ago.
Though I have never been able to slip it into conversation, I await the day with relish when I meet a person with a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silicate or quartz dust so that I can say: "Ah, you must have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."
And you thought my letter was tenous...
And for posterity, the link to the paper, http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1329112.mostviewed.points_of_view.php
Word power
Speaking of long words, I too await a day. The day when the antidisestablishmentarians of the Unionist parties in Scotland get their comeuppance. Not long now, I suppose.
I'm not in the habit of using ridiculous verbosity normally (honest), but it was a response to the following letter:
Count on it
Your previous correspondents (Letters, April 6 and 8) have come up with the usual suggestions for the longest word in English.
But anyone with a Chambers dictionary and too much time on their hands can find a word 16 letters longer, as I am afraid I did a long time ago.
Though I have never been able to slip it into conversation, I await the day with relish when I meet a person with a lung disease caused by inhaling fine silicate or quartz dust so that I can say: "Ah, you must have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."
And you thought my letter was tenous...
And for posterity, the link to the paper, http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1329112.mostviewed.points_of_view.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
