Happy Christmas

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Scottish Labour's Local Government Concordat

Commenting on "Marqueegate", an East Lothian Council spokesman said:

"It appears this application was just put through every year by habit."

I suspect how Labour has largely run Scotland for the past 50 years.

PS And its all the SNP's fault for bringing this matter to public attention.....says a nulab spokeperson. Honest, that is what they said!

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Salmond on Cybernats

Alex Salmond, to delegates, SNP National Council in Perth, Saturday, 5th December, 2009:

"The Internet Is a wonderful tool. It gives us a means to engage with the public, to motivate activists and to affirm our positive case for Scottish independence.

We must use the Internet for positive campaigns, to build our case and not get engaged in the negative agenda.

The SNP can only win and will only win on a positive agenda"

"Cybernats"- do you get the message?

Pious unionists - is that clear enough for you?

Sunday Update: By popular request, a link to Joan McAlpines excllent article on The "Cybernats" in today's Sunday Times, Scotland.

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News of Moridura - and now others!

Amid the controversy that has lead to the demise of the Wardog and Universality of Cheese blogs in recent days, many will have also noticed that the highly respected Ancient Order of Moridura blog has also disappeared - gone "invite only" if you go looking.

Understandably, there was some speculation that yet another nationalist minded blogger had been pressurised into a low profile/out of existence by our media friends. I can happily ( but also sadly) report that this is not the case. Rather Moridura ( Peter ) has just decided to stop and focus his energies into more conventional writing, and also - you will be pleased to learn - though concentrating on his video clips service, which is now best accessed through his continuing YouTube channel.

Nevertheless, the passing of the Moridura blog is to be regretted. It was, in my view, one of the very best. Indeed, at times "blog" did not do its posts justice - often we were treated to mini-essays, immaculately researched , cross-referenced and often illustrated by the aforementioned video clips. Peter's blog was the antithesis of the "cybernat" stereotype - always polite and ecumenical in its outlook. But nat and cyber for sure.

Hopefully, Moidura is just taking a break and will return in some form or another in due course. One disappointment is that the blog is now closed for viewing rather than left online and open to all with a "gone fishing" note. Because, even as an archive and source of info, many of the posts are still very useful. But more than this - if any new (or old!) bloggers want to see how it should be done - and done well - they could go look at it. Or for that matter any journos who want to see how "cybernats" can hold them to account through rigorous and well researched argument rather than self-defeating abuse.

Stop Press
You can now access the blog archive without invite online

Stop Stop Press
I the near immediate wake of this sad news, I also hear prominant "nat" bloggers Subrosa and Advanced Media Watch have also decided to call it a day: For their own and differing reasons, but I cant help think there is some sort of inter-relationship in all of this.

Needless to say these two blogs will also be badly missed, up their with Moridura in terms of the quality of their posts and overall eccumenical, non-abusive approach. Good luck to them all.

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Independence White Paper

I think I will read it before commenting

In the meantime, happy St Andrew's Day and a wee word from the doyen of Tory bloggers Iain Dale!

Scottish Parties Are Blind to the Obvious
Iain Dale, 30 Nov, 2009

Blinkered. That's the only way to describe the idiotic decision by the three main parties to oppose a referendum on Scottish independence, which the SNP promised in their manifesto and are delivering on today, when they issue a white paper. If there's one way to whip up separationist tendencies Tavish Scott, Iain Gray and Annabelle Goldie appear to have found it.

The SNP have a mandate for the referendum. Perhaps I am missing something, and no doubt you will tell me if I am, but the SNP would lose a referendum of it were taken within the next year, so what have the three main parties got to lose by allowing the SNP to press ahead? If the vote is lost it would kill the SNP's electoral fortunes for a decade or more.

The simplest path when it comes to a vote in the Scottish Parliament is for the other parties to abstain. But it looks as if they will continue to act like ostriches and use the referendum as a stick to beat the SNP with. Alex Salmond may have had a bad year, but he is not to be underestimated. As a political tactician he is in a different league to his opponents, and they would do well to remember that."

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Jim Murphy's Calman White Paper - how nationalists should respond

Simply - "put to to a referendum vote."

Because Calman is radical - in terms of tax powers, a big change from what Scots were made to vote for in a specific question on tax in the referendum of 1997. So if you want to change these powers, have a specific vote.

In this regard the SNP is in danger of clouding the issue over its demands that aspects of the Calman Report over which there is "consensus" - those that relate to firearms legislation and speed limits - be implemented now. I see where they are coming from, but it's a confusing message.

"Give us all a vote Jim" is what we should be demanding loud and clear. This is about the sovereignty of the Scottish people, not a cosy "consensus" cobbled together by a self appointed committee and a bunch of politicians.

And of course they fear a referendum - on near anything.

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Labour's Next PEB?

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