William Cowan Rennie – Liberal Democrat

William Cowan Rennie was born in Fife and grew up in Strathmiglo, where his family ran the village shop and still live today. His mother was secretary of the local community association and his grandfather was the local Minister. He lives in Kelty with his wife Janet and their two sons, Alexander and Stephen. He is a keen runner and is a member of Dunfermline’s Carnegie Harriers. He was also runner-up in the 2006 Scottish Coal-Carrying Championships held in Kelty. Rennie was one of the 50 MPs who ran a mile to raise money for Sport Relief finishing close behind the winner, David Davies.

He went to Bell Baxter High School in Cupar, Fife, before going to Paisley College of Technology, where he graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Biology. After that, he received a Diploma in Industrial Administration at Glasgow College. After college, Rennie spent most of his early career as a Liberal Democrat election campaigner and official before working as a public relations consultant in the private sector. He became the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline and West Fife after a by-election win in February 2006.

 

 

 

 

He lost this seat to Labour in the May 2010 UK general election but was subsequently appointed in the same month by the newly formed UK Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition as a Special Government Adviser (SPAD) working for the Liberal Democrat Scottish Secretaries of State Michael Moore then Danny Alexander at the Scotland Office. He later resigned from his special adviser role in June 2010 to stand for the Scottish Parliament in the May 2011 elections. Despite the overall collapse of the party in the election he was elected as a list member for the Mid Scotland and Fife region. He was soon after elected unopposed as leader of the decimated Scottish Liberal Democrat party, replacing Tavish Scott.

While a student at the Paisley College of Technology he was depute president of the student union. Rennie ran the Scottish Young Liberal Democrats (later reformed as Liberal Youth Scotland) and after graduation went on to work for the English Liberal Democrats in Cornwall. He then went on to work for the Liberal Democrats’ campaigns department, and was the successful agent in the 1993 Christchurch by-election in Dorset. After managing the party’s campaigns in the South West England region, securing the return of a sizeable number of new MPs in the 1997 General Election, he moved back to Scotland where he was Chief Executive of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 1999, and then the party’s Chief of Staff in the new Scottish Parliament from 1999-2001.

From 2001 to 2006 he worked for the small Scottish communications firm McEwan Purvis as an account director helping advise businesses and charities such as the Royal Society of Chemistry and Asthma UK. During his time at McEwan Purvis, Rennie was a press adviser to Fife Council’s Liberal Democrat Opposition Group and a member of the Dunfermline Focus editorial team, working with Dunfermline’s Lib Dem councillors on local issues.

 

 

 

 

Following the death of Rachel Squire MP, Rennie stood in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election on 9 February 2006 and overturned a huge Labour majority to win the seat. In the House of Commons, he was a member of the Liberal Democrat shadow defence team, chair of their parliamentary campaigns unit, and a member of the Commons Defence Select Committee. During his time as an MP, he campaigned on local constituency issues such as abolishing the bridge tolls, changing the law to protect female learner drivers from sex offenders, improvements to cancer services at Queen Margaret Hospital, and local jobs (including at Longannet Power Station and Rosyth Dockyard). In the General Election of 6 May 2010 Rennie lost his seat to the Labour candidate Thomas Docherty.

Rennie returned to front-line politics as an MSP when he won a regional list seat for the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament’s Mid-Scotland and Fife region at the Holyrood elections on 5 May 2011. He was the only new Lib Dem MSP to win a seat in this election. After the resignation of the Scottish Liberal Democrats’s leader, Willie Rennie was made their new leader. He vowed to stand up to the “SNP bulldozer” majority, and refused to distance his party from the UK Liberal Democrats.

 

 

February 2006: Willie Rennie elected in Dunfermline by-election surprise

The one obvious thing that should happen – but probably won’t – in the wake of the ground breaking result in Dunfermline is that the ludicrous Labour-LibDem coalition that purports to run devolved Scotland should come to an end. That way we might return, at last, to a bit of honest politics.

Able candidate that he is,  the truth is that Rennie and the Liberal Democrats fought an entirely fraudulent campaign based on a wholly bogus prospectus. The plain fact is that, while that perennial curse of governing parties – the fed-up factor – as well as general disillusionment over things like the Iraq war played a part in turning voters against Labour, the big issues were local issues.

And whereas in the past the Lib Dem “pavement politics” enabled them to cash in on these local gripes they were, in those cases, a party of opposition. In Dunfermline and West Fife they were in part responsible for the causes of these local gripes. They are a party of government in Scotland but they pretend, when it suits them, to be something else.

The deciding role on the Forth Road Bridge tolls and the downgrading of Queen Margaret Hospital is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive, yet the Lib Dems come over all hurt and innocent – who us? – when you remind them that their ministers play key roles in that administration.

The writing was on the wall for this disaster for Labour last May when the Lib Dems finished second in 15 Westminster constituencies. I wrote then that Alistair Darling, for one, was getting mightily fed up of Holyrood Labour’s accommodations with the greatest bunch of chancers Scottish politics has ever seen. With just over one year to go before the elections to the Scottish Parliament, is Labour to continue allowing the Lib Dems to claim all the credit for what little good has come out of devolution, yet blame them when things come unstuck? If they do, they might well find that this cuckoo in their nest will oust them completely.

They must tear up the partnership agreement as soon as possible, form a minority administration and bring back some plain dealing into our political life. That way might threaten Jack McConnell’s continued tenancy of Bute House, but it would also get the Lib Dems out of their limousines and back on the buses. I suspect the pressure for this sort of draconian action must be ferocious right now from the likes of Mr Darling and his boss, Gordon Brown. Devolution is killing off what we used to know as the Scottish Labour Party.

Westminster Labour and Holyrood Labour is the real coalition in Scottish politics now. It’s not a proper party any more, merely a loose grouping of disparate politicians all pulling in different directions and held together by an increasingly distant folk memory of how things used to be. Devolution did this to them. And don’t let them say they weren’t warned. Only scrapping their dirty deal with the Lib Dems can save them. http://www.scotsman.com/news/make-the-coalition-chancers-come-clean-1-1409170

 

 

Raytheon Cluster Bomb Launcher

 

 

November 2006: Ban the bombs I helped sell! says Willie Rennie

This weeks’s Westminster PMQ’s were full of Fibdem screamers! Rennie (Libdem defence spokesperson) did not want to be outdone by his leader,(Clegg) so he decided to get in on the fibbing. He asked the Prime Minister:

Rennie (Dunfermline and West Fife) (LD): “After the conflict ended, cluster bombs used in Lebanon by Israel had resulted in 159 casualties, including 23 deaths so far. In Geneva last week, why did the UK not support calls from the UN Secretary-General, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 27 nations for urgent action? In Oslo next year, will the Prime Minister push for a ban on those indiscriminate bombs, or does he agree with the Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, who has responsibility for the armed forces, who strongly advocates the use of such bombs?”

But he should have declared an interest. Faithful readers will be aware we flagged up Rennie’s past before and his association with Raytheon. He was a top PR man at McEwan Purvis who had the merchants of death as their client. Yes, it is the Raytheon – the weapons manufacturer. Looks like Oor’Willie is not only a political opportunist but the worst kind of hypocrite seeing as Raytheon is a proud manufacturer of, you guessed it, CLUSTER BOMBS.

You can see also see Willie meeting the Acting Director of Raytheon in a press release drafted by none other than McEwan Purvis! Of course he went to the factory in his capacity as a new MP. (Note the picture of the F-18 that carries the very same cluster bomb below. Also his ol’workmate’s email address at the top. Willie, Willie, Willie, we couldn’t even make this stuff up.) Is there no depth-charge to which two-faced fibbers will sink?

http://fibdems.blogspot.co.uk/2006/11/ban-bombs-i-helped-sell.html
http://www.fibdems.blogspot.co.uk/2006_11_01_archive.html
http://chrispaul-labouroflove.blogspot.co.uk/2007/01/lib-dem-willie-rennie-mp-happy-burns.html

 

 

 

 

 

December 2006: The Dundee Courier – Willie Rennie – for whom the bridge tolls

The Lib Dems pledged their support for The Courier’s “Scrap the Tolls” campaign yesterday when they launched a petition to abolish the “Toll Charge” to cross the Forth. Until yesterday, the party had been sitting on the fence in relation to the Forth Road Bridge toll. Lib Dems sitting on the fence?!? Surely not! But it gets better.

Dunfermline and West Fife MP Rennie said he had been reluctant to jump on the anti-tolls bandwagon because of concerns about congestion. Really?!? This wouldn’t be the same Rennie who centred his Dunfermline & West Fife by-election swindle victory on a petition against an increase in tolls, would it?!?! I mean, there cannot be any photographic evidence of Willie being against tolling on the Forth Road Bridge, can there?

The article then continues at pace to point out that the person in charge of tolling on the Forth, is none other than our favourite road safety campaigner and property market guru, Ravishing Tavish-ing Scott. So, Willie, when will you be lobbying your own party hierarchy on this one then? Rather than duping the electorate with a “petition” which always seems to rear its head at election time? http://fibdems.blogspot.co.uk/2006_12_01_archive.html

 

 

 

 

February 2007: Rennie just can’t help himself.

After the fraudulent and bogus circumstances of his election which saw him take a low profile and the blasting he got for his hypocrisy and lack of commitment on cluster bombs, we have his latest initiative to con the good people of Fife – abolishing tolls on the Forth Road Bridge.

Obviously Rennie is desperate to protect his ill gotten seat by getting a FibDem MSP elected in the area. However this little local plan has now gone a bit awry leaving Rennie’s future as an MP after the next election a little forlorn.

In true FibDem hypocrisy the party most to blame for the continuation of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge is, erm, the FibDems since the Scottish Transport Minister is, aherm, a FibDem – aka the hapless Tavish Scott. It all came to head this week when a vote on abolishing tolls on the Forth Road Bridge saw Mr Scott lead the opposition and say it would be bad for the environment if they were scrapped. However Tavish seems to have missed how this statement has screwed up not only his party’s chances of taking Dunfermline West from Labour but effectively ended Rennie’s future as an MP.

No wonder Rennie was squirming on Politics Scotland as Isobel Fraser skewered him into saying he had “faith” in Tavish after exposing the lack of “credibility” he now has on the issue of tolls. Poetic justice indeed. Elected on the issue of tolls and exposed and rejected on the issue of tolls.

 

 

 

 

May 2008: Rennie enjoy’s a fully funded 5 day trip to Israel

Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI). Air travel, transport within Israel and West Bank and some hospitality paid for by LDFI. Accommodation paid for by our hosts the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

 

 

 

July 2009: Willie Rennie in sleaze probe

A Parliamentary sleaze probe is to be held into expense claims made by Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie MP who paid his local party £14,000 for an office which cost them half that to lease. John Lyon, the parliamentary standards commissioner, has agreed to Labour Party calls for an investigation into the rental arrangements of Rennie, Lib Dem MP for Dunfermline.

Last month, it emerged that Rennie and fellow Lib Dem MSP Jim Tolson had paid a total of £21,000 in rent to the local Lib Dems who paid just £7,050 to lease the property in the Fife town. Rennie denies channelling funds to his local party and insists that the sums he and Tolson pay are justified as they include bills for telephone and electricity costs which, he says, make up the difference between the two amounts. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-20528679.html

 

 

 

 

May 2010: Former MP Willie Rennie to repay £2,000 in office costs

Rennie, the former Liberal Democrat MP, who lost his Dunfermline and West Fife seat at the general election and now working as a SPAD for the Scotland Office has apologised after he wrongly claimed for office costs on his local office, premises shared with his local party. He has accepted he will be required to pay back more than £2,000.

House of Commons authorities found that Rennie, who now works as a special adviser to the Scottish Secretary, was paid £2,647 too much for the upkeep of the office and equipment since 2006. Political opponents said the findings were “deeply embarrassing” for the Lib Dems as they accused him of trying to divert funds to the party’s election campaign.

Thomas Docherty, the Labour MP who unseated Rennie at the general election, said: “(Rennie] has been ordered to repay thousands of pounds of money and has had to apologise for the misuse of his expenses. “He wrongly directed public funds towards the Lib Dem election drive.”.

Mr Docherty also questioned the decision to appoint Rennie to such a high civil service role, adding: “Now he has been rewarded with a job as a special adviser, a political appointee who has access to extensive government facilities, (the Scottish Secretary] must guarantee his new employee does not misuse public resources once again.”

Rennie defended his conduct, saying: “The matter, as far as the standards commissioner is concerned is now concluded. There were end-of-year adjustments and mistakes made in the paperwork, but I have agreed to settle all of those matters.” http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/former-mp-willie-rennie-to-repay-163-2-000-in-office-costs-1-806396

 

Comment: Despite the foregoing nonsense Danny “Beaker” Alexander the newly appointed Chief-Secretary to the Treasury, gave Rennie a job as his SpAd after he lost his seat to Labour in the general election.

Rennie was using a scam widespread amongst LibDem MPs, renting his constituency office off his local LibDem constituency party and shifting his campaign costs onto his parliamentary expenses. It is usually difficult to prove, Rennie was unlucky to get caught, it was only that his campaign team made canvassing telephone calls to Labour activists from a phone number paid for out of parliamentary funds that also appeared on his party letterhead that did for him.

Rennie was according to a report in the Scottish Sunday Post renting the office space off his party, which meant that Commons expenses cash was going directly into the local LibDem coffers. Effectively the local LibDem party was his landlord and taxpayers’ money was being used for LibDem campaigning. Not a frugal sign from the right-hand-man of a Chief Secretary charged with cutting public expenditure.

 

 

April 2011: The Scottish Parliamentary election – Why did the Sun back the SNP?

Just under three weeks before the election the Sun gave it’s backing to the SNP. Rennie was not happy and started to stir the ****, but without foundation his attempts at smearing Alex Salmond were doomed to fail.

It was the judgement of the public that the decision to support the SNP had been based on blatantly obvious commercial logic. The Sun’s main competitor, the Record, being unshakably Labour, a traditional position it has taken for decades.

Taking a contrary position to the Record made obvious sales sense, particularly outside the Record’s core area of Glasgow, but the Sun could equally be agnostic; after all, not all of its readers would vote SNP. Insiders say the paper likes winners, and since in the last election when it unfairly suggested Scotland might need to consider suicide if Salmond was elected, it evidently decided this time round that the SNP leader was indeed a winner.

They also argue the SNP’s aspirational tax-cutting, and upbeat electioneering is more in tune with their readers’ outlook than the Record’s more biased reporting. Sun readers are younger, more upwardly mobile, as are SNP voters. Salmond’s advisers deny that the first minister and Murdoch have recently met, but do not deny that conversations have taken place at a senior level between Salmond and senior News International (NI) officers.

Other political observers – including those with powerful Tory allegiances – took a more jaundiced view of NI’s motives. Preventing Labour from winning back power in Edinburgh suited the Tories in London very nicely indeed, cynics say.

So with Salmond happy to do business with the Tories at Holyrood and clearly unable to deliver independence in the near future, backing the SNP is a much more attractive short-term bet for Wapping. At least, that is the very strong suspicion, and in Tory quarters too.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2011/apr/18/why-is-the-sun-backing-alex-salmond?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss%20%28Media%29

 

 

July 2011: Willie Rennie tries to pin Alex Salmond down on News International dealings

“Dear First Minister, In light of the deeply shocking events, (phone hacking) that have unfolded over the last week, I am writing to urge you to disclose the details of your dealings with News International while seeking their endorsement. Following the criticism that you levelled at the corporation this weekend, it is inconsistent for your party to continue to accept News International’s support.

The allegations that have surfaced over recent days are dreadful, yet these follow on from those that were made a number of years ago. People in Scotland want to know what questions you asked of News International before accepting their backing for the election in May. Did you raise any concerns about phone hacking during these discussions and, if so, what assurances did you seek about the previous allegations? This scandal has shocked people throughout the country and I believe that, as First Minister, you must now make your position clear. Will you now set out the details of all discussions and negotiations between your party and News International?

http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/willie-rennie-tries-to-pin-alex-salmond.html
http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/back-from-holiday-have-i-missed.html
comment: As the old saying goes “Empty vessels make the most sound” and Rennie is just confirming that. For a career politician I suppose that is all he has had any experience at just to please his boss Nick. The Sun endorsed the SNP on the 19th of April less than 3 weeks before the election because they saw that they were going to be the winners. See previous post

 

 

May 2011: Willie Rennie, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MSP, has become the party’s Scottish leader from a short list of one.

Rennie took over from Tavish Scott when the deadline for the contest passed at noon without any other candidates stepping forward. The Lib Dems were reduced from 16 to just five MSPs in a disastrous election result earlier this month. The other Lib Dems re-elected to Holyrood are Alison McInnes on the North East list, Jim Hume on the South of Scotland list and Liam McArthur, in the Orkney constituency. Two days after the election, Shetland MSP Mr Scott resigned as leader with immediate effect.

 

 

 

 

October 2011: Willie Rennie involved in a controversy over an unjustified attack on Alex Salmond

Rennie was at the centre of controversy after an offensive cartoon was published in his name depicting Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond MSP in Arab dress with his skin apparently artificially darkened. The cartoon, which was published on Rennie’s Facebook page and through his Twitter feed, followed a comment in which Alex Salmond noted “remarkable similarities” between Scotland and Qatar.

The cartoon suggested an independent Scotland would share such attributes of Qatar as an absolute monarchy, the rejection of gay rights and the imposition of the death penalty. Rennie later publicly apologised for the cartoon.

http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/willie-rennie/

 

 

 
November 2011: Rennie highlights independence threat to Scottish research funding

He said: “Scotland is at the cutting edge of research and development work in the UK. Our universities are doing work which is producing technologies which the applications for could almost be limitless. The expertise exists in Scotland, but we could not do all of this exciting new research without the extra bonus funding that we receive from across the border.

The real danger of splitting Scotland from the UK is that you also split our universities from this vital source of funding which helps to fuel the innovation. We do not want to see a repeat of ‘Silicon Glen’ or cause a brain-drain to better funded projects south of the border.

Scotland is punching well above our weight in terms of funding. I am puzzled why the SNP would want to jeopardise this. Mr Salmond cannot guarantee that there would be alternative funding sources to fill the funding gap of £210 million every year.

It is clear that remaining a strong and prosperous part of the UK is best for Scotland’s bright future in research and development.” http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/rennie-highlights-independence-threat.html

 

Comment: Usual Rennie twaddle. Read these: https://caltonjock.com/2014/08/30/research-funding-scares/ https://caltonjock.com/2014/08/28/major-indian-medical-and-biological-research-institutions-with-scottish-universities/

 

 

 

 

December 2011: Wise words from Willie Rennie at Christmas

This is a brief extract from Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Rennie’s 2012 Christmas message: “While the Nationalists play a game of political poker, bluffing their way from one missed opportunity to the next”

Full text: http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/wise-words-from-willie-rennie-at.html

 

Comments:

“A sad and inaccurate statement. But just what we’ve come to expect from Rennie. Sold out in England and nasty in Scotland with no Christmas spirit of goodwill. Oh and remember that the cuts in Scotland are due to the imposition of much reduced financial allocations from Westminster don’t you ? From Danny and his team ? You know Danny from up in Moray who closed Leuchars and kept Lossie open ? And that the Lib Dems reneged on their pledge to scrap tuition fees in England ? Just checking.”

 

 

 

 
January 2012: Rennie Raises Salmond’s disrespect in Parliament

Ever the opportunist, Rennie complained that Alex Salmond arranged news interviews, where, appearing in front of a cosy fire and saltires at Bute House, he made his announcement of the referendum date before briefing his MPs who were in the Commons listening to Moore. It had all the impression of being done completely on the spur of the moment. But, why the need for the high drama? Why not just make a statement to Parliament on Wednesday lunchtime? and it was disrespectful to the Holyrood Parliament. He said:

“On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Yesterday, Scotland’s ministers at Westminster set out the United Kingdom Government’s proposals for a fair, legal and decisive referendum in two statements: one to the House of Commons and one to the House of Lords. They took 47 questions from members of Parliament.

In Scotland, the First Minister announced his date for the referendum, not to the Scottish Parliament but to Sky News. Given that the decision relates to what the First Minister called the biggest question for Scots in 300 years, and given that the Scottish Government is always concerned about the respect agenda, has the Scottish Government made a request to make a statement to this Parliament today?

Is there any reason why you, Presiding Officer, would not be able to respond positively to such a request if it were made by the Scottish ministers?” Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick said she’d not had any request for a statement.

Rennie followed up outside parliament “This shows the SNP’s disrespect for the Scottish Parliament. Instead of choosing to make a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Scotland’s biggest question for 300 years, Mr Salmond instead chose to make his statement to the media. With the SNP’s majority in Parliament, it is obvious that they feel they can do anything. The bulldozer is out of the garage.” http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/rennie-highlights-salmonds-disrespect.html

 

Comment: I think the headline should read “Rennie highlights his total lack of judgement yet again”.

It is public knowledge that Salmond expressed only his PREFERRED TIMELINE for a Referendum in advance of publishing a CONSULTATION document. Therefore, whatever the language used, there is no question that ‘the date of the Referendum was announced’ anywhere other than in Rennie’s head. All that has been done is an expectation set. And by the way, why should Salmond announce anything to the Scottish Parliament when, in Rennie’s view, the Scottish Parliament doesn’t have the competence to legislate for the Referendum? Rennie’s intevention yesterday was sheer petulance probably borne out of frustration that Michael Moore was getting all the attention after he had been chosen by his Tory bosses to make a clown of himself on Tuesday. I don’t think Cameron could believe his luck that he found such a willing and able stooge.

 

 

 

 

March 2012: Rennie attacks Alex Salmond stating he would dine out with Devil to further independence cause

Rennie alleged “By seeking to exploit Rupert Murdoch’s spiteful revenge for phone hacking the First Minister has confirmed that he will dine out with the devil to get his way on independence. The First Minister has already defended News International in his recent Sun on Sunday column and now he’s seeking a grubby deal with the media tycoon to support splitting Scotland from the rest of the UK.

This is a cynical attempt to exploit Rupert Murdoch’s personal grudge and grievance against UK politicians who rightly criticised the News of the World and the Sun over phone hacking. The real substance of last week’s cosy fire-side chat with Rupert wasn’t jobs but his revenge over Leveson. Has the First Minister no shame?”  http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/rennie-salmond-would-dine-out-with.html

 

Comment: Alex Salmond is well aware he is taking a risk being seen with Murdoch but until it is proven that he was doing anything other than his job as Wee Rennie’s comments are, as usual, an attempt to smear his and the SNP’s name!!

Speeches by libDem leaders at their conference showed an incredible level of duplicity on Home Rule and disgusting slurs on the party you hate show much..I hope there is somewhere for the membership to go when the LibDem party is cast into the wilderness for a generation.

In fact their only hope for the future is Independence when honest Scottish Liberals may be able to regroup – having fired their previous leaders!

Lets just look at how the two partys compare. Alex Salmond meets Rupert Murdoch who through his large shareholding in Sky TV has 6000 employees in Scotland.

The Lib Dems take £2.5 million of what turns out to be stolen money from a donor. Now any party that is happy to criticise another party over just about anything, and had any scruples themselves, would return that money, but it appears the Lib Dems have no such scruples.

Keep up the moral indignation all you Lib Dems, you will find out in May just what the Scottish electorate think of you.

 

 

April 2012: Willie Rennie: Murdoch says “Jump”, Alex Salmond says “How high?

Rennie, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said that First Minister Alex Salmond had been sullied by James Murdoch’s revelations at the Leveson Enquiry. Amongst e-mails filed for the Enquiry to consider, was one from Frederic Michel, News International’s Director of Public Affairs, about a meeting with Alex Salmond’s advisers on 15 June 2010: Rennie called for an urgent investigation into the circumstances behind this exchange. He said:

“It is difficult to understand why the First Minister has allowed himself to be sullied to such an extent. When the troubled media mogul said jump, it is clear that Alex Salmond was quick to say ‘how high?

We need an immediate investigation into the circumstances which led to such an outrageous exchange taking place. Alex Salmond will do anything to split Scotland from rest of UK, even cosy up to a disgraced media tycoon. http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/willie-rennie-murdoch-says-jump-alex.html

Comments:

I agree that there should be an inquiry into the alleged suggestion that a News International (NI) employee emailed advice that Mr Salmond could seek to influence “Hunt” if he was asked to. (Rennie seems to be keen to accept without question what an NI employee had written about what spokesmen for the First Minister might have have said. I’m sure there must be some doubt about the credibility of NI staff…?)

Mind also that Hunt was always 100% for Murdoch in the first place, so any need for a functionary of the FM to contact Hunt would be in doubt. A note to Cable, who had declared war on Murdoch would have been a different story.

But yes. Absolutely 100% let’s have an inquiry into Salmonds relationship with Murdoch, Hunt, Cable and anyone else. We absolutely need to know that despite the LibDem Westminster government being corrupt beyond belief and having no regard whatsoever for the law, the Scottish government and its first minister MUST be above that.

Incidentally the gripe about only the two possible first ministers debating in Scotland: The LibDem’s were happy to take part in a debate that ignored anyone but the three party leaders from England. No UKIP, BNP, or Celtic country parties involved.

The LibDem’s are given mention twice in the “extracts” supporting Murdoch’s bid? Very strange. They further quote the support of the Scottish LibDems.

Tavish Scott has already denied this. But, is Tavish to be believed yet Salmond must be a liar? Seems to me Willie Rennie is making an excellent attempt to steal Labour’s mantle for hypocrisy. http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Exhibit-KRM-18.pdf

 

 

 
August 2012: The Herald and Willie Rennie accuse the SNP of secret push to obtain a devo max option

Private correspondence obtained by The Herald shows Mr Salmond’s office had been helping campaigners wanting to widen the referendum to build the case for putting “devo max” to voters in the poll. Publicly Mr Salmond has maintained his preference is for a single question on independence, while leaving the door open in case other options emerge.

He has argued it would be his duty to include a second question if there is a groundswell of support. However, an email obtained by The Herald shows the First Minister has been working behind the scenes to generate such support.

The message was sent from Mr Salmond’s special adviser Alex Bell to Martin Sime, chief executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Services (SCVO) and a leading proponent of a two-question poll.

The SCVO is the driving force behind the Future of Scotland group, a loose coalition of charities, churches, student organisations and trade unions which, since launching earlier this year, has been developing a possible second question on greater devolution.

Mr Bell’s email, on June 14, provides a link to an internal report by the Unite trade union showing 62% of their members favoured a second question on devo max, according to a poll. A message attached said simply: “Read this.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Rennie said: “Despite his public protestations, Alex Salmond is increasingly desperate to get a second question on the ballot paper. The fact his henchmen are manipulating independent organisations behind the scenes to achieve that second question shows just how desperate he is.”

Yesterday, an SNP representative said “Unlike the anti-independence parties, we acknowledge the strong support within civic Scotland for a second question, as underlined by the poll of Unite members.” http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/salmond-in-secret-push-to-obtain-a-devo-max-option.18556202

But, determined to make mischief, as is his want Rennie put pen to paper and wrote to Alison Elliot, the Convener of SCVO, asking her to consider the position of Martin Sime. His letter said:

“I am sure your members will be dismayed to learn that Mr Sime is allowing the SNP to use the SCVO as a front organisation to make its case for a second question. As you are more than aware the SVCO exist to represent the views and interests of Scotland’s third sector.

Mr Sime has displayed poor judgement by involving himself in a highly polarised debate on matters of process regarding the constitutional referendum. SCVO provides expert opinion to decision makers on a range of subjects including health, education, justice and regeneration.

I value the critical role the organisation plays. However, Martin Sime is undermining the impartiality of that opinion by backing the SNP in a highly polarised debate on constitutional process matters on which he has neither locus nor expertise. I believe that Mr Sime should consider his position as Chief Executive of SCVO.”

Alison Elliot’s reply: “I consider your allegations preposterous, your interpretation of the incidents fanciful and your attempt to interfere in the business of an independent organisation unworthy of a public leader. I have no intention of asking Martin to resign.” http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/scvos-alison-elliot-proves-willie.html

Rennie’s further comment: “I’ve clearly touched a raw nerve. These are serious concerns about the impartiality of the Chief Executive of SCVO and clearly deserve a better response. I think people will be concerned that SCVO has taken one side of a highly polarised, political debate.

First we had the attempt to undermine the launch of Better Together and now hard evidence of collusion with one of Alex Salmond’s close advisers. SCVO are in serious danger of undermining their reputation.”

Final comment from Rev Stu: I’m still keen to hear what Mr Sime actually did to merit Willie Rennie’s ire other than RECEIVE an UNSOLICITED email. Perhaps there’s a vital aspect of the story I’ve missed, because it’s staggeringly, blindingly obvious even to a total idiot that calling for someone to lose their job because SOMEONE ELSE sent them an email is a twisted, moronic absurdity.

 

 

 

 

August 2012:  Willie Rennie attacks Alex Salmond for “pandaing” to China over Dalai Lama

So, now we know. Rennie was right all along. Scotland’s First Minister didn’t put up any sort of a fight when China sent the boys round to talk about the Dalai Lama. Today’s Scotsman has the details.

The Scottish Government didn’t get involved in meeting the Dalai Lama when he visited Scotland between 21 and 24 June. Alex Salmond refused point blank to meet him, and nor did any other member of his Government. He had no problem giving time to the Chinese Consul General two weeks before, though. The Scotsman have obtained a record of that meeting and it makes no mention of any discussion taking place on human rights.

This is what the note says about the Dalai Lama’s visit:

“The Ambassador asked the First Minister about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Scotland in June. The First Minister clarified that is a private visit at the invitation of the Conference of Edinburgh’s Religious Leaders and the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, amongst others. The Scottish Government is not involved in the visit.”

It almost sounds apologetic. A “Yes, he’s here, but it’s now’t to do with us.” Not “We welcome the fact that he’s coming. He’s an important figure in the world who stands for peaceful protest and human rights. I’m going to meet him. I know you don’t like it, but that’s the way it is. I hope that you’ll reflect on the way your Government treats your citizens.” http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/willie-rennie-was-right-alex-salmond.html
Comment: Rennie Quote – “This is what the note says about the Dalai Lama’s visit:

“The Ambassador asked the First Minister about the Dalai Lama’s visit to Scotland in June. The First Minister clarified that is a private visit at the invitation of the Conference of Edinburgh’s Religious Leaders and the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, amongst others. The Scottish Government is not involved in the visit.”

So – it was a pastoral visit, not a political one, as I believe the Dalai Lama himself confirmed. No Government ministers anywhere in the UK met with Tenzin Gyatso during his recent visit. When he visited the religious communities, the Dalai Lama did not request a meeting with any political figures in the UK. Why should Scotland’s First Minister be the only one in the UK to be criticised for not forcing his presence on this homophobic, pro-life, CIA-backed religious leader? If Rennie care’s so much about Human Rights, then why didn’t he take up the issue of the Dalai Lama’s persecution, discrimination and repression of the Dorje Shugden sect?

 

 

 
August 2012: Rennie questions Alex Salmond’s £400k spend on “London embassy” for the Olympics

The Scottish Government, understandably enough, had decided to showcase Scotland to the representatives of business and government from all over the world who are currently visiting London for the Olympics. Showing Scotland off is never a bad thing, especially when we are hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2 years’ time. http://wayback.archive-it.org/3011/20130201200407/http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/07/FM-Scotland-House27072012#

“They have, bizarrely, blown £400,000 on hiring the Army and Navy Club in Pall Mall and renaming it Scotland House. There, according to First Minister Alex Salmond, visitors can see what a great place Scotland is to have a holiday or do business in, and what wonderful food and drink and culture we export all across the globe – not to mention our pride in our sporting history, personified by heroes like Eric Liddell.

That’s all very well, but it turns out that they were offered the use of rooms in Dover House, where the Scotland Office is based not just at cheaper cost, but at no cost whatsoever. Not only that, but that building overlooks Horse Guards Parade, so they would have been able to take in the Beach Volleyball at the same time. What possible reason could they have had for refusing that offer?”

It’s a bit rich for Mr Salmond to complain about a lack of funds for schools and hospitals while spending almost half a million pounds on a plush London address during the Olympics. Spending the equivalent of a nurses’ annual salary every day on the exclusive Pall Mall address when Dover House was available free of charge is a colossal waste of money.

An invitation was made to the Scottish Government to use Dover House to promote Scotland, something that both the UK and Scottish Government are keen to do during the Olympics. It is one of the government’s finest buildings and Michael Moore has already hosted receptions there this week to take advantage of its prime location to promote Scotland on the world stage.” http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/rennie-questions-salmonds-400k-on.html

 

Comment: Widely distributed, Westminster Council Public Notice: “The area where Dover House is located will be extremely busy throughout the entire Olympic Games as Beach Volleyball is also taking place at Horse Guards Parade. Whitehall and Parliament Street will be access only 6am – midnight between 25 July – 14 August as the road will be used for athlete and other Olympic Family members to access the Horse Guards venue. Roads in the area (particularly Trafalgar square, Parliament square and Victoria Embankment) will be busiest when spectators, workforce and members of the Games Family are travelling to and from venues before the start and after the end of sessions. There we have it. An underhand offer from the Lib/Dem Scottish Minister of State. Use of Dover House would have been a disaster.

But surely this can’t be right, cynical, or at the very least, Wee Rennie (the man who can do no wrong) must not have been aware of that fact. After all, Wee Rennie is a man of integrity.

Recently, after writing to the head of Scotland’s civil service to complain about their politicisation, he was straight on the blower to Whitehall, complaining about the UK government using departments such as DWP and HMRC to come up with positive arguments for the Union. Oh, wait, I remember now, “No” he didn’t because he has no integrity, no principles and absolutely zero credibility. To say Dover House would not have been suitable simply makes no sense. It smacks of putting party politics ahead of taking advantage of the Olympics to benefit Scotland.

 

 

 

 

October 2012: Willie Rennie’s leader’s speech to Scottish Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Dunfermline.

I am not printing it but you can read the entire long winded diatribe here: http://carons-musings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/willie-rennies-speech-in-full-to-lib.html
Comments:

“I.AM. Jolly is funny. Wee Rennie is just pathetic. Congratulating a council candidate who came third in a three horse race! How high the fortunes of the Lib Dems are at present. If you ever come second any place will you have aparty?

“I was going to read Rennie’s speech but I see that its only slightly longer than the Gettysburg Address so I can’t be bothered. The first few gripey lines are enough to more than set the tone and calibre of all the rest.

“Rennie and his erherm….”parliamentary party” turned up in a Mini. And instead of an inspiring eulogy he delivered a 3,000 word address that was an inspiration to nobody at all. Full of catty remarks, trite rather than pithy and much much too long. Clearly he has not heard that brevity is the sole of wit!

 

 

 
March 2014: Willie Rennie unhappy with his own party’s bedroom tax said in a BBC webcast that the bedroom tax ‘should just go’.

Lib/Dem leader Rennie has called for the bedroom tax to be axed because the controversial welfare reform isn’t “working as intended.”

The measure has been at the heart of the welfare reforms being imposed by the Coalition Government and Rennie has steadfastly defended it. But, in a shock climbdown today and contrary to his own party policy, he said it should be scrapped. Asked if the “tax” should go, he told the BBC: “I don’t think it should stay.”

Rennie had always described the changes to housing benefits as “tough”, but had never signalled that he may be in favour of scrapping the policy altogether. But he said in a BBC webcast today: “The principle behind [the spare room subsidy] I can understand, but to be honest I don’t think it is working as it was intended and I think it should just go, and it should go quickly.”

Meanwhile, his Westminster colleagues continue to support the tax on the poor. Here are the names of 7 Scottish LibDem MPs who voted against scrapping the bedroom tax:

Sir Alan Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed), Sir Menzies Campbell (Fife North East), Alistair Carmichael (Orkney & Shetland), Michael Moore (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk), Sir Robert Smith (Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine), Jo Swinson (Dunbartonshire East), John Thurso (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross.)

And the names of 3 Scottish LibDem MPs who abstained from voting against the bill:

Danny Alexander (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey), Charles Kennedy (Ross, Skye & Lochaber), Alan Reid (Argyll & Bute.)

http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/willie-rennie-calls-for-bedroom-tax-to-be-axed-1-3356980

 

 

 

 

April 2015: GPS tracking system puts Willie Rennie in the spotlight after he leaves it on following a bike ride only for it to record his car breaking the speed limit.

Rennie had just led the Fife feeder ride to a “Pedal on Holyrood” event on Saturday using a state of the art tracking application called Strava to log his route and time. The application, popular with runners and cyclists, uses GPS sateliite technology in mobile devices to map a user’s position and speed. Users sign up to the service and can then share their journeys publicly. Throughout the event the 47-year-old was logged at an average of a leisurely 11mph.

But after returning to Inverkeithing it appears he got into his car to drive home and forgot to switch off his GPS. Strava then tracked the MSP’s journey back to his home near Kelty, Fife. At one point on the M90, near Hill of Beath, the tracker clocked him travelling at 81.2mph. A Scottish Liberal Democrat spokesman said: “This is an app for measuring running and cycling, not cars travelling on motorways. “Willie always tries to stick to the speed limit and does not believe he broke it on this drive, but it is always worth everyone remembering the importance of driving safely.”

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/cycling-app-shows-lib-dem-5596733

 

 

 
April 2015: Before the general election – For Willie Rennie, the Scots Lib Dem leader, it seems tactical voting has begun to haunt his dreams.

Here is his favourite story from the campaign trail so far. “I met a lady in Crammond,” he says. “She said to me, ‘I hate you. I hate your leader. I hate your party. You’ve done nothing in the coalition. I love Ruth Davidson. I love the Conservatives, I’ve always voted for them. But I’m going to have to vote for you to stop the SNP’. “If we can get people like that voting for us, anything is possible.”

Such unabashed talk of tactical voting is a sign of how the country has split down the middle since the referendum. It is also an unsubtle commentary on the Lib Dems’s whole campaign.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:387XjWsLadEJ:www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/willie-rennie-why-scots-should-vote-tactically.123924166+&cd=16&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

 

 

April 2015: Willie eyes a return to power

He laughs a lot, Rennie. It is a contagious chuckle, the kind blurted by a duvet-cloaked schoolboy tearing through a Beano annual by torchlight. Contrition, though, is his main thing. An outmoded virtue, perhaps, but the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats happily admits to some conservat… well, let’s say old-fashioned values.

This is a man worth the watching. Strives to present as affable yet underneath that is a chauvinistic nature. In debate with Nicola Sturgeon he repeatedly said ‘she’ and ‘her’ as if she didn’t warrant enough respect to be called by her name.
Comment: This is a joke right? Why is this clown being given media coverage, he is an embarrassment, his party is poison, Its Ex leaders Steel and Ashdown covered up and protected paedophile Cyril Smith, offered him up for a knighthood and refuse to discuss the child sex abuse scandals which their MP was involved in. and this paper gives them good press. What a joke.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/interview-willie-rennie-eyes-a-return-to-power-1-3746783

 

 

April 2015: Liberal Democrat Party and Willie Rennie hypocrisy continues

The Liberal Democrats are running their election campaign on double-standards, the Scottish Conservatives said, today. LibDem leader Rennie is quoted as openly criticising plans for English votes for English laws (EVEL) today. However, in the UK Government paper on the issue, the Liberal Democrats section reads:

“It cannot be right that a future government could pursue policies in England in areas devolved to the Scottish Parliament using the votes of Scottish MPs, even if this was not supported in England.

The so-called West Lothian question can no longer go unanswered. The Liberal Democrats believe that English MPs at Westminster should have a stronger voice and a stronger veto over purely English only issues.”

http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2015/04/liberal-democrat-hypocrisy-continues/

 

 

 

 

April 2015: Rennie appeals to public for tactical voters

Rennie has backed an anti-SNP tactical voting strategy in the hope that it will shore up his party’s dwindling support going into the general election.

The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats said that unionist Scots were already backing the party in some seats to stop the Nationalists. He made a direct plea to others who “might oppose a lot of what we say” to use “smart thinking” when they voted.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/scotland/article4403966.ece

 

 

 
May 2015: Before the general election – Vote intelligently says Willie Rennie

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader said the choice voters are facing in the general election is “quite straightforward”, adding: “No one party will have a majority, so therefore we have to decide who do we want to have the biggest influence in the next parliament?
Comment: The hatred of the SNP knows no bounds from these utter cartoon politicians. Willie Rennie is a complete balloon, whom, like his lapdog Unionist companions are saying absolutely anything to win votes, I heard him this morning literally trying to take credit for anything that was remotely positive.

He forgets that the facts are public knowledge and he and his party sold their political soul 5 years ago never to be forgiven. As soon as they are gone the better it will be for Scotland. We do not need two faced political parasites and that is what the Fiberals are.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/vote-lib-dem-to-stop-snp-says-willie-rennie-1-3750795

 

 

 
May 2015: Post election – Willie Rennie claims he is ‘hopeful for the future’ after SNP tsunami sweeps across Scotland.

The Liberal Democrats lost 10 of the 11 Scottish seats they had held at Westminster.

Nicola Sturgeon’s party now has 56 MPs, with only Alistair Carmichael, who had been the Scottish Secretary in the coalition government, managing to retain his Orkney and Shetland seat.

Despite that Rennie said: “Our vision for Scotland is hopeful for the future, founded on opportunity and liberty for all.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/despite-losing-10-out-11-5668091

 

 

 

 
May 2015: Post election – Message to Liberals from Willie Rennie

“We have an ongoing duty to the people who voted for us to promote liberal values.”
Comment: I’m sorry but Rennie has his head in the sand. I can’t understand why, as a failed leader, he hasn’t come under pressure to stand down in the same way that Murphy has. I think it is more to do with the fact that he is not taken seriously really by anyone in politics.

http://www.libdemvoice.org/a-message-from-willie-rennie-45851.html

 

 

 

May 2015: Salmond given new foreign affairs role

Alex Salmond has been named SNP foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster.  Lib Dem Leader Willie Rennie said “Alex Salmond’s recent mantle of foreign affairs spokesperson for the SNP is the equivalent of putting Mr Bean in charge of the World Bank.”

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/salmond-given-new-foreign-affairs-role-206654n.126009784
Comment: The bile from Rennie knows no end. His blind hatred of Alex Salmond and the SNP is well documented and the Scottish public are fed up with the constant “SNP Bad, Bad, Bad,” utterings. Rennie should do the honourable thing and resign his position as have other political leaders tarnished with the mantel of failure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
1986: The British American Project – The USA Groomed Gordon Brown and the Labour Party for office in the 1980s

The US, International Visitor Program is a subtle exercise that trades heavily on America’s considerable cultural and social capital, in other words its soft power. But the altruistic aspect of providing the trip is always balanced with the intention of some kind of return. An invitation offered at the start of a young, obviously talented politician’s career can pay off later if, as expected, that politician rises through the ranks in the following years.

A US funded trip has the potential; thanks to the extra information sources or contacts it can provide, to be career enhancing, particularly for those in the media or academics but also for MPs. It is not a case of undue influence but of pragmatically attempting to establish favourable, constructive relations early on with someone expected to achieve greater influence in the future. The element of chance that it will succeed in the long term is of course large. In 1984 the International Visitor Program showed the first signs of this approach, with an invitation, (accepted)  to Gordon Brown.

 

 

 
1998: Ah !!! The Private Finance Initiative, (PFI).

Lest we forget. The PFI presented as one of the greatest financial cock-ups in modern times, recklessly committed to by the Labour government, smitten by the spell of Thatcher’s acolytes Blair & Brown.

The sell-off, of, in excess of 1000 UK taxpayer owned buildings to private enterprise was a disgrace then and is even more so now. The UK will effectively be handing over vast amounts of rent money, (leasing back, formally owned depreciating assets) from a foreign owned conglomerate, (Mapeley Steps) almost without limit of time. What a disaster.

Adding insult to injury the company, having bought the properties at a knock down price then immediately transferred ownership title and all other aspects of the contract to a Caribbean tax haven so that all revenue gathered from the UK government would be free of any form of UK tax liability.

Embarrassing indeed, but there’s more. The property sell off, included the entire HM Revenue and Tax Office estates UK wide, who, at the time of the sale were officially committed to the closure of tax haven loopholes. You couldn’t make it up.!!!!! Scotland needs to be rid of these extortionately financially draining PFI schemes.   http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmpubacc/553/553.pdf

 

 

 
THREE FULL YEARS BEFORE THE (TOTALLY UNEXPECTED) FINANCIAL DISASTER HIT THE UK

 

 

 

 

2004: Warnings Ignored – Warnings Ignored – Warnings Ignored – Warnings Ignored – Warnings Ignored

Lyndon H Larouche jr. ranks highly among the world’s most influential international political figures. His exceptional qualifications as a long-range economic forecaster, was confirmed when, in 2004 he forewarned in the “Executive Intelligence Review” of the erupting, global systemic crisis of the world’s economy.

 

 

 

 

2004: Warning of Unsustainable House Prices

House prices in Southern England were at the outrageous level of 7.5 times local earnings. Nationwide, the multiple was 5.6. Since 2001, house prices had risen by one-third in Greater London, but almost two-thirds in the rest of the UK. Halifax Bank, The UK’s biggest mortgage lender, reported that the average UK property now cost nearly £158,000.

UK householders were borrowing heavily on the bubble. In April, they took out a record £6.4 billion against the value of their houses, household debt was at a record 120% of disposal income, up from 100% during the pre-crash 1980s. as a direct result of ever increasing net mortgage borrowing which year on year was up:

* 27% over April 2003

* 60% over April 2002

* 131% over April 2001!

In France, by comparison, household debt was 58.7% of disposable income. Bets were being taken, which would burst first, the UK debt bubble, or Tony Blair’s political career.

 

 

 

 

2004: Economy Overheating – Brown Dithering

Then, there was the economy. The Bank of England chose 10 June 2004 to announce it was raising interest rates by a quarter-point for the second time in two months.

This was even a greater blow for Blair.  Bank Governor Mervyn King followed up, four days later, with a blunt speech warning price inflation was now over 20% a year in Britain.

With credit card and other debt added on to mortgage obligations, British households were £1 trillion ($1.835 trillion) in debt — a bubble just as bad, per capita, as that in America.

One trillion pounds debt equals Britain’s annual output, the Financial Times noted sourly on 2 June 2004.

 

 

 

 

2004: Britain’s Housing Bubble Surfaces.

Already, the Bank of England had carried out four 0.25% to bring its base rate up to 4.5%, and there was widespread discussion that the rate would need to be raised to 5% before the year end.

Bank Governor Mervyn King’s June 14 statement that British home prices were not sustainable shook up the financial markets, and in a limited way, acknowledged the problem.

But while King and Greenspan made different public statements, both they and their respective central banks indicated that they hoped for a miraculous soft landing for their twin housing bubbles.

That is a fantasy wish: such highly-leveraged, immense housing would suffer a hard landing.

Synarchists Cheney and Blair would need to be prudent and prepare to experience their very brief last days in office.

Click to access eirv31n25-20040625_068-election_fiasco_kicks_blair_new.pdf

 

 

 

 

2004: Local and European Election Fiasco – Blair Takes A Kicking

British Prime Minister Tony Blair suffered his worst humiliation, in the June 2004 local elections and European Parliament contests across England and Wales, since he was elected in May 1997.

The result of Blair’s Labour Party’s miserable showing in both, is that the Prime Minister is now, at best, a lame duck, In the local council elections, ripe to be removed from power at some early date in the coming months.

In London on June 15, Blair showed the strain in his monthly press conference; he was rambling, losing track of his thoughts in mid-sentence, and issuing contradictory political assertions.

British press the next day noted that the best indication that Blair was losing it, was that he broke down amidst the subject he loves best: praising himself and the great domestic “successes” of his New Labour regime. He resigned not long after.

 

 

 
2006: Gordon Brown,  “The Leaker”  sets the standard for Jim Murphy and fellow Labour politicians to follow

During his long years in opposition Brown became a regular conduit for publicising confidential documents leaked to him by civil servants and he was admired for the way he could put them to good use when attacking the Conservatives. Once Labour were in power, he demonstrated an equally deft touch when making use of the journalists he could trust.

The press build-up his Budgets and financial statements was always carefully manipulated to prepare the ground for any changes which he intended to make and Brown continued as Prime Minister to be Labour’s leading exponent of institutionalised leaking.

At the time he was interviewed by the BBC’s Frank Bough in July 1985 he just couldn’t avoid gloating and smirking about the leaks he had orchestrated, received and passed on through his network of minions who were always eager to do his murky deeds.

Many people will have cause to have hatred in their hearts for him. He has departed the scene as a politician, but he leaves a foul stench that will linger for years to come.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIrweIqqsOc

 

 

 

2007-2008: Financial Disaster

In the period 2004-2008  Brown then Alistair Darling ignored much repeated advice and public warnings issued by Lyndon H Laroche JR, many other eminent economists and Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England of the rapidly overheating British economy.

The financial “blow out” that hit the world financial markets in 2007 was brought about by defaulting mortgage holders in the USA and the UK who had been contracting to significant additional debt against their properties through excessive loans creating an unsustainable housing bubble.

Brown and Darling, conspired to divert blame away from the Labour government and had the audacity to blame the Royal Bank of Scotland for the financial disaster that befell the UK when it was clear the mismanagement of the economy was entirely the fault of a Labour Party leadership who had been warned in 2004 of an impending financial wipeout.

At a time the UK should have been introducing measures taking the heat out of the economy Brown and Darling instead played fast and loose with the electorate pushing on with a wilful expansion of the financial market, approving bank mergers funded by borrowing, looking forward only to the next General Election.

 

 

 

 

March 24 2009; European Parliament, Strasbourg – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Is Taken Apart By European MEP’s

An unelected Prime Minister, never elected to office who forced through the Westminster parliament ratification of the ill judged European treaty setting aside a clear Labour Party manifesto commitment allowing the British electorate the decision in a referendum. A really nasty man who will depart politics leaving a foul odour.

In office he sold large amounts of Britain’s gold reserves for a pittance, losing the country many billions and when this didn’t give up enough to fund the largesse of the Labour Party he raided the pension funds of Britain’s pensioners asset stripping, rendering them in danger of collapse.

In his unadulterated flannel of a speech to the European Parliament he exposed a nightmare vision of a Labour Party dominated future state. A loathsome man indeed!!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1WlpzvgciY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2007: Scottish General Election

The SNP won the Scottish General Election with 47 MSP’s to Labour’s 46. Despite all the odds being stacked against them the SNP formed a minority Government and retained power for the full term of the parliament.

But Brown, assisted by his network of spies, the Civil Service and rumour mongers continued with vindictive attacks on Alex Salmond and his government making life extremely difficult for the newly elected SNP government turning down meetings delaying and denying Scotland effective governance.

But due to the dogged and unstinting efforts of Alex Salmond a way forward was finally agreed through the establishment of a new “Joint Ministerial Committee” comprising the leaders of devolved administrations and representatives of the Westminster government.

Adding insult Brown insisted that the First minister of Wales should undertake responsibilty for agreeing the format and chairing the body at the first plenary session after which Jack Straw would take the chair at meetings. What a control freak. No Gordon Brown Alex Salmond meetings.

 

 

 

 

May 2007: Labour Backstabbers

Brown was so desperate to keep Alex Salmond from being First Minister he tried to cut a deal to keep him out of power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHoijTQ3Y8

 

 

 
May 2007: Sir Menzies Campbell And Gordon Brown’s Secret Talks On Pact To Deny SNP The Right To Govern Scotland

Brown held two secret meetings with Sir Menzies Campbell during the 2007 Scottish election campaign in an attempt to forge a new Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition and keep the SNP out of power, it emerged last night. Brown, the then Chancellor tried to get the agreement of the former Lib Dem leader for an anti-SNP coalition – even though neither had the authority to make such an agreement. The secret meetings, held behind the backs of their respective Scottish parties and leaders, were disclosed in Sir Menzies’ recently released autobiography.

 

 

 

 

In Menzies Campbell: My Autobiography,  Sir Ming described how he met Brown twice in Edinburgh during last year’s election campaign – once on Easter Sunday and on election day itself, when it was clear that the SNP was ahead in the polls and heading for victory. On both occasions, Brown asked for a new Labour-Lib Dem coalition as he did not want the SNP to control the Scottish Executive and its 30 billion budget. Sir Ming told Brown that, although he was also against an SNP-led devolved administration, he could not decide coalition policy, as that was in the hands of the party’s Scottish leader, Nicol Stephen.

 

 

 

Jack McConnell, the then Scottish Labour leader, was not invited to the meetings. Brown was operating without the knowledge or approval of the Scottish Labour leadership. News that Brown was working behind the scenes to forge an anti-SNP coalition will infuriate Nationalists and embarrass Scottish Labour leaders, particularly as Mr McConnell made it clear after the SNP won last year’s election that Alex Salmond would be given the chance to form a government.

 

 

 

 

Sir Ming wrote that Brown first called him at home on Easter Sunday last year to ask for a discreet meeting. He stated: “Like me, he was anxious about the possibility of the SNP governing in Scotland, our own backyard. Was there common ground between Labour and the Lib Dems to tackle the SNP together? He made a number of suggestions. I told him I would have to discuss them with Nicol Stephen.

“He then raised possibilities for a new coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour on the assumption that the two parties had enough seats jointly to form a government. ” Sir Ming wrote that this was difficult for him as such decisions were for Mr Stephen.”

 

 

 

 

As the election campaign drew to a close, Brown got in touch again. Sir Ming wrote: “We met at the same discreet place as before. Throughout the campaign, the polls had put the SNP ahead of Labour. Was there scope for an arrangement between our parties? “What would be the consequences for Scotland and our parties if the SNP used the 30 billion Scottish Executive budget to build support for independence over the next few years?”

 

 

 

 

Sir Ming also explained how the Scottish Lib Dem leadership team met at his Edinburgh home the night after the SNP’s victory to eat pizza and decide what to do. “After two hours, we packed away our pizza boxes and any possibility of a coalition deal with the SNP.” Sir Ming also revealed that both he and Tavish Scott, the Lib Dems’ election campaign manager, were against an SNP-Lib Dem coalition, but a deal with Labour was still a possibility. Brown went on BBC Scotland’s Politics Show the following day, all forms of coalition had been ruled out for the Lib Dems, which is what Mr Scott then announced.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/sir-menzies-reveals-brown-s-secret-talks-on-pact-to-deny-snp-power-1-1158022

 

 

 

 

 

A video Selection of Gordon Brown’s best bits

* Brown gets beaten up by David Cameron over the BA and Unite Union strike by. https://youtu.be/Q-GkrHKcwvo

 

 

 

* Brown gives a weak performance in Prime Ministers Questions. https://youtu.be/fvhgBV5YCZ4

 

 

 

 

* Brown tries to say that David Cameron is Mr.10 per-cent. But in reality it is Brown who is Mr.10 per-cent. It was he who put the basic rate of tax up on the poor from 10% to 20% to pay for his rich banker friends. https://youtu.be/2tdPejENgms

 

 

 

 

* Brown in his usual manner comes up with meaningless statistics to impress the gullible New Labour MP’s. https://youtu.be/qaDOIOkPlmc

 

 

 

 

* In an effort to keep New Labour in power, Brown quits as Prime Minister. https://youtu.be/_0w9wGvWwnE

 

 

 

 

 

* State Opening of Parliament. Closing remarks of Brown during the 2007 Queen’s Speech debate with Leader of the Opposition David Cameron. https://youtu.be/TsAa9VmwOaI

 

 

 

 

* The inside story of the credit crunch, charting the roller coaster journey of Gordon Brown’s fortunes from the moment the recession began. https://youtu.be/NL8A2fi3ols

 

 

 

 

* Unfit for high office? It is a puzzle to me how such a flawed personality survived in politics for so long. https://youtu.be/fT0AtqaLbJY

 

 

 

 

 

* Brown meets Gillian Duffy, who he was later heard off-camera describing her as a ‘bigoted woman’. https://youtu.be/CTr8IVWBuPE https://youtu.be/A-Ixqw85_P0

 

 

 

* Brown was so desperate to keep Alex Salmond from being First Minister he tried to cut a deal to keep him out of power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuHoijTQ3Y8

 

 

 

 

* The woman that Gordon Brown called a bigot gives her instant reaction to what Gordon Brown called her. https://youtu.be/yMTnvtZro7U#

 

 

 

* And to think one of the worst ever financial disasters was caused by a man who wrapped himself in ‘prudence’. https://youtu.be/lRTg13dwttc

 

 

 

 

* Farage blasts Gordon Brown as he calls for “New World Order”. https://youtu.be/VUFdVkAsU0Q

 

 

 

 

* An English voice speaks out. Brown and his vows, he has no right to speak for the English. I for one will not let a Scottish MP and the one who ran the UK into the ground make deals to his own people on my behalf. Make note Scots anyone telling you the English will bribe you to stay has no authority. Don,t think you can have your cake and eat it. If you want to stay then great but 60 million English will not pay you to stay whatever Gordon thinks he can say on our behalf. English Nationalism will make a comeback so get ready for it.

 

 

 

 

* Labour managed to spend the 3G money as well ! And the £35 billion they raided from British Pension Funds and every other stealth tax they invented. 10p in the £ anybody? And if 40p was OK then why is 45p wrong now? Hypocrites! You only get into debt when you spend more than you earn and borrow to make up the difference. Its really very simple. Even before the Bank bail outs we were in the shit with Labour. It now turns out the 2008 / 09 recession was 2% worse than we were told. https://youtu.be/MRAn_SB1Q9w

 

 

 

 

* British troops begin their withdrawal from Iraq after over six years of occupation. The war led to a disconnect between the British people and their elected representatives, as well as a backlash against the UK’s Muslim minority. It also led to much death and destruction in Iraq itself. https://youtu.be/oWeY2BVNAHY

 

 

* Gordon Brown Launches Big Bribe timetable at yet another private, closed pensioners meeting, ( broadcast in full on BBC) in Loanhead Miners Club, (but there are no miners now) and they swallow it. https://youtu.be/4PShsBlrCDg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labour Party Head Of Policy Review  Jon Cruddas – Persuades Labour That There Is A Better Way

Jon Cruddas, Head of the Labour Party’s policy review, has been promoting a policy of “winning power to give it away”. In collaboration with Labour leaders of English cities, Cruddas has been pushing the devolutionary agenda since he was appointed to his role in May 2012.

The approach advocated by the policy review – whose recommendations have now been adopted as official party policy, for what it’s worth – involves something rather different: as one text co-authored by Cruddas puts it, transforming Labour “from a 20th century political party into a modern, democratic political movement for radical change”.

But some party insiders are gloomy about the sincerity of the two Ed’s and their leadership colleagues, convinced that they are not fully committed to the new way of thinking. In this view, Labour still remains too fond of centralised lever-pulling. It is also investing too much political capital in what Miliband calls “the cost of living crisis”, believing the answer to most voters’ grievances is to engineer financial remedies (cuts in household bills, incremental upticks in the minimum wage) from Whitehall.

 

 

 

 

Cruddas has spent two and half years working on a new vision of Labour’s future. The whole experience, he said, has changed him in all kinds of ways – and by way of showing how much new thinking is required to restore faith in politics, he quickly went radically beyond party policy.

“One of the things that is reflective of changes in me is, for example, proportional representation,” he said. “That’s now not some sort of middle class indulgent exercise – it’s a fundamental issue in terms of democracy and people’s rights. I never had a view on it before; now I think it’s central to the rebuilding of the whole thing. As is space for referendums, and recalls. These are really interesting questions.”

The officially adopted elements of what Cruddas has been working on since 2012 cover all areas of policy, and do so on the basis of a deep analysis of what has gone wrong with Britain, much of it inspired by the pioneering work of Compass, the left-aligned pressure group that still comes closest to representing Cruddas’s political tribe.

As well as devolution to cities and regions in England, the review has proposed regional banks to provide grassroots help to small businesses, a ramping-up of local planning control over high streets, an insistence on public sector competition in rail franchising, and more.

Some of those who have worked on the policy review echo such thoughts. They also talk about palpable tensions at the top of the party. The policy review, it is said, offered Miliband a basic narrative about  “national renewal” and people’s sense of powerlessness, about which he was initially enthusiastic – before it was dropped in favour of the cost-of-living agenda, and a more tactical, day-to-day approach.

 

 

 

 

When I last met Cruddas, at Labour’s autumn conference, we talked about the sense of ferment in Britain, reflected in the transformation of politics in Scotland. Rather than being thrown by this, he seemed to be fascinated: “People are confronting orthodoxies, kicking over tables, creating a bit of energy … and I think that is absolutely fantastic,” he said. When we spoke this week, he made much the same points: that in England, there was an obvious symmetry between, say, Ukip on the right and the apparently insurgent Green party on the left, and “I find that exciting, rather than threatening. But there are threats: huge tripwires, all around.”

Such as? “The future existence of the Labour party. In the sense of, are there changes in the structure of society and the economy which are so demanding for political parties … well, can they change?”

Big debates, he said, were happening around ideas about “family, home, nation”, Labour, he said, had to guard against becoming “quite calculating in our politics, versus other groups that are more culturally aligned, swarming in and out of those issues”.

Was that his interpretation of what has happened to Labour in Scotland? “I think that’s exactly what’s happened. They’re not talking about cash transfers, are they?

Just about everything Cruddas said in London, Liverpool and Manchester underlined his belief that these are serious, seismic times, replete with threats to the normal way of doing things. “There is a democratic danger here,” he said. “Those parties that hoover up seats in Westminster have been dependent on shrinking portions of the electorate.

But the system puts them into power, and there’s a legitimacy crisis about how much people actually vote for them. There are issues there around PR, and referenda, and the architecture of England, and pushing out power from Whitehall.

A big part of what we’ve been doing in the policy review is this: can you win power to give it away? That is hugely counter cultural for Labour.” Once again, there was a clear sense of a fork in the road. “My view is, you either hide from these issues – or you run towards them.”

 

 

 

 

Debating the Scottish Independence Referendum: What Future for the United Kingdom and Scotland

After their humiliating defeat in the 2011 elections, the Scottish Labour Party have found themselves ensnared in a circular dialogue of apology and aggressive stereotyping. Breaking out of this requires a change of focus – away from Alex Salmond and the SNP and towards the party’s professed values of social justice.

It is then timely and apposite that the Fabian Society in association with Compass held a discussion under the theme, ‘Debating the Scottish Independence Referendum: What Future for the United Kingdom?’ with Labour MPs, Jon Cruddas, Anas Sarwar, Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour, and Gemma Doyle, along with myself, (Gerry Hassan) in the Houses of Parliament.

The evening showed some of the many comfort zones and delusions which Scottish Labour still hold to after its 2011 Scottish Parliament election humiliation.

 

 

The two Scottish Labour MPs and Anas Sarwar in particular, spoke a language of renewal and urgency but which seemed mostly devoid of real political understanding or content.

The thoughtful observations of the evening from the Labour MPs came almost exclusively from Jon Cruddas who talked with an acute eye about England, the absence of English Labour, and the shifts in the Tories with a brash, aggressive English nationalism emerging in the party.

Cruddas referenced the Australian debate under Paul Keating which redefined national identity, and cited Tom Nairn and the challenge of ‘the hyper-empire of capital’.

In terms of hinterland Cruddas as well as referencing Nairn and Keating, mentioned George Lansbury’s ‘My England’ and Clement Attlee.

Sarwar and Doyle, as representatives of today’s new political classes, showed their ‘thin’ external world, with not one wider reference or example all evening.

 

 

 

 

In my presentation, I suggested Scottish Labour stop talking to itself and stop using words such as ‘devolution’ and ‘separatism’ which gave the party succour and satisfaction but which were mostly meaningless to the general public.

“Devolution” was a narrow notion of political change and a concept born of 1970s compromise and accommodation. ‘Separatism’ which is how Labour describes the Scottish Nationalists is an archaic relic of a term which reveals much about who says it.

The SNP have never been ‘separatists’ and indeed the true, serious ‘separatists’ in the UK are the fossilised, fanatic parliamentary sovereignty fetishists of Euroscepticism.

Labour has to drop its own private world of language, stop talking process and embrace substance.

Labour’s obsession with the SNP has been an unhealthy one, destabilising and disorientating the party’s view of the world.

Despite the fact the SNP have been on the Scottish political scene for over 40 years, Labour north of the border have yet to fully come to terms with them.

The aggressive language and stereotyping which goes on between the two parties belies that these are two rather similar parties, both broad churches and both, in parts, significantly (small c) conservative.

 

 

 

 

Sarwar and Doyle presented cartoon caricatures of the Nationalists, citing ‘separatism’ many times, with Sarwar articulating a convoluted definition when challenged on Labour’s constant of use of the big bogey word.

The Nationalists talked left and right, he maintained, depending on the audience (just like New Labour), and as he accurately observed, have left independence so far undefined. Doyle talked from the old hymn sheet, talking of the SNP as having cornered ‘the right wing vote’ and being just like the Tories.

Scottish Labour has a proud history and story but they are currently in a terrible place and have barely begun to realise what has happened to them.

Both Sarwar and Doyle railed against the SNP Government for not using the Scottish Parliament’s existing tax powers, omitting that Labour in office for eight years had done exactly the same.

Similarly the SNP’s floated idea of cutting corporation tax was trumpeted as proof of their right-wing perfidy, ignoring New Labour’s cutting of it.

What this seemed to suggest was that the speakers had one rationale for an action when the SNP did it (bad), and another when New Labour had done it (good).

How does Scottish Labour get people to listen to them again? I suggested that the party apologise for 50 years of taking people for granted and for municipalism, cronyism, clientism and council patronage.

 

 

Cruddas immediately spotted that this was a wider Labour malaise, to which I agreed, pointing out that it was a Scottish variant of that crisis.

So far Scottish Labour has offered a half-hearted apology for losing in 2011, but hasn’t begun to understand why it was so soundly rejected.

Its public mantra has become ‘we have to stop apologising’ when the party hasn’t recognised the longer story of the machine politics it built in Scotland which it needs to take responsibility for and offer an explanation. Then and only then, people may begin to sit up and take notice. This is not just a Scottish but a British and international debate.

All evening Sarwar and Doyle defended a union which was in reality, a ‘Fantasy Island Britain’, the land of the most successful multi-national partnership in all human history, a place where redistribution and social enlightenment march proudly forward claiming the future.

At no point did they engage in some of the uncomfortable realities: of the UK as the fourth most unequal country in the rich world according to Danny Dorling, and on existing trends, set to overtake, Portugal, USA and Singapore, and become the most unequal country in the developed world.

Labour needs to embrace an agenda of social justice and stop talking about the constitution and being obsessed with the SNP and Alex Salmond.

 

 

 

 

Twenty years after the Commission on Social Justice was launched perhaps Scottish Labour could revisit this terrain instead of talking all the time about ‘devolution’ and ‘separatism’.

What this could involve is renewing and marking John Smith’s values and coming up with a social justice covenant for the 20th anniversary of his tragic death, which coincides with the run-in to the autumn 2014 Scottish independence vote.

A Scottish Labour Party engaged with social justice would aid people in the SNP to develop a more distinct, radical social agenda and thus improve the quality of the entire Scottish debate.

It would reduce the superficial noise between these two parties and develop a debate with more substance addressing what Scottish voters want to see it engage with.

 

 

 

 

Such a politics would entail addressing how we tackle and end child poverty, challenge welfare entrapment and despair, and address the huge gap in life expectancy between rich and poor across Scotland. It could even be called the John Smith social justice covenant.

Such a move would make the Scottish debate about self-government and independence both more subtle and real. It would take it away from the politicians’ love of the abstract and grandiose and connect it to the complex choices of modern life and challenges to progressive politics.

The values of solidarity, communitarianism and inclusion have always influenced and shaped much of the Scottish debate, driven in part by a distrust of British politicians and the state.

 

 

 

It is now crucial over the next two years that they are brought to the fore, from the implicit to the explicit.

We have to ask how do we best champion social justice in Scotland and in these isles?

That is what Scottish self-government and independent has to directly address; namely, the relationship between progressive values and government structures, and in so doing help all of us to make sense of how we all break out of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’ which has so served the forces of power and privilege.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2012: Breaking the grip of ‘fantasy island Britain’: Social justice, Scotland and the UK by Gerry Hassan

Gerry Hassan, PhD, born in Scotland, is Research Fellow in cultural policy at the University of the West of Scotland who has recently been awarded his PhD on political and cultural contemporary debate in the public sphere of Scotland. Gerry is the author and editor of numerous books including ‘The Strange Death of Labour Scotland’ and the just published ‘After Independence’ (co-edited with James Mitchell). His most recent books are ‘Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland’ and the just published ‘Independence of the Scottish Mind: Elite Narratives, Public Spaces and the Making of a Modern Nation

 

 
After their humiliating defeat in the 2011 elections, the Scottish Labour Party have found themselves ensnared in a circular dialogue of apology and aggressive stereotyping. Breaking out of this requires a change of focus – away from Alex Salmond and the SNP and towards the party’s professed values of social justice.

The Scottish independence debate had many dimensions, Scottish, English, British, European and global. It was also one that the insular London political class and media had only episodically covered the last forty years, being content to rest on ‘Braveheart’ and romantic, restless nationalist stereotypes.

It is then timely and apposite that the Fabian Society in association with Compass held a discussion under the theme, ‘Debating the Scottish Independence Referendum: What Future for the United Kingdom?’ with Labour MPs, Jon Cruddas, Anas Sarwar, Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour, and Gemma Doyle, along with myself, in the Houses of Parliament this week.

The evening showed some of the many comfort zones and delusions which Scottish Labour still hold to after its 2011 Scottish Parliament election humiliation. The two Scottish Labour MPs and Anas Sarwar in particular, spoke a language of renewal and urgency but which seemed mostly devoid of real political understanding or content.

 

 

 

 

The thoughtful observations of the evening from the Labour MPs came almost exclusively from Jon Cruddas who talked with an acute eye about England, the absence of English Labour, and the shifts in the Tories with a brash, aggressive English nationalism emerging in the party. Cruddas referenced the Australian debate under Paul Keating which redefined national identity, and cited Tom Nairn and the challenge of ‘the hyper-empire of capital’.

In terms of hinterland Cruddas as well as referencing Nairn and Keating, mentioned George Lansbury’s ‘My England’ and Clement Attlee. Sarwar and Doyle, as representatives of today’s new political classes, showed their ‘thin’ external world, with not one wider reference or example all evening.

 

 

 

 

In my presentation, I suggested Scottish Labour stop talking to itself and stop using words such as ‘devolution’ and ‘separatism’ which gave the party succour and satisfaction but which were mostly meaningless to the general public. ‘Devolution’ was a narrow notion of political change and a concept born of 1970s compromise and accommodation. ‘Separatism’ which is how Labour describes the Scottish Nationalists is an archaic relic of a term which reveals much about who says it. The SNP have never been ‘separatists’ and indeed the true, serious ‘separatists’ in the UK are the fossilised, fanatic parliamentary sovereignty fetishists of Euroscepticism. Labour has to drop its own private world of language, stop talking process and embrace substance.

 

 

 

 

Labour’s obsession with the SNP has been an unhealthy one, destabilising and disorientating the party’s view of the world. Despite the fact the SNP have been on the Scottish political scene for over 40 years, Labour north of the border have yet to fully come to terms with them. The aggressive language and stereotyping which goes on between the two parties belies that these are two rather similar parties, both broad churchesand both, in parts, significantly (small c) conservative.

 

 

 

Sarwar and Doyle presented cartoon caricatures of the Nationalists, citing ‘separatism’ many times, with Sarwar articulating a convoluted definition when challenged on Labour’s constant of use of the big bogey word. The Nationalists talked left and right, he maintained, depending on the audience (just like New Labour), and as he accurately observed, have left independence so far undefined. Doyle talked from the old hymn sheet, talking of the SNP as having cornered ‘the right wing vote’ and being just like the Tories.

 

 

 

 

Scottish Labour has a proud history and story but they are currently in a terrible place and have barely begun to realise what has happened to them. Both Sarwar and Doyle railed against the SNP Government for not using the Scottish Parliament’s existing tax powers, omitting that Labour in office for eight years had done exactly the same. Similarly the SNP’s floated idea of cutting corporation tax was trumpeted as proof of their right-wing perfidy, ignoring New Labour’s cutting of it. What this seemed to suggest was that the speakers had one rationale for an action when the SNP did it (bad), and another when New Labour had done it (good).

How does Scottish Labour get people to listen to them again? I suggested that the party apologise for 50 years of taking people for granted and for municipalism, cronyism, clientism and council patronage. Cruddas immediately spotted that this was a wider Labour malaise, to which I agreed, pointing out that it was a Scottish variant of that crisis.

 

 

 

 

So far Scottish Labour has offered a half-hearted apology for losing in 2011, but hasn’t begun to understand why it was so soundly rejected. Its public mantra has become ‘we have to stop apologising’ when the party hasn’t recognised the longer story of the machine politics it built in Scotland which it needs to take responsibility for and offer an explanation. Then and only then, people may begin to sit up and take notice.

This is not just a Scottish but a British and international debate. All evening Sarwar and Doyle defended a union which was in reality, a ‘Fantasy Island Britain’, the land of the most successful multi-national partnership in all human history, a place where redistribution and social enlightenment march proudly forward claiming the future. At no point did they engage in some of the uncomfortable realities: of the UK as the fourth most unequal country in the rich world according to Danny Dorling, and on existing trends, set to overtake, Portugal, USA and Singapore, and become the most unequal country in the developed world.

 

 

 

 

Labour needs to embrace an agenda of social justice and stop talking about the constitution and being obsessed with the SNP and Alex Salmond. Twenty years after the Commission on Social Justice was launched perhaps Scottish Labour could revisit this terrain instead of talking all the time about ‘devolution’ and ‘separatism’.

What this could involve is renewing and marking John Smith’s values and coming up with a social justice covenant for the 20th anniversary of his tragic death, which coincides with the run-in to the autumn 2014 Scottish independence vote.

 

 

 

 

A Scottish Labour Party engaged with social justice would aid people in the SNP to develop a more distinct, radical social agenda and thus improve the quality of the entire Scottish debate. It would reduce the superficial noise between these two parties and develop a debate with more substance addressing what Scottish voters want to see it engage with.

Such a politics would entail addressing how we tackle and end child poverty, challenge welfare entrapment and despair, and address the huge gap in life expectancy between rich and poor across Scotland. It could even be called the John Smith social justice covenant.

Such a move would make the Scottish debate about self-government and independence both more subtle and real. It would take it away from the politicians’ love of the abstract and grandiose and connect it to the complex choices of modern life and challenges to progressive politics.

 

 

The values of solidarity, communitarianism and inclusion have always influenced and shaped much of the Scottish debate, driven in part by a distrust of British politicians and the state. It is now crucial over the next two years that they are brought to the fore, from the implicit to the explicit. We have to ask how do we best champion social justice in Scotland and in these isles? That is what Scottish self-government and independent has to directly address; namely, the relationship between progressive values and government structures, and in so doing help all of us to make sense of how we all break out of ‘Fantasy Island Britain’ which has so served the forces of power and privilege.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/gerry-hassan/breaking-grip-of-%E2%80%98fantasy-island-britain%E2%80%99-social-justice-scotland-and-uk

 

 
Comments:

Great piece, I agree with a lot of what you say here, and I often find myself agreeing with John Cruddas who is one of the few gifted politicans we seem to have at the moment.

Labour’s problem in the Scottish election in 2011, and the General election in 2010, both relate to it taking people for granted so much that they lost all enthusiasm for the party which was once their own, it has yet to refind this either in Scotland or the rest of the UK. John Smith was a great man, and would have been a fantastic PM, I think if Labour can reinvent itself both UK wide and in Scotland by revisiting his legacy and perspective, then it can be revialised in Britain, regardless of whether Britain is made up of 2 sovereign states on 1.

Thanks for your thoughts. We need to bring the debate about the future of Scotland and the UK fundamentally on to what kind of future, what kind of society and economy.

 

 

 

 

Sad and telling that Labour MPs still blindly defend the imperial centre as this great force of progressivism; a kind of blind faith ….

Absolutely, what really gets me about the modern Labour party is how soulless it has become. The 13 years they were in power were squandered, it was a real chance to help working people up and down the land, make a real difference to things such as housing, education, health and transport, but they wasted it, and now the Tories are back with their Lib Dem bag carriers.

There were some achievements, such as the Minimum Wage…any other good achievements currently escape me… The party needs to redefine itself and break away from it’s slavish ‘Thatcherism Lite’ type of ideal. The problem for me with Labour (& I am still a member) is that it totally lost touch with what it was about during the Blair/Brown era, people on the ground want things like decent housing, good transport, good schools and opportunities for their kids, good healthcare, and a decent Welfare State to support people when the fall on hard times.

 

 

 

 

Labour needs to be on the side of the ‘little guy’ regardless of whether it is Labour in Scotland or wider Britain, too often it found itself on the wrong side in recent years, and that is something that I feel hasn’t yet changed. Markets, and big business have their place, and always need to be taken into account, and listened too, but they shouldn’t dictate everything in society. For me, the saddest, chapter in Labours’ recent history has to be when Gordon Brown met Gillian Duffy, a real person, and Labour supporter, who was concerned about immigration volumes, and he described her as a bigot…it kind of said it all, the arrogance and dislocation of the leadership from the supporters, from the average people in the street.

I am disenchanted with the current leadership, they have scored the odd victory like last year against the Murdoch Empire, Miliband did well, but they don’t have the vision or the passion to make (me at least) feel anything has really changed since they left power. Personally, I think that the ‘Blue Labour’ project that Jon Cruddas has been associated with is potentially the way forward, as it does seek to reconnect with our past as a party, and at the same time takes on board ‘the man on the streets’ concerns about immigration, law and order etc.

 

 

 

 

More of the same from Labour just won’t work, at the moment it feels as though they are just waiting and hoping that the public get sick of the Conservative Party, but not providing any real hope for anything better.

I am English, so not mega hot on the Scottish political scene, however, I was disappointed with the Johann Lamont appointment as leader, as once again that spelt for more of the same. Looking into Scotland as an outsider, it would appear that the challenge again is to get back on the side of ‘the little guy – the man on the street – the working man’ (& women of course). The party obviously needs to take account of the current Scotland independence debate, and perhaps argue more vigorously for Scotland within a wider UK setting. It should also always seek to be more progressive than a nationalist party like the SNP, and only by reconnecting with it’s soul can it do this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gemma Doyle was elected as the MP for West Dunbartonshire in May 2010.

Doyle was born in 1981. She grew up in Dumbarton where she attended St Patrick’s Primary and Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School. Doyle attended the University of Glasgow, where she, graduated with an MA in European Civilisation.

Before being elected to Parliament, she worked as a Political Officer for the Parliamentary Labour Party. Previously she worked as a Conference Producer for the Institution of Civil Engineers, a Conference Development Manager for a small business and as a caseworker and parliamentary assistant for a number of MSPs. She joined the Labour party aged 15 and served on its Scottish Executive and National Policy Forum before being selected as Labour’s candidate in West Dunbartonshire in 2010.

Doyle is is a Shadow Defence Minister, with specific responsibility for defence personnel, welfare and veterans. Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy backed Doyle’s husband, Gregor Poynton in a Labour Party selection process for the Falkirk constituency which was suspended in 2013.

Doyle sponsored the Westminster launch of the Henry Jackson Society report In Scotland’s Defence? An Assessment of SNP Defence Strategy, on 4 July 2013.

 

 

 
February 2007: The parallel universe of BAE: covert, dangerous and beyond the rule of law

There is a state within a state in the United Kingdom, a small but untouchable domain that appears to be subject to a different set of laws. We have heard quite a bit about it over the past two months, but hardly anyone knows just how far its writ runs. The state is BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest arms company. It seems, among other advantages, to be able to run its own secret service.

This week, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) hopes to obtain a court order against BAE. The order would allow it to discover how the arms company obtained one of its confidential documents. CAAT instructed its lawyers, Leigh Day & Co, to seek a judicial review of the government’s decision to drop the corruption case against BAE, which is alleged to have paid massive bribes to members of the Saudi royal family. Leigh Day sent CAAT an email containing advice on costs and tactics. The email ended up in the hands of the arms company.

How? Correspondence between a plaintiff and his lawyers couldn’t be more private. The last people you would show it to are the defendants in the case. But somehow the letter found its way to BAE’s offices.

The arms company argues that it was the unwitting and unwilling recipient of the email. So why does it refuse to tell CAAT who sent it? Why, far from assisting CAAT’s attempt to explain this mystery, has it threatened the group with costs for seeking to reveal BAE’s source?

BAE’s spying operations represent just one way in which the company looks like a parallel state. It also appears to enjoy crown immunity. Last August, this column suggested that the Saudi corruption case might be dropped, in order to protect a new order for 72 BAE jets. It was not a hard prediction to make – Saudi Arabia had made the new deal conditional on the abandonment of the case. But I could not have guessed that both the attorney general and the prime minister would make such a show of squashing the investigation. They seemed to go out of their way to demonstrate to BAE’s clients that they would do whatever it took to protect the new order, even if it meant exposing themselves to allegations of collusion.

The prime minister has never taken such a risk on behalf of one of his departments, let alone his ministers or officials (witness how Lord Levy and Ruth Turner have been left to swing). There are just two friends for whom he will put his legacy on the line: George Bush and BAE. In 2001, Blair overruled Clare Short and Gordon Brown to grant an export licence for BAE’s sale of a military air-traffic control system to one of the world’s poorest countries, Tanzania. The World Bank had pointed out that the contract was ridiculously expensive – Tanzania could have bought a better system elsewhere for a quarter of the price. In January the Guardian revealed that BAE Systems allegedly paid a $12m (£6.2m) “commission” to an agent who brokered the deal.

In 2005, Blair made a secret visit to Riyadh to expedite BAE’s deal with the Saudi princes. He then sent both John Reid and Des Browne to clinch the order. Ministers in the UK have always acted as unpaid salesmen for the arms companies, but seldom has a prime minister muddied his hands this much. Blair pushed the order through by promising the Saudis that they could have the first 24 planes ahead of schedule. How? By selling them the jets already allotted to the RAF. BAE’s interests, in other words, trump the requirements of our own armed forces.

Blair has also broken his government’s pledge to publish the report by the National Audit Office on BAE’s dealings in Saudi Arabia. It remains the only NAO report never to have been made public. We can only guess why the prime minister needs to protect it.

It could be argued, with some force, that this government has always had a special relationship with big business, rather like its special relationship with George Bush (it gets beaten up and thanks him for it). But the special favours it grants BAE are deeply resented by other corporations. After the suppression of the Saudi case, F&C Asset Management, a very large institutional investor, wrote to the government to complain that its decision undermined the rule of law and the predictability of the investment climate. Hermes, Britain’s biggest pension fund, said that it threatened the UK’s reputation as a leading financial centre, and the chairman of Anglo-American wrote that the abandonment of thecase “damaged the reputation of Britain”.

At what point does the government conclude that this company has got out of control? That it presents a danger to national interests, to the reputation of the prime minister, tothe privacy and civil liberties of its opponents? Why does it appear to be above the law? For how much longer will it be permitted to run what looks like a parallel secretservice? Of all the questions we might ask of our ministers, these are the least likely to be answered. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/feb/13/bae.foreignpolicy

 

 

 
March 2013: How Scottish MPs Voted on the Workfare Bill

Yesterday the House of Commons passed the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill, which included a clause that retroactively changed the law to prevent back payment of approximately £130 million worth of benefits that had been found by a court decision to have been wrongly withheld.

Abstained: 33 of 40 (83%) Labour MPs. The Tory/LibDems achieved what they wanted. Despite being legally owed the money the claimants are to be denied this as a result of this hideous bill. The Labour MP’s that abstained should be ashamed, including Gemma Doyle.

Douglas Alexander (Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Willie Bain (Glasgow North East)
Gordon Banks (Ochil and South Perthshire)
Anne Begg (Aberdeen South)
Gordon Brown (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Russell Brown (Dumfries and Galloway)
Iain McKenzie (Inverclyde)
Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Margaret Curran (Glasgow East)
Alistair Darling (Edinburgh South West)
Thomas Docherty (Dunfermline and West Fife)
Brian Donohoe (Central Ayrshire)
Frank Doran (Aberdeen North)
Gemma Doyle (West Dunbartonshire)
Shiela Gilmore (Edinburgh East)
Tom Greatrex (Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
David Hamilton (Midlothian)
Tom Harris (Glasgow South)
Jim Hood (Lanark and Hamilton East)
Cathy Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Michael McCann (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Gregg McClymont (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Anne McGuire (Stirling)
Ann McKechin (Glasgow North)
Graeme Morrice (Livingston)
Jim Murphy (East Renfrewshire)
Ian Murray (Edinburgh South)
Pamela Nash (Airdrie and Shotts)
Fiona O’Donnell (East Lothian)
John Robertson (Glasgow North West)
Frank Roy (Motherwell and Wishaw)
Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes)
Anas Sarwar (Glasgow Central)

 

 

 
July 2013: Battle of Falkirk gets murkier for Labour

Labour’s three most powerful figures are all embroiled in some way – Ed Miliband, Len McCluskey and Tom Watson. And this morning a fourth figure, Jim Murphy, entered the fray. Details which I’ve been leaked, of Labour’s secret inquiry into Falkirk, show the report isn’t just about what the union Unite got up to in pursuit of getting its candidate selected. I’m told the report says that in June last year – 2012 – 11 new members were recruited by Gregory Poynton, who was also a contender for the Labour nomination. Mr Poynton submitted a cheque for £130, which I’m told is against the rules, which say cheques can only for submitted for new members if those members all live at the same house, which in this case, apparently, they didn’t. Mr Poynton refused to comment when I spoke to him this morning, but said he would get back to me later once he’d consulted the party.

Why does Mr Poynton’s recruitment activity matter? First because he’s married to Gemma Doyle, the young Scottish MP who is a member of Labour’s Commons defence team under Jim Murphy. And second, Mr Poynton is the London political director of the firm Blue State Digital, which has a contract to provide campaigning work for the Labour party. With that, and all the allegations about Unite recruiting dozens of new members in Falkirk without their knowledge, and seemingly against the rules, no wonder Labour big-wigs decided to keep the Falkirk report secret. Unite’s activity was reportedly on behalf of Karie Murphy, a former chair of the Scottish Labour party, who works in Tom Watson’s office, and is also very close to the Unite leader Len McCluskey. And Mssrs Watson and McCluskey once shared a house.

This morning Jim Murphy hit out at Unite. He told BBC News: “Something had gone really badly wrong in Falkirk when it came to the selection of the Labour candidate. “I don’t blame the people locally – there’s clearly been some external interference. And while trade unions are an important part of a society and our politics, there seems to be one trade union in particular that’s well and truly overstepped the mark. “It’s clear that Unite don’t run the Labour party; Ed Miliband does. And we should never confuse those two things.”

Friends of Gregory Poynton insist he did nothing wrong. They say he was not contacted by the Labour party inquiry and say that if he had been implicated the party would have contacted him for a response. It looks like it’s developing into a huge battle for Labour in the run-up to this autumn conference. And a huge headache for Ed Miliband. http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/battle-of-falkirk-gets-murkier-for-labour/2656

 

 

 

 
Comments:
Interesting that the (nominal) leaders of British Labour in Scotland appear to have been totally sidelined by their masters in London. Labour in Scotland are no longer fit for purpose on three counts:

* They no longer represent the interests of the working poor, the sick, the vulnerable and the elderly.

* The leadership in Scotland has no autonomy, lacks intellect and clarity of vision and is incapable of independent thought and action.

* Labour is devoid of policy and offers no hope of a more socially just Scotland.
The Labour Party is now an irrelevance in Scotland as Scots move towards self determination. What we have now in England is a Dictatorship by tripartite agreement of the three main Parties who no longer represent Scotland in any way whatsoever. There was no need to wait for Falkirk to happen, Glasgow City Council has been mired in illegality of every sort for Generations! I regret every vote I ever cast for Labour.

The political system at Westminster is broken and cannot be fixed. Illegal wars started by Labour and supported by the Tories. Austerity introduced by the Tories is backed by Labour. All the parties at Westminster and the civil service recruit from the same universities and schools. Priveldge, patronage and nepotism abound. The infighting in Labour over the Falkirk candidacy is a perfect example of why the Scottish electorate is turning on Labour.

Labour’s Scottish leadership have not even been consulted on the ‘special measures’ imposed on Falkirk CLP. I will never vote Labour again. The present leadership of the party are pygmies when compared with the Attlees, Bevans, Castles, Wilsons and Benns of the Labour Party. All the Labour party are interested in is sitting room politics, where the leaders take the decision and the Party membership, the poor and disabled are ignored. The Milibands and Balls of this world worship at the altar of economic Liberalism and the politics of austerity. The Labour Party is finished, it now represents big business and no one else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2013 The Falkirk Debacle – Tom Watson’s Resignation and Jim Murphy

Tom Watson’s resignation from the Shadow Cabinet is a big shock for Labour. He was one of the most powerful men in the party, but felt very bruised by the recent row over events in Falkirk. Watson found himself embroiled in a behind the scenes battle with the Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy, the senior Blairite in Scotland.

Murphy was backing another candidate in Falkirk, Greg Poynton, who is the husband of Gemma Doyle, one of Murphy’s front-bench team. And the Falkirk inquiry, whose report remains secret, uncovered evidence that Poynton was personally recruiting new members in Falkirk months before Unite mounted their recruitment drive. Watson was fed up with the assumption that because Karie Murphy works for him, then he was behind Unite’s attempts to recruit lots of new members in Falkirk to get her picked as Labour candidate.
http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/crick-on-watsons-dna/2716

 

 

 

 

 

 
September 2013: Dumbarton and Vale MP Gemma Doyle claimed more than £44,000 in expenses last year

Last week the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority revealed details of the business costs and expenses which had been claimed by Gemma Doyle, West Dunbartonshire’s representative at Westminster, between March 2012 and April this year.

The majority of the £44,900.47 claimed by Ms Doyle — an increase of nearly £6,500 on the previous year — was spent on office costs although £16,000 also was charged to the taxpayer for flights to and from London. The majority of these flights are British Airways “Business/Club” class tickets priced at around £400 a flight.

Last week Ms Doyle, told the Reporter the ticket doesn’t afford her the luxury of any improved seating and often works out as the cheapest way to travel as it allows her to make changes to booked flights at short notice, without incurring a penalty fee.

However, after all MPs expenses were made public last week one resident Gordon Morrison, 58, who acts as a carer for his 51-year-old wife Elizabeth, said something had to be done about the way the system works. He told the Reporter: “We’ve got to travel on the bus and the normal working man has to pay his own travel costs. These are the people who are telling us we need to tighten our belts and cut down on household expenses. It’s got to be highlighted, society has to change. If we want to do something about the economy it’s got to be a case of do as we do.

Our MP spent £16,000 on travel last year — that’s totally wrong when you’re only on the flight for an hour. The total amount of money we have coming in the house is £12,000 for a year and she’s claiming back £4,000 more per year for travelling than we get to live and run a house, as well as heat it and pay all the other expenses. It’s quite an eye opener the amount that these MPs are claiming. It’s too easy for them to claim money. Politicians tell you on one hand it’s time for austerity and then you see what they are spending money on. Westminster is the biggest money drain on the country. If that was a business it would have folded a long, long time ago.”

Other residents also raised concerns about other items Ms Doyle claimed as part of her expenses last year including a Q-Connect Pencil costing 59p, a black Banner medium ballpoint pen priced 65p, a large pair of rubber gloves billed at £1.82 and a Bentley Deluxe Squeegee Mop, which cost the taxpayer £11.51. http://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news/dumbarton/articles/2013/09/19/472061-west-dunbartonshire-mp-claims-44900-from-the-taxpayer-/

 

 

 
November 2013: Scots Labour MPs slammed after bedroom tax no-show

Scottish Labour MPs have been heavily criticised after nearly a quarter failed to vote against the bedroom tax policy in a motion put forward by their own party. Key players such as Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of the party in Scotland, and former Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy were among the 46 MPs who didn’t show up for the vote on the controversial spare room tax. Kirkcaldy MP and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown – who claimed last month he was an ‘ex-politician’ – and Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander also failed to to vote following the party’s debate in Westminster on the policy. Of the Labour MPs who failed to show up, ten represent Scottish constituencies.

The SNP hit out at the no-show from the Labour MPs, with SNP work and pensions spokeswoman Dr Eilidh Whiteford saying that they needed to explain their absences, adding: “We could have been talking about how the bedroom tax has been scrapped but instead the question on the minds of many Scots is: Where were they? “Some may have very good reasons for missing the vote but there can be no excuse for a quarter of Scotland’s Labour MPs not turning up for a vote to scrap the bedroom tax that could have been won.”

he Labour motion to scrap the policy was defeated by 252 votes to 226. The spokesman said the party were ‘disappointed’ that the government had used their majority to ‘re-affirm their support for the hated bedroom tax’. http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scots-labour-mps-slammed-after-bedroom-tax-no-show-1-3189157
Comment:

* Labour has lost it’s soul it cannot even be bothered to vote against the Bedroom Tax . A No vote will therefore have catastrophic consequences for the poor and disabled. What is the solution more food banks, more pay day loan co’s, more money advice services, more appeals, more charity aid.

* Those who vote Labour in Scotland are being badly let down by the MPs they send to Westminster. Unfortunately their loyalty is to the party and themselves not their constituents. The best way to deal with these people is by voting for Independence and making them all redundant! Perhaps then we can have a new start with a real Scottish Labour Party.

* Maybe now, Labour Voters will realise that the party they voted for are nothing more than opportunists, who are interested in only what You can do for them. Disgraceful behaviour from a party that hang their hat on supporting the people. Say anything, do nothing, Labour, the me party.

 

 

 

 
March 2014: 32 Scottish Labour MP’s who voted for the £119.5 billion Tory welfare cap with 520 in favour and 22 against.

13 Labour backbenchers and 6 SNP MPs opposed the motion along with 6 SNP MPs who said they were ‘shocked’ at Labour MPs decision to back the Tories so it wouldn’t make them look soft when it came to welfare issues. Ed Balls said it was the right thing to do while he whined that the welfare cap was originally his parties idea to begin with. He said: “We on this side of the House support capping social security spending, a policy the Leader of the Opposition advocated last year.”

SNP’s Eilidh Whiteford MP said: “The SNP voted against the welfare cap today because it piles yet more pain onto our poorest pensioners, carers, disabled people and low-income families. This cap is just a crude, blunt, instrument. It is shocking that so many Scottish Labour MPs have backed the Tories.”

“Labour supported the proposal because we believe social security spending needs to be kept under control by getting people back to work and tackling low pay. It’s about time the SNP came clean with their plans for social security in an independent Scotland.”

Save the Children warns the Welfare cap will push 345,000 children into poverty in just four years. Will Higham, the charity’s director of UK poverty, said: “Parties need to explain how they will work to improve wages and welfare to ensure that work pays. Otherwise, the vote will become a straitjacket, binding future governments from taking action to stem a rising tide of child poverty.”

Diane Abbott, one of the Labour rebels, said: “This is not a game, this is about people’s lives… [They] are not to be a matter of short-term political positioning.”

The 32 Scottish Labour MPs who voted for the Tory welfare cap:

Margaret Curran, Tom Greatrex, Ian Murray, Willie Bain, Gordon Banks, Tom Clarke, Anne Begg, Alistair Darling, Ian Davidson, Thomas Docherty, Frank Doran, Gemma Doyle, Sheila Gilmore, David Hamilton, Tom Harris, Jimmy Hood, Cathy Jamieson, Mark Lazarowicz, Greg McClymont, Anne McGuire, Anne McKechin, Iain McKenzie, Grahame Morris, Jim Murphy, Pamela Nash, Sandra Osborne, John Robertson, Frank Roy, Lindsay Roy, Anas Sarwar. https://mariamuir.com/meet-32-scottish-labour-mps-voted-tory-welfare-cap/

 

 

 

 

 
April 2014: Clydebank MP Gemma Doyle slammed for backing Tories

Gemma Doyle MP has been accused of betraying Clydebank’s poor after she backed a Tory plan to slash benefits. The Labour MP has come under fire for siding with the Conservatives in a crucial Commons vote last week. Critics fear more hard-up Clydebank families will be plunged deeper into poverty as a result of a plan to limit what working families, pensioners, and those on disability benefits can receive from the government.

But that didn’t stop Ms Doyle supporting the controversial move and triggering a swathe of condemnation from poverty campaigners including former West Dunbartonshire Council leader Danny McCafferty, who is committed to highlighting the need to help those who are struggling to survive in the current climate. He told the Post: “It’s been well documented over the year. For a local MP to vote with a Tory government is unbelievable — I’m absolutely disgusted. She forgets who voted her into power and why she was voted into power.” “it also piles yet more pain onto our poorest pensioners, carers, disabled people and low income families.

The cap will include spending on the vast majority of benefits, including pension credits, severe disablement allowance, incapacity benefits, child benefit, both maternity and paternity pay, universal credit and housing benefit. http://www.clydebankpost.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2014/04/02/493641-clydebank-mp-slammed-for-backing-tories/

 

 

 

 

January 2015: Gemma Doyle MP cites North Korea as reason for £100bn trident renewal

Gemma Doyle MP has told how she fears for the safety of Scotland without a nuclear deterrent. The Labour politician, a shadow defence minister, insists she does believe in worldwide nuclear disarmament but last week voted against a proposal to scrap Trident’s renewal in 2016. This prompted a scathing attack from Clydebank SNP MSP Gil Paterson due to the “obscene” cost of the nuclear programme.

MP Doyle defended her position and reiterated that she wants to see a world free of nuclear weapons. She said: “No one believes for a second that the UK getting rid of our nuclear deterrent would make North Korea or Iran give up their nuclear programmes and it would be foolhardy to leave Scots unprotected in such a dangerous world.”

The House of Commons voted against proposals to scrap the renewal of the UK’s nuclear weapon system by a huge margin of 364 to 35. While the SNP, Plaid Cymru and single Green MP spoke out against continuing with Trident, most Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat politicians voted for a new nuclear weapon system for the UK.

The programme, which will see new nuclear weapons based at Faslane, is estimated to cost around £100 billion over its three decade life span.

Gil Paterson MSP said: “Gemma Doyle voting with the Tories is becoming normal practice, but at a time when poverty and food bank use has reached record levels, I find it incredible that she — as the Shadow Minister for Defence — could condone such expenditure on a weapon that could never be used.

“Trident also stops the exploitation of the massive oil reserves that are in the Clyde basin which would transform the western seaboard of Scotland and totally re-energise Clydebank. “Voting to spend this obscene amount of money when it could be used to create jobs, new schools, better housing and raise the standard of living for disadvantaged people defies belief. http://www.clydebankpost.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2015/01/28/522736-doyle-mp-cites-north-korea-as-reason-for-100bn-trident-renewal/

 

 

 

Comments:

She is clearly caught up in the clutches of the “Henry Jackson Society” and BAE. Voted for Trident just in case Iran or North Korea attacked. Now that is beyond stupid.

Two Ayrshire Labour MPs, including Carrick MP, Sandra Osborne, voted with the SNP at Westminster against new nuclear missiles on the Clyde.

SNP politician Angus MacNeill slated Labour. “They had no problem trooping behind the Tories to vote on £30 billion more austerity cuts – which will hurt communities and families across Scotland for years to come with a policy that is simply not working. That Scottish Labour MPs support wasting another £100bn on weapons of mass destruction while foodbank use is rocketing, and more and more children are being pushed into poverty, is simply indefensible – and with their refusal to debate it’s clear that they know it too. The debate was an opportunity for MPs of all parties to oppose the moral and economic obscenity of Trident renewal.”

Brian Donohoe, Central Ayrshire MP intervened stating: “I just can’t believe what he has just said. I honestly just don’t believe, when there are submarines coming from Russia going up the Clyde right now, he’s trying to tell us that we don’t need a deterrent, that we shouldn’t have a deterrent.

An incredulous-looking Mr MacNeill responded: “It wouldn’t be the first time the honourable gentleman has struggled to comprehend matters but it’s very alarming he tells us Russian submarines are going up the Clyde. My goodness, I thought we had a deterrent. Clearly his nuclear policies are failing because they will be docking in Greenock or Port Glasgow any minute now by the sounds of things.”

Mr Donohoe was heavily criticised and lampooned on social media. A parody picture even circulated depicting him in the James Bond classic From Russia with Love. ”http://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/roundup/articles/2015/01/31/523116-mp-brian-backs-trident-renewal-/

 

 

 

 

 
February 2015: Mitochondrial Donation

In February 2015 Gemma Doyle voted against allowing mitochondrial donation, which would allow women who carried mitochondrial diseases to give birth to children who would not inherit the disease. If allowed, mitochondrial donation would be regulated by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) meaning that there would be ongoing assessment of the safety and efficacy of such procedures. An October 2014 briefing report by the HFEA, which had been investigating the issue for three years, stated that there was no evidence to show that mitochondrial donation was unsafe. However, some religious groups had said that such procedures should not be allowed. The majority of MPs voted in favour of allowing mitochondrial donation. http://skeptical-voter.org/index.php?title=Gemma_Doyle

 

 

 

February 2015: West Dunbartonshire MP Gemma Doyle attended a defence trade banquet hosted by BAE Systems

Around 40 MPs including Doyle were on the guest list for a £250-a-head gathering at the Hilton hotel on Park Lane organised by trade organisation ADS, according to information provided by activist group Campaign Against Arms Trade (Caat). Doyle attended as a guest of BAE Systems and was joined by other Scottish Labour MPs such as Margaret Curran and Brian Donohoe.

While at the London dinner, woman gatecrashed the stage and made a speech to the high profile guests which included journalists and representatives from Europe’s biggest arms companies. The woman said: “I’m here today because 1 million people in this country use a food bank, and arms dealers get to have a £246 dinner… the point of this evening is to keep military spending at a high level.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable was the most high-profile attendee, and gave a speech at the event.

When asked by the Reporter about the dinner, Doyle said: “I am a firm supporter of manufacturing and engineering jobs in Scotland and this includes jobs at the shipyards on the Clyde. I engage with local employers like BAE Systems regularly and discussed the Type 26 contract with them this week. I want to see this contract placed as soon as possible to sustain local jobs.” http://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news/roundup/articles/2015/02/13/524038-mp-attends-defence-trade-banquet-as-bae-systems-guest/

Comment: Gemma Doyle, Labour Party Shadow Defence Minister enjoy’s strong links to the ultra right wing USA financed “Henry Jackson Society” as does her husband’s friend Jim Murphy. Any liaisons involving Gemma Doyle, BAE and the aforementioned Society should be judged against their track record.

 

 

 

 

 
29 April 2015: Child poverty rife among working families -The impact of the welfare cap and other austerity measures supported by gemma Doyle

Two thirds of impoverished children in Dumbarton and the Vale live in working households. Figures provided by the End Child Poverty Campaign state that a total of 2,492 children are living in poverty — despite coming from a working family. The 2013 stats — the most up to date figures available — show the rate of child poverty is, however, much lower among non-working households. This has been attributed to government benefits.

According to the End Child Poverty Campaign, in West Dunbartonshire 1,347 children in poverty come from households where neither parent is employed. Statistics have confirmed that for the first time in the UK, more working households are living in poverty than non-working ones.

Meanwhile representatives of Lomond foodbank say they are busier than ever and are in desperate need of donations. Kirsty Tivers, from Lomond foodbank, told the Reporter: “We often find when people manage to get a job, the benefits stop before the wages come in. We have many people here who have a job but are waiting six weeks for wages, and they have to pay for travel to their job.”

Relative poverty is defined by the Scottish Government as those living on a household income below 60 per cent of the UK median income. In 2012/13 that was £13,800.

Kirsty says poverty is much more rife in the area than people believe: “We very often have young families with children. I had a young single mum in last week who had no nappies or formula for her five-month-old, so we had to ask for specific donations for her. I made her up a bag of food for herself but she wouldn’t take it. She took for the baby but she had too much pride to take for herself. “She’s recently moved into a council flat that doesn’t have an oven or a fridge yet so she can only use a microwave, which uses more electricity.

“We’ve been quiet over the Easter holidays because a lot of people said they’d be embarrassed to bring their children here, to let their children know that their parents use a foodbank.” Kirsty said she increasingly worries about the amount of pensioners she feeds on a weekly basis. She added: “Our main problem is pensioners paying for funerals for loved ones and they can’t afford to feed themselves. They’re deemed as having too much money for a state funeral and it’s leaving them without money for food.

“One woman who came to us is retired, she worked her whole life from aged 15, now she’s 70, and when she came to us she hadn’t eaten in three days. In the winter she chose heat over food. We were able to give her a snack to get her along the road with her food. She uses her kettle to heat up soup instead of the cooker. It’s ridiculous people can be treated this way.”

 

 

 

The Scottish Government recently revealed more than half a million Scots are living in severe or extreme poverty, with an annual income of less than £11,500 per annum. Of those 510,000 people, 330,000 were working adults, 100,000 were children and 80,000 pensioners.

Martin Rooney, leader of West Dunbartonshire Council, said: “The overarching challenge for West Dunbartonshire is the stubborn levels of poverty and deprivation that remain. “I believe inequality can be addressed and together we can create a better society and tackle child poverty in our area. I would like to see more investment in building social housing, supporting jobs and apprentices, as well as improving our housing stock. I want to see greater increases in the minimum wage and an extension of the living wage. I want our young people to stay on at school and get the best educational qualifications and skills to help them to succeed in a competitive jobs market.”

For anyone who wishes to donate, Lomond foodbank has a donation trolley in Balloch Coop or Iceland in Alexandria. You can also drop in with donations to St Mungo’s Church Hall, Alexandria from 10am on Tuesday. Items like nappies, tinned meat, pasta sauces and tinned pies are all desperately needed. http://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news/thisweek/articles/2015/04/29/530693-child-poverty-rife-among-working-families/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridget Harris, (former political aide to the worse than useless) Nick Clegg,  has accused the Liberal Democratic Party of ignoring women’s safety after one of the party’s peers, who was accused of sexual harassment, was allowed to campaign in a recent by-election.

Her criticism after the disgraced, Lord Rennard was photographed recently on the campaign trail for the party at a recent by-election.

Swinson and Rennard have history will be challenged to explain herself at the next Party conference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swinson To Ask The Good People of East Dunbartonshire to Forgive Her Disgraceful Betrayal  of the Electorate When A Minister in The Con-Dem Government

In 2010 Swinson was returned to Westminster as the MP for East Dunbartonshire.

Her success almost entirely due to tactical voting witnessed by the support of the media, Tory and a number of Labour supporters denying the SNP candidate an expected victory.

The outcome of the election was a hung parliament but, with the backing of the Liberals the Tory Party took up office.

So yet again Scotland had a government that it had rejected outright (80%+ voted for parties other than the Tories.)

The support of Swinson and her Liberal colleagues ushered in a Government comprised of old Etonians, corrupt businessmen and unelected peers of the realm.

The infamous Con-Lib coalition government brought with it swingeing cuts and misery and the East Dunbartonshire electorate was subjected to five years of savage cuts destroying working-class families and many of the less fortunate in society.

The end result was that the poor got poorer and the rich much richer.

Given their chance in 2015 the people of East Dunbartonshire punished Jo Swinson’s betrayal, booting her, the Tories and the labour party firmly into touch.

The SNP took up the reins of office bringing confidence to the people of East Dunbartonshire that their welfare and political desires would be faithfully represented in Westminster.

Not dismayed and without apology (she is quoted as saying she had no regrets) for her actions and the misrule of the Con-Dem government (in which she held a ministerial appointment) she brazenly announced her candidacy for the East Dunbartonshire seat in the 2017 GE.

For the record, her main residence is in Peckham, London. But (planning ahead) she retained the flat, (in East Dunbartonshire) purchased for her by the obliging taxpayers of the constituency.

The media are talking up Swinson for the East Dunbartonshire seat, but I thought the locals would be politically informed and resistant to her platitudes and promises. But I was wrong. The Unionist political Parties agreed to a pact to vote tactically and she was returned to Westminster yet again. What a bummer!!!!!

What follows is a blog setting out the political history of Swinson outlining the reasons she is not fit for office.

 

 

 

 

Swinson Comeback Confirmed – The People of East Dunbartonshire Must Be Nuts

Swinson was returned to Westminster as an MP in the June 2017 General Election and soon found her place in a much reduced Lib/Dem Party that had been firmly rejected by the wider electorate.

The Party is so short of talent that she was elected unchallenged to the post of Deputy Leader to the old pensioner Vince Cable, he of the Post Office sell-off for peanuts.

Mindful of her appalling record of support to female staff under attack from Lord Rennard she had the hard neck to attend yesterday’s meeting, with Vince Cable in Downing Street, convened by the Prime Minister to thrash out an agreement designed to provide staff employed by politicians with a safe place of work, free from sexual innuendo and abuse.

The full story of her abject performance as a mentor for women in the party is detailed below.

 

 

 

 

Swinson is a British Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for East Dunbartonshire constituency and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment relations, consumer and postal affairs. She is also a junior Equalities Minister.

She was raised in East Dunbartonshire and educated at Douglas Academy in Milngavie and the London School of Economics, where she studied Management gaining a Bachelor of Science in 2000.

She signed up as an active member of the Liberal Democrats at the age of seventeen.

After graduating, she moved to Yorkshire and worked for Ace Visual & Sound Systems in Thorne, South Yorkshire from August 2000, then in marketing and public relations with Kingston Upon Hull based commercial radio station Viking FM from December 2000.

In 2001, at the age of 21, Swinson stood as a Liberal Democrat for the Hull East constituency against John Prescott in the UK General Election and lost.

In 2003, she contested the Strathkelvin and Bearsden seat in the Scottish Parliament and lost.

 

 

 

May 2009: MPs’ expenses: Swinson submitted receipts for tooth flossier and eyeliner

Swinson, a Liberal Democrat was 25 when she was elected MP for Dunbartonshire East in 2005, she denied claiming for cosmetics but defended the use of taxpayer-funded expenses to pay for dozens of other everyday items.

At one point, she submitted a Tesco receipt for £22.67 that appeared to show that the MP or an aide went to the trouble of putting an asterisk next to three items, totalling £5.75, for which she intended to claim — a £1.75 chopping board, a “food saver” for £1.50 and a £2.50 sieve.

An Asda receipt included a bottle of Mr Sheen cleaner costing 78p and a £1.19 window cleaner.

She also claimed for a hairdryer and £16 lavatory roll holder, along with a £14.10 invoice to have a spare key cut for her cleaner.

Public concern over MPs’ expenses has focused on the petty nature of some of the claims submitted on second-home allowances, as well as the more extravagant spending of taxpayers’ money.

Swinson’s records show that she submitted receipts for items ranging in price from a packet of dusters for 29p to a television costing £544.90.

Known in Westminster for the attention she pays to her appearance, Swinson’s receipts contain a number of items relating to her personal care.

They included a “tooth flossier” costing £19.10, which the Commons fees office rejected, along with a set of “toothbrush refills”.

A few months previously, however, and in an apparent breach of the rules that prevented claims for personal items, she was reimbursed for an electric toothbrush and hair-dryer.

Also among her receipts was a £27.94 bill from Boots, which included a £5 eyeliner, a lip liner for the same price, and a £12.00 “R&M Eye Kit”.

In response to questioning, Swinson said she had not claimed for the eyeliner, suggesting that it featured on a receipt that included other items for which she did seek repayment.

No items other than cosmetics appeared on the receipt in question — it seemed to be the second of two pages, the first of which is missing.

Asked why she had regularly used the additional costs allowance, which MPs may use to fund a second home, to claim for low-cost, everyday items,  Swinson said: “None of these items would have been necessary for me to buy were I not living away from home for half of the week.

“Most of these were approved and the costs reimbursed, a couple were not and I accepted this.”

“As a new MP, my understanding was that the ACA reimbursed the costs of setting up a place to stay in London, including duplicates of the various kitchen and bathroom items that I use in my main home.”

“The receipt for Mr. Sheen and dusters was with the invoices from my cleaner.  However, I directly reimbursed my cleaner for these items and did not claim for them.”

“I am at work when she cleans my flat, so it was necessary to provide her with a key in order to get in. A television is necessary in order to follow programming relevant to my job.”

Swinson said she claimed less than the maximum food allowance of £400 a month — usually about £10 for each day she attended Parliament. (Telegraph)

 

 

 

 

January 2013: Swinson wants to decamp from Scotland to England

Rumours abound that Swinson wants to decamp from Scotland and get the Bath nomination to be nearer her husband in Chippenham. (conservativehome)

 

 

 

 

 

February 2013: Lord Rennard – allegations of sexual impropriety

Miss Smith, a senior female officer of the Party went to Swinson, the Party’s spokesperson for women and equality, who was then also the “minister for women” who agreed to investigate and to speak to other women who had also alleged Lord Rennard had behaved inappropriately.

She uncovered a very serious pattern of behaviour.

In a follow-up, Swinson told Ms Smith the problem with taking it forward was that nobody wanted to make a formal complaint.

Ms Smith said “It very quickly became quite Kafkaesque. They were saying, ‘No one wants to make a formal complaint’, and I was saying, ‘I’ll make a formal complaint,’ and they were saying, ‘That’s a shame because no one wants to make a formal complaint’.”

But who knows? There’s a quote in the Mail from an anonymous “Lib Dem insider” who spoke to  Swinson, now Equalities Minister, as long ago as 2004.

That was before Swinson, then just 24, was even an MP, though she was already a rising star in the party, famous among other things for wearing a pink T-shirt with the slogan “I am not a token woman”.

The source said: “Swinson said to me that Rennard had an issue about women but you have to put up with it if you want to get on in the party.”

The following year she became the youngest MP in the House of Commons.

heresycorner)  (capitalbay)

 

 

Alison Suttie (Cleggs Neice) Now a peer!!!

 

 

 

August 2013: Liberal Democrat leaders failed female staff

The formal inquiry into the Lord Rennard sexual harassment scandal has found that Clegg, Danny Alexander, Paul Burstow, and Jo Swinson “could have done much more” to protect Rennard’s alleged victims and investigate the claims against him.

Rubbing salt into the wounds Rennard’s niece Alison Suttie, who was accused of covering up the allegations, has just been awarded a peerage for her efforts.

The behavior of the Clegg and his executive lieutenants over the scandal shames their party and shames politics. (trendingcentral)

 

 

 

 

 

Sex scandal: Con/Dem Women’s minister Jo Swinson has disappeared?

Since the Lord Rennard scandal broke, Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson, the women’s and equalities minister, has gone to ground.

Why won’t she answer the questions she so urgently needs to, asks Cathy Newman. (The Telegraph)

 

 

 

 

July 2013: Anger as constituents pay Swinson’s Electricity Bill

As East Dunbartonshire working people, pensioners, job seekers and families struggle to heat their homes and pay for food, local Tory/Liberal Democrat Westminster coalition Minister MP Swinson has been claiming from the taxpayer to pay her electricity bill.

Swinson who has, at the lowest estimation, not including the fact she has her food paid and subsidized, an income in excess of £100k a year – claimed £569.72.

This in the face of the calls from coalition members to end the £300 winter fuel allowance pensioners receive.

Politicians and their banker pals gamble and play with our money and caused the financial crisis, but seem to be the only ones not ‘in this together’, with the rest of us suffering wage cuts and hugely increased food and energy bills. (newsforscotland)

 

 

 

 

 

Swinson and her fellow MP’s Voted against a proposed change to the Official Secrets Act – providing protection for public servants-regarding Child Sex Abuse

If the Lib Dems had voted for this, it could have passed.

Why on earth did they vote to kill it? It can’t be part of the coalition agreement. (exaronews)

 

 

 

 

 

September 2013: Swinson votes for war against the wishes of her electorate

Before the Westminster general election,  MP. Jo Swinson, espoused fine, compassionate Liberal principles and was generally applauded for her attitudes.

It is very sad that thereafter, and particularly since her elevation to the Cabinet, she forgot those principles and her compassion.

She voted with Cameron and Clegg on all of the big ones.

Principle after principle has fallen as her career and salary has taken an upward trajectory.

From University fees, through the privatization of the NHS and the lowering of taxes for millionaires and billionaires, the further impoverishment of those in poverty through the heinous welfare bill and the imposition of the bedroom tax on poor people with nowhere to move… this woman is for the House of Lords if she can topple enough of her principles to do the Tories bidding.

She is doing very well out of her support for the Tories.

But of course, the only thing that could get in the way of this plan of a job for life (something a huge proportion of her constituents will never have thanks to her Govt. attacks on workers rights) would be Scottish Independence, so she is working hard making sure she is photographed at every White Elephant, bazaar and three-legged race in her constituency.

And now her voting for war.

Like Blair and Thatcher did and look at how they did!

Looked after by their rich sponsors and never wanting for anything… Every lower-middle-class persons dream…Cameron’s shockingly badly handled attempt at forcing us to war- his Maggie moment- Jo’s Maggie moment – failed.

Reason, principle, compassion and the will of the people won.

And this and all of the dreadful compromises she made that impact terribly on peoples lives will be hers and her Rose Garden chums downfall. (plotsplot)

 

 

 

 

 

November 2013: Swinson urged to ‘show consistency’ on unpaid workers

Swinson is under fire for railing against the use of unpaid workers – despite her party offering non-paying internships.

Campaigners have called on her to show consistency on the issue – and have accused her of promoting unpaid work through her Get East Dunbartonshire Working campaign.

They also accuse her of criticizing non-paying internships while backing the governments’ workfare scheme which forces people into unpaid work.

Swinson backed a campaign against the exploitation of interns – even though it was recently shown that the LibDems are the only party offering unpaid work experience.

Ross Greer, from Bearsden, convener of Dunbartonshire Greens, said:

“Young people in Scotland are being hammered by her government’s policies and workfare is a perfect example of this. Instead of investing in the economy to create more jobs, Westminster forces our young people into unpaid work experience. This system allows companies to hold back from employing new, paid staff as they can take on these young people for no cost instead. This creates a vicious circle of lost opportunities for young people in need of real, paid employment.”

Neil Scott, also from Bearsden, spoke for the Campise SSP, saying:

“While  Swinson’s constituents pay hundreds of pounds for her heating bill we have to endure damaging policies, all coming from a Tory-led government that we did not elect. She cannot campaign against unpaid internships on one hand whilst advocating unpaid work placements on the other.” (Milngavie Herald)

 

 

 

 

 

November 2013: East Dunbartonshire MP Jo Swinson defends bedroom tax vote

A motion to scrap the controversial ‘bedroom tax’ fell short by 26 votes last week in the House of Commons.

East Dunbartonshire MP  Swinson was one of seven Lib Dem MPs who voted against the motion, helping to achieve the coalition majority.

The spare rooms subsidy has proved unpopular in East Dunbartonshire – with council chiefs and housing association bosses saying hundreds are being hit in the pocket.

The tax, introduced in April, means tenants have their benefits cut if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom.

However, a shortage of one-bedroom properties has meant many are unable to move and are forced to take the drop in income. (Kirkintilloch Herald)

 

 

 

 

 

November 2014: Will Lib Dem MPs vote for a policy that will help to close the gender pay gap?

Con/Dem Equalities Minister Swinson was asked in the House of Commons whether she would vote with Labour on the 16th December on the proposal to require big companies to publish their gender pay gap. She refused to answer.

Given that one of the first things the Lib Dems and Tories did after 2010 was ditch Section 78 of Labour’s Equality Act, which provided the power to require big companies to do this, this is not surprising.

But it was only three months before that Swinson toured the TV studios and giving quotes to women’s magazines declaring that compulsory pay transparency was now Liberal Democrat policy.

She said voluntary targets didn’t work and firms must be compelled to publish this data.

She couldn’t have been clearer, saying “Part of the answer is about employers taking responsibility for their pay policies, and analyzing any gaps that exist.

Making large companies with over 250 employees publish the average pay of their male and female staff will create transparency about the gender pay gap.

Lib Dem hypocrisy – saying one thing but voting a different way – has become their hallmark.

We’ve seen it so many times before: promising to scrap tuition fees and then trebling them, promising not to increase VAT and then increasing it, failing to back the mansion tax to pay for the NHS but standing by the cruel bedroom tax. Well, it seems now we can add another to the list – equal pay. (labourlist)

 

 

 

November 2014: All the lunatics are not locked up. Means Test the pensioners

The Business Minister has declared that wealthy pensioners should be stripped of their winter fuel allowance to fund cheaper bus fares for young people.

LibDem  Swinson said subsidizing rich pensioners’ energy bills with payments of up to “£300 [If you qualify by being over 80 and live alone]” each was hard to justify in times of austerity.

She said the cash should be used instead to help young people get to work or college with discounted bus tickets.

It didn’t occur to her that poor pensioners are dying at the rate of 200 a day in the winter because they are cold in their homes, whereas young people at work and in college are kept warm all day in their jobs or colleges because someone else is paying the heating bills there?

Perhaps even the wealthiest pensioners are more concerned about the 200 who die than is Swinson who, remarkably, is also kept warm at the House of Commons, is provided with subsidized meals and booze, and enjoys a huge salary and “Voted strongly for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits”.

No other section of our society is so vulnerable and treated so badly by Swinson and her ilk that they live in fuel poverty.

When these gas rings go off the lives of another 200 pensioners are at risk.

 

 

 

 

 

January 2015: Swinson MP: Encourage boys to play with dolls

“Boys should be encouraged to play with dolls to make them more nurturing and caring”, Lib Dem equalities minister  Swinson has suggested.

She said it would make them more likely to work in the adult care sector when they grew up.

The MP warned of a shortage of care workers in future years and said it was important to persuade more men to work in the sector.

Presumably, it’s ‘important’ to persuade more men to work in this low-paid sector – most jobs pay the minimum wage – for the same reason, it’s ‘important’ to persuade more women to work in well-paid sectors such as medicine and engineering.

I thank Swinson – also a business minister as if British businesses don’t have enough problems to cope with – for reminding me why she was such a worthy winner of a Gormless Feminist of the Month award just two months ago.

From her Wikipedia page:

She is an active campaigner against packaging of chocolate Easter eggs, and each year since 2007 has seen her attack confectionery manufacturers for what she sees as excessive packaging of the seasonal children’s treats, which generally involve a hollow egg covered in aluminium foil accompanied by a branded sweet, encased in plastic and cardboard to provide branding and protect the hollow and fragile chocolate foodstuff.

She named Guylian as the worst offender, followed by Lindt, Baileys and Cadbury.

How can anyone so mind-numbingly silly be elected not once, but twice, to parliament?

We can but hope the voters of East Dunbartonshire will have more sense than to elect her for a third term.

Maybe she could be replaced by an Easter egg, thereby sparing us from exposure to any more of her ridiculous views. (j4mb wordpress)

 

 

 

 

January 2013: What anti-business planet is naive Swinson MP (Lib Dem) on? Why does Call Me Dave agree with her?

Swinson is the Lib Dem Business Minister who is also an equalities minister.

Based on her vast experience at age 25 of the needs of a business, she has come up with a cunning wheeze to make life even more miserable for employers with yet more red tape.

Just what the company doctor ordered. And it seems that this is coalition policy.

Were the leader of the Conservative Party someone other than a pampered suit who did a brief stint in PR before becoming a professional politician, Swinson would be told where to stick her daft plans but that was before “Call Me Dave” made his party a “nice” party.

If Swinson gets her way, all employees (not just those with kids) will be able to request the right to work flexible hours and cannot be denied unless the employer can show a clear business need.

The silly woman wants employees to be able to request flexi-time to avoid the rush hour commute.

Or if they have a hobby that takes place during business hours.

What is the difference between “a clear business need” and just “mildly inconvenient” for the employer? I do not know.

We shall wait for the first industrial tribunal for constructive dismissal to find out.

And why the hell should employers suffer any inconvenience at all because someone does not like having to fight for a seat on the 6.42 or because they want to do a spot of afternoon cottaging or whippet racing? (tomwinnifrith)

 

 

 

 

 

November 2013: Lib Dem Unpaid Internship ‘Embarrassing

The Liberal Democrats have been criticized after launching a campaign to stop the exploitation of interns – despite being the only party offering unpaid work experience.

Lib Dem minister Swinson is backing the video and poster drive offering new guidance to interns uncertain about their rights.

It aims to explain to people making their first step on the career ladder what their rights are in relation to the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

It also advises what action they can take if they feel they have been exploited.

But it has been revealed that the only political party currently offering an unpaid internship is the Lib Dems.

John Leech, MP for Manchester Withington, has advertised an internship which comes without travel and lunch expenses, according to a notice on the website W4MP.

The MP says the role will “provide an opportunity for a candidate to develop their employability skills” with the job description including secretarial activities such as “diary management”, “e-communication”, “research” and “casework”.

The internship is being offered for three months full-time or up to a full year part-time. (Sky-News)

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 2015: Jo’s cab’s rank

Prudent Lib Dem MP, Swinson has been rather quick to defend her expenses over the past few years. And she has done well after the accusations of buying ludicrous things was batted off. And I quite understand, she can have a long commute to Westminster from Westerton.

So imagine my surprise to read she has needed something called “business class taxis?” Surely a mistake?

http://plotsplot.blogspot.co.uk/2015_01_01_archive.html

Parliament’s official record has Consumer minister Swinson revealing her department spent nearly £80,000 last year on “business class taxis”.

Surely a mistake. How many taxis do you know, Jo, which offer economy and business class? (The Mirror)

 

 

 

 

April 2015: Lib dem Swinson walked through the lobby with the rest of her political cronies to cut Scotland’s budget by £12 billion.

 

 

 

April 2015: Swinson MP Liberal Democrat, East Dumbartonshire

Accepted a donation of £2,000 from private optician company, Peter Ivins Eye Care.

Then voted for the Health & Social Care Act that ramped up opportunities for the private sector to profit from the NHS.

The lib Dems have also failed to oppose the NHS inclusion in a controversial trade deal with the US following Brexit. (peoplesnhs.org)

 

 

 

 

April 2015: Is Swinson’s permanent place of residence in london, near London or in East DunbartonshireDoes Swinson live?

Swinson, battling to hold on to her East Dunbartonshire seat, boasts about her local connections.

The Business Minister in the coalition government who is facing a Scottish National Party surge has sent a lawyer’s letter to a rival for suggesting she’s moved closer to London since the birth of the couple’s son in December 2013.

Despite her protests, she is jointly claiming for a home in London at taxpayers’ expense.

In fact, in the past year, they claimed £18,312, which included rent of £1,318 a month, £617 in electricity — which is high for a property if it is rarely used — and £1,768 council tax.

Their telephone bill is described in their expenses claim as for their ‘London home’. Yet the rules are clear, stating:

“Where an MP is claiming accommodation expenditure . . . the MP must be routinely resident at the property.”

Her expenses claims seem rather at odds with her boast of being a genuinely local MP, and Swinson’s legal letter denying she’s moved closer to London.

Additionally, her husband’s constituency is just over a 1-hour drive from London. Deep waters indeed. (Daily Mail)

 

 

 

 

 

Jun 2019: Swinson branded a hypocrite for taking fracker’s cash

Swinson was accused of hypocrisy after accepting cash from a fracking businessman – then vowing to save the planet.

The East Dunbartonshire MP’s website boasts that she has “campaigned tirelessly to save our environment and “took to the streets with Extinction Rebellion”.

One of her central taglines quotes: “We will build an economy that puts people and the planet first.”

But it has been revealed that Swinson accepted a £10,000 donation from Mark Petterson in July 2017 and another £4000 in January.

Petterson is a director of Warwick Energy Ltd – a firm with fracking licences across England.

Her record:

She voted against a moratorium and a requirement for an environmental permit being granted for fracking.

She rejected carrying out a review of the impact of the highly controversial technique on climate change, the environment, the economy, and health and safety.

She voted in favour of cutting the subsidy for electricity generated via renewable or low-carbon methods and against ensuring the future of the payments in 2011.

She voted against targets for the amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases produced per unit of electricity generated.

She voted against requiring the UK Green Investment Bank to explicitly support the target of reducing UK carbon emissions to 20 percent of 1990 levels by 2050.

She refused to support the completion of a cycle path in her constituency of Milngavie after complaints from motorists.

She voted with the Tories to sell the Nation’s state-owned forests.

The Scottish ­Government has imposed a moratorium on fracking over environmental fears and  Rona Mackay, SNP MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, said:

“Jo Swinson has some brass neck. She’s waving a ‘save the planet’ flag in one hand while grabbing cash from fracking companies with the other. Just a few years ago, she voted against plans to block fracking in England. Voters are questioning her political credibility. The strength of feeling against fracking in Scotland is clear – this issue really ­matters to people and their communities. So she needs to issue a full explanation to her constituents.” (The Record)

 

 

 

 

 Sep 2019: Lib Dems, the Tory’s  and other parties are close to agreeing to a General Election pact in Scotland to deny the SNP seats

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael admitted the former coalition partners and “Better Together” parties are holding talks but a formal deal has yet to be signed off.

Willie Rennie, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, insisted there was “no pact” between his party and the Conservatives – saying the Lib Dems are “opposed to Brexit and Boris Johnson and won’t be doing anything to support them”.

He also took to Twitter to deny reports that talks were “ongoing” between the parties to ensure the SNP does not have a “clean sweep” of Westminster seats.

Recalling how the Liberal Democrats had gone into a coalition government with David Cameron after the 2010 election, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Leopards – and it seems Liberals – don’t change their spots.

 

SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes said:

“The Lib Dems are showing their true colours by preparing to jump right back into bed with their old Tory chums in a pathetic attempt to stop the UK’s largest anti-Brexit party gaining traction at a general election.”

Adding:

“Let’s not beat about the bush – the Lib Dems have sold out their principles before and given the chance they’ll do exactly the same again to serve their own self-interests.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gavin Esler

 

 

Gavin Esler spent much of last year working on a BBC Radio series entitled Brits. In November, he delivered an Open Lecture at the University of Kent on the subject. This article is taken from his lecture:

There are those who believe that Britain has had its day. There are now four significant parliaments or assemblies in the United Kingdom: Edinburgh, Belfast, sometimes Cardiff, and London. The monarchy and those other great British institutions – the Military, the Churches, the National Health Service, the BBC, the nationalised industries – have been eroded or forced to change, or they have gone completely. Now we have a prospect of a common European currency and greater power going to Brussels. But is it really UK RIP?

I spent last year trying to find out. I started in the Scottish Highlands and went via Glasgow, Ibrox Stadium, Edinburgh and the new Parliament down to Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells, then over to the Welsh valleys and Northern Ireland. One thing that really struck me was how lucky we are.

 

 

 

‘Brits’ caused quite a stir when, at the beginning of last year, the Home Secretary, Jack Straw told me that in his view, ‘the English are potentially very aggressive, very violent and of course we have used that propensity to subjugate Ireland, Wales and Scotland and then we used it in Europe and with our Empire. You have within the UK three small nations under the cosh of the English. These small nations have inevitably sought expression by a very explicit idea of nationhood. You have this very dominant other nation England, ten times bigger than the others, which is self confident and therefore has no reason to be explicit about it. I think as we move into this new century,’ Mr Straw went on, ‘people’s sense of Englishness will become more articulated, and that’s partly because of the mirror that devolution provides us and partly because we’re becoming more European’.

 

 

 

 

Why did these remarks cause such a furore? Jack Straw was born in Essex. He represents a Blackburn constituency, and in many ways seems the quintessential Englishman. Yet he was called anti-English by quite a few newspapers. It may have been more politically wise to tone down some of the phrasing, but wasn’t Mr Straw merely pointing out the obvious? – that the English didn’t conquer the world just by playing cricket and having cucumber sandwiches. And the Scots or Welsh or Irish have frequently joined in this great enterprise and profited greatly from it. Complaints about the disproportionate number of Scots in the Cabinet have a history going back 200 years!

 

 

While making this radio series I would ask English interviewees to tell me the date of St George’s Day. Most people had no idea; I was even assured by one group in Tunbridge Wells that it was 17 March (St Patrick’s Day.) The only two people I met for the series who did know the date for St George’s day were Jack Straw and a columnist for the Daily Mail called Simon Heffer who then wrote articles about why Jack Straw was an idiot!

In North London I came across a counselling group of intelligent, well-educated, middle-income, left-wing English men and women. They spent some of their time, in this counselling group, discussing problems they had with their English identities. They all found it easy to think of negative stereotypes of England: the lager lout, foreigner-haters, imperialists. I reminded them that whatever their flaws, the English had, for example, started the RSPCA; they were uniquely tolerant of immigrants; and they had an extraordinary cultural history.

Jack Straw told me, ‘we should stop apologising for being English and celebrate the country’s huge achievements – the industrialisation of the world, the development of institutions, the literature, music and poetry we have brought to the world. At the same time we should recognise the downside of being English – this aggressive, jingoistic streak – and try to eliminate it’.

 

 

 

 

Some of those English people I interviewed about their sense of identity, strangely to me anyway, spoke of the United Kingdom in the past tense with a sense of loss. Britain or the United Kingdom was dead, they suggested, thanks to the Scots and the Welsh. This attitude was summed up by Sir Roy Strong who had just completed a book on the cultural history of Britain, ‘In Scotland and Wales’, Sir Roy said ‘you have the National Museum of Scotland, the National Gallery of Scotland, the National Museum of Wales, the National Gallery of Wales, but there is no National Gallery of England. You see the word English attached to very little.’

It is worth reminding ourselves of some of the reasons why the historian Norman Davies and others have concluded that Britain is ‘in a terminal phase’. Britain was an invention after the Union of Crowns in 1603, and has been re-invented repeatedly in the Union of Parliament in 1707, after union with Ireland in 1801, when the Irish Free States seceeded in 1922 and then around the Welfare State in the 1940s.

Historian Linda Colley said that what kept us together were three things that don’t seem relevant to most people now: Protestantism, Empire and War. You could add, in this century, the national industries the Coal Board, British Steel, British Rail and the great Unions. Now the nationalised industries have gone, the Unions have lost much of their power and that other glue, Socialism, which knitted together working class people from Glasgow to the Welsh valleys has also cracked apart.

There is, as we all know, no shared British football team or football league. There is no common legal system, no national British church, no national anthem. Nonetheless, I am unconvinced of the inevitability of the break-up of the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

Professor of Government at Oxford University Vernon Bogden told me, ‘Britishness is not an artificial construct, but something deeply organic. It would need more than devolution to undermine the attachment to the British state. We are the most Euro-sceptic country in the EU. That’s a sign of the organic sense of Britishness that still survives.’

What else? There is a certain nostalgia. In a British Legion Club in Cardiff a wonderful World War II veteran, Tony Jones, explained to me why he ripped up his exemption papers to fight Hitler, ‘not because I was Welsh,’ Tony Jones said, ‘but because I was British. We were defending this island – Scots, Welsh, English. We were all the same when it came to the last war.’

Britain is not unique in questioning its continuing status as a nation state. In the case of the former Soviet Union or Indonesia or Yugoslavia, ‘nation state’ means not a lot. But many other nations are re-inventing themselves in ways that do have a parallel for us. A generation ago Spain and Ireland both had appalling images of backwardness with poor, agriculture-based economies. One was a semi-Fascist dictatorship and both were bastions of traditional Catholicism.

Now Ireland, as we all know, has re-invented itself as the ‘Celtic Tiger’ and Spain has obviously thrown off the Franco image. In Barcelona where the Mayor’s office carries three flags; those of the City of Barcelona, the region of Catalonia and the Spanish national flag. The Mayor, educated in Edinburgh, suggested to me that it was a British notion that devolution meant the country would fall apart. He believed that the result would be exactly the opposite.

 

 

English Spy sent to Scotland as a fifth columnist.

 

 

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, one of the most prominent and outspoken Unionists in Labour, put it to me this way. ‘A lot of this debate is based on a misapprehension that without an institutional formula the UK could break up. But Britain exists because people want it to exist. Gordon Brown and William Hague believe that all kinds of values – fair play, tolerance, self-reliance, decency, inventiveness, enterprise, a sense of personal privacy, love of the eccentric, a sense of humour – somehow keep Britain together.

As I travelled across the country quite often I’d hear the same complaints. Too many Scots in important positions; it was unfair for Scottish and Welsh politicians to vote on issues affecting them in devolved parliaments but also to vote on issues affecting England. Disproportionate amounts of tax payers’ money was being spent on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 

 

 

 

Let me point to what I think is more important than all this: something which does keep up all together and that’s a shared sense of British culture in its wider sense. This has been reflected, it seems to me, by the Tate Gallery, which in March this year split into two: Tate Modern and Tate Britain. I suggested to Stephen Dukar who is the Director of Tate Britain that to some people Tate Britain might seem a daft idea because if Britain really is dead he has named his gallery after the corpse. He responded that it was a perfect moment to engage in a debate about what British art might mean, whether Britain was any longer a valid concept and how it was changing. He saw Tate Britain as contributing to the new debate in the 21st century about the relationships within these islands.

 

 

Modern British culture is so diverse and inventive it stretches from John Le Carré to Bryn Terfyll to Dwight York, from the Royal Opera House to your local Balti house, from Glasgow Rangers to Chelsea. Fans from Northern Ireland travel every week to football games in Glasgow, in Manchester, in Liverpool. TV sets in the Irish Republic will tune in to the BBC. Eastenders and Coronation Street, English soap operas, remain British institutions in Glasgow and Cardiff and Belfast. Even the historian Norman Davies, one of those who said that the British state was on its last legs, concedes that British culture, in its widest sense, will remain robust.

 

 

 

 

What is it that has kept the idea of Scotland as a nation alive for 400 years and does it offer a clue about Britishness? Why do most Scots, including myself (despite the fact I’ve lived outside Scotland for longer than I’ve lived in it), still feel Scottish in one way or another – despite the power of the greatest empire the world has ever known, the British Empire, despite the drift of so many Scots southwards to help run that Empire, and despite the superior cultural power of England. Each of these three smaller nations was never completely overwhelmed by England or by the British State because in some small corner of our hearts most of us retain the belief that we were still Scots too, or Welsh or Irish even when we were British. The question for the future it seems to me, is whether the idea of being British will continue to reside in some small corner of our hearts. If it does, Britain will somehow be reinvented. If it ceases to be important to us, then no matter what constitutional arrangements we make, Britain will die. https://www.kent.ac.uk/alumni/pdf/kent36.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 2010: Murray late nomination for the Edinburgh South constituency – Scandal Hit Nigel Griffiths stands down

Griffiths, who was criticised during the MPs’ expenses scandal when he claimed for a 3,600 plasma television, is eligible for a cash payment from the public purse to help him “adjust” to life outside Parliament.

Half of the payment is tax-free.

The Edinburgh MP is also eligible for a winding-up allowance designed to help with the expenses of running down a constituency office.

But news of the payment and Mr Griffiths’s new job have been decried as “unacceptable” by campaigners in the wake of simmering public anger surrounding the MPs’ expenses scandal.

Martin Bell, the former MP who has written a book on the expenses saga, said: “It is quite reasonable for an MP who leaves at the behest of an election defeat to get this payment.

But I would have thought, if they have already lined up a job before leaving office, they should not be paid the money because it has come from the taxpayer.”

It was widely predicted that Griffiths would have struggled to retain his Edinburgh South seat following a sex scandal in 2008.

The former minister allegedly had an intimate encounter with a brunette in his Westminster office.

The 54-year-old, who has been married for 30 years, later apologised for engaging in sexual activity in his House of Commons office.

He said he was ashamed of his actions, which he said fell below acceptable standards.

Griffiths told party members in his constituency that he would not be standing for re-election and would instead take up a job with an “international educational institution”.  (The Scotsman)

 

 

 

 

April 2010: Murray Campaign gets nasty early – Sign of things to come?

The 2010 General Election campaign was barely four hours old when the first serious spat erupted between Labour and the Conservatives in Edinburgh South.

Ian Murray, the Labour candidate, had distributed leaflets claiming that an incoming Tory government would put at risk a whole series of pensioner benefits, including winter fuel payments and free TV licences.

The Tories were furious, insisting that they had promised categorically and publicly, on many occasions, that they would not cut these benefits.

One senior Tory source said: “These are just wrong. We have made it crystal clear that we are not going to do these things, but Ian Murray has put them out anyway.

It is outrageous.” Mr Murray hit back yesterday by insisting he did not trust the Conservatives’ promises anyway so he was right to “pose the question” about what might be at risk if the Tories win the election.

Early warning for anyone intending to run for political office against Murray. He gets into the gutter very early on and will broadcast anything to gain advantage regardless 0f truth. (caledonianmercury)

 

 

 

September 2012: “People want entrepreneurs to earn money through hard work” The Thought’s of Chairman Murray MP

About Public spending, he said:

“Other members of the Labour shadow cabinet have put forward ideas, like shadow home office minister Stella Creasy’s suggestion of a “zero budget” spending review.  Her idea would be to put everything “on the table” in order to “reassess every single item of departmental public spending”.

In short, everything (even the NHS) would be put under the microscope. You could wonder if Creasy was speaking out of turn, or at least, not representing Labour’s stance on the economy.

As part of Labour’s business team, would Murray agree with her?

“Absolutely, if you start from a zero budget spending review, you can always work forward if you have money available. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in saying that you have to look at where your money is best spent.”

Reminded that a “zero budget” would mean that even things like the NHS would not be safe from the scalpel. Surely Labour would want to protect it?  He said:

“It is a very emotive topic, people want more money spent on the NHS and that is absolutely right.”

Does that mean Labour would keep the NHS off the table?

“It shouldn’t be exempt, on the basis of the government are spending £2bn on a top-down reorganisation on it. So if you don’t exempt the NHS and say we’re going to look at spending on the NHS, maybe you could spend that £2bn differently.”

Comment:

Wow!! In trying to ensure equality and “fairness”, how can Labour seriously encourage businesses to succeed?

Be warned, adopting as policy a comprehensive zero-based budget approach a Labour government would subject the NHS to many more years of turmoil. How sad

 

 

 

Bob Crow and his striking RMT drivers?

Does he condone the RMT  threatening strikes in order to get pay rises?

“If you feel as if you’re being done a disservice and you’re asking your staff to go above and beyond the call of duty and the biggest level you’d got is we’d scupper that, you’d use that wouldn’t you?”

Does he defend RMT tube drivers fighting for extortionate bonuses over their basic wage for work which is routine?:

“we’re talking about a few hundred pounds to some low paid workers, I don’t see what the problem is”.

The problem is that the national average salary is £26K, while a nurse starts out on £22K.  But the average salary of a tube driver is £45K!!!!!

Even a trainee tube driver starts out on near £40K. So, if he defends tube driver bonuses as “absolutely right”, what about their salaries?

He admitted, “I’m not really aware of how much tube drivers are paid”.

A London Underground official recently stated that “Tube drivers earn a fixed salary of around £45K plus benefits”.

Murray retorted: “Well, you know, salary levels for any organisation are based on what the market will provide at any time. I’m not getting into any discussion on whether they should be paid less or more. If that’s what the employer is paying tube drivers, then that’s what they’re worth.” But you’re comparing someone who has worked a long time in the tubes against a newly qualified nurse.”   (londonlovesbusiness)

Comment:

How can an employment minister not know what the average national  wage.

And a newly qualified nurse saves lives whilst a tube driver transports passengers. Surely a pay gap of 23K cannot be justified.

 

 

 

 

March 2013: The Workfare Bill

The House of Commons passed the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill, which included a clause that retroactively changed the law to prevent back payment of approximately £130 million worth of benefits that had been found by a court decision to have been wrongly withheld.

The under-noted Scottish MP’s voted against the Bill in the belief that monies owed to claimants should be made since to do so would constitute an illegal act.

All 6 of the SNP MPs: Stewart Hosie, Angus MacNeil, Angus Robertson, Mike Weir, Eilidh Whiteford, Pete Wishart.

Only 7 of 40 Labour MPs voted against the Bill: Katy Clark, Michael Connarty, Ian Davidson, Mark Lazarowicz, Jim McGovern, Sandra Osborne, Jim Sheridan (scottishelections.org)

Ian Murray’s name is not on the list. He and many of his Labour party colleagues let the poorest members of society down badly.

 

 

 

November 2013: An MP has a duty to find the most cost-effective office space available.

Murray rented an office owned by a trust fund controlled by ex-MP Nigel Griffiths.  Is that best value for the taxpayers, or was he extending the largesse?

Griffiths, (who was forced to quit Parliament in shame in 2010 after admitting cheating on his wife with a mystery brunette in the House of Commons) was paid £5,847.74 office rent by Murray. (The Mirror)

 

 

 

Ian Murray – 2012 /13 Expenses Breakdown

In addition to his £66.5k salary, he claimed £747 (the highest of any of the Lothian MP’s) for his energy bill.

He also claimed an additional £182k in expenses which include the third-highest amount of all MPs in the UK for running his Constituency Office at £26.5k.

Office expenses do not include staffing salaries which amounted to £121.5k  He employed his partner as a secretary.

Total Approximate Cost over a 5 year parliament:  £370k x 5 = £1.85million.

 

 

April 2014: Smeargate 2014 Referendum Campaign

In 2014 Murray alleged that supporters of Scottish Independence had vandalised his office.

Critics claimed there was no evidence to support the allegation and accused Murray of “smearing” Scottish nationalists.

He said his office had been plastered with pro-independence “Yes” stickers, which had been removed. (Edinburgh Evening News).

It surfaced soon after that his claims were a load of tosh.

See comments submitted by locals.:

* Murray has done himself no favours with this claim. A few stickers, if there were even stickers in the first place, could hardly be described as “completely outrageous”. It is certainly not a police matter.

* Perhaps he should remove his pro-Labour propaganda from the windows of his constituency office now he represents all the constituency not just Labour voters? He has contact details for Labour councillors but no other party in the area. Is that even legal Ian?

* You decided to move into a high profile shop on a very busy street for the simple reason to boost your profile. Don’t get too upset if someone puts a sticker on your window. Some of your constituents have to put up with far worse harassment.

* I would encourage people to check out his twitter account and the picture he put up, it is of the graffiti on the doors that have been there for several months not yes stickers.

* Own goal Mr Murray, own goal.

* Typical bluster from a minor politician. Anyone who considers this the sort of thing that needs reporting to the police (informally or otherwise) needs a serious reality check.

* I wonder did he report the much more tangible ‘vandalism’ to the front door?

* Once again shoddy journalism reporting this as SNP stickers. There was no suggestion of this and the only picture, of a solitary sticker, says ‘Yes 2014’.

* Really…12 stickers The photos I’ve seen are 1 yes only 1 sticker with YES 2014 on it.

* Mega expenses Murray can’t even get his story right. Yes, stickers become Yes flyers or Yes Scotland stickers or even SNP stickers.

* His attempt to smear the Yes campaign with unsubstantiated claims of vandalism and threats to his staff on the basis that some prankster put a couple of stickers on his scruffy graffiti-strewn front door has rebounded spectacularly.

* Surely his £181,840 A year expenses claims could have bought a pot of matching paint during the two years his constituency office door has been a mess.

* It’s just not right. Nothing can be funnier than politicians and no-one could be as offensive as the moonlighting MP. Sooner this guy capitulates from public life the better.

* His staff removed the stickers shortly after they were stuck on his office. So now we have more witnesses. What did the staff say? (Might be an idea to remove some of that grass and weeds fae under the windae anaw.)

* Murray was caught out trying to smear the pro-independence campaign, by claiming his offices were vandalised. Now that IS a serious claim. One thinks of smashed windows or paint daubed on the walls or graffiti.

* When people heard about the vandalism, they went to look and do you what readers, there wasn’t any evidence of such, in fact NOTHING. All except for a botched up paint job on the door from earlier (as in 2012) piece of actual vandalism committed by kids. You can tell its old as you can see the exact same state from Google street view. Despite all these expenses Murray can’t be bothered to get the door properly painted!

* So what was this act of ‘vandalism’ claimed by Murray? Well, he later changed his story to one where someone had placed a generic ‘Scotland 2014’ sticker on one of the windows. Yes, that’s One single sticker, he even posted a picture of it.

* Sad thing is other Labour politicians have jumped on the bandwagon, such as Curran, to slate the SNP, who have nothing to do with this. This seems a common occurrence from labour, where they roll out the smear, which turns out not to be all quite what it seems

 

 

 

April 2014: MP Ian Murray voted in favour of and defended the Con/Dem benefits cap

Critics argued the move to limit what working families, pensioners, and those on disability benefits can receive from the government would plunge hard-up families from some of the most impoverished areas of Scotland further into poverty. (johnhilley.blogspot.co.uk)

(Another view of the nonsense)

Labour insisted nobody who was entitled to benefits would be left out and added that the new measures would hold the government accountable for their actions.

A Labour Party spokesman said: “You can’t stop people getting benefits. you only qualify only if you are entitled. That’s the rules.

Commenting Eilidh Whiteford (SNP) MP said:

“The SNP voted against the welfare cap today because it piles yet more pain onto our poorest pensioners, carers, disabled people and low-income families. This cap is just a crude, blunt, instrument. It is shocking that so many Scottish Labour MPs have backed the Tories.”

Shame on you Scottish Labour:

https://crowhousekitchen.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/shame-on-you-scottish-labour/

welfare cap means more childhood poverty:

https://snookcocker.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/welfare-cap-means-childhood-poverty/

Labour supports the welfare cap:

https://kombatbadger.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/labour-supports-welfare-cap/

The word AUSTERITY was introduced to the Scottish public big time as a result of this appalling legislation which brought about great hardship.

Food banks and other charitable organisations took over the care of the nations poor from the Con/Dem government and the Labour party who had supported them in the attack on the nations sick, poor and needy.

Disgracefully the same Scottish Labour MP’s will submit their names for re-election in May 2015. Surely the electorate will deny them that privilege.

 

 

 

January 2015: Scottish Labour MPs vote to back Tory cuts

It has been revealed 28 Scottish Labour MPs (including Ian Murray) voted with the UK government for £75billion of cuts and tax rises.

Commenting, SNP Treasury spokesperson Stewart Hosie MP said:

“Labour has shown their true colours in siding with the Tories, and it shows now even more clearly that only by voting SNP can Westminster’s obsession with imposing austerity cuts – that just don’t work – be changed.

Osborne is committed to continued austerity which will hit Scottish public services and tonight he has been backed by Scottish Labour.

The Scottish Labour MPs who voted tonight with the Tories represent some of the areas which have been hardest hit by government austerity measures, and it will be ordinary, hard-working people in their constituencies who will continue to suffer.”

 

 

 

 

February 2015: Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee attacks the Labour Party for accepting support from accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

A number of Labour MPs have received more than £540,000 in research assistance from the firm in the past 18 months alone.

Ian Murray has been provided with the services of a  research assistant,    supporting him in his role at the Independent Export Commission (November 2014 – May 2015.) The total value of secondment £45,000.

Murray is researching the internal workings of “TTIP”  the much-hyped US World trade agreement which PricewaterhouseCoopers is in support of.

That suggests a conflict of interest, particularly as Margaret Hodge, the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said it was ‘inappropriate’ to accept unpaid help from the firm accused by MPs of promoting tax avoidance schemes on an ‘industrial scale’.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2943512/Labour-s-500k-help-tax-avoidance-firm-Party-urged-stop-taking-advice-company-accused-controversial-schemes.

 

 

 

 

April 2015: If zero-hours contracts are so bad, how come 68 Labour MPs Employed Staff on Them?

Ed Miliband blasted David Cameron and big business over zero-hours contracts – and pledged to stick up for ordinary workers who are being “exploited.”  Speaking in Yorkshire, the Labour leader raged:

“Less than a week ago, you may have heard the Prime Minister say that he couldn’t live on a zero-hours contract. Well, I couldn’t live on a zero-hours contract either. I’ve got a simple principle – if it is not good enough for us, it’s not good enough for you and it’s not good enough for Britain. “That’s the way I will run our country. One rule for all.”

But there was one small problem for Ed. It was revealed by the pay and expenses watchdog IPSA that a large number of Labour MPs employed workers on “zero-hours” contracts.

A damning list of 68 (nearly a quarter of the Labour parliamentary party) included Ed Balls, Lucy Powell, Karen Buck, and Ian Murray.

Labour insist their MPs only use the casual contracts to hire interns or students on flexible deals.

But Steve Turner, Unite regional officer, said last year:

“Parliament passed the laws that are supposed to protect pay and conditions. “Our MPs ought to be upholding them, setting a high standard for employers.” (The Sun)

 

 

 

November 2014: Commons-Hansard – Zero Hours Contracts Bill – Second Reading

Ian Mearns (Gateshead) (Lab): Today, I am fighting for the same thing that people of every generation have fought for: the right to decent and secure conditions and terms of employment.

It is not a great ask. A well-paid and steady job is the bedrock on which people build their lives.

It is the starting point for planning for the future, and the platform of stability needed to pay the bills, meet the rent, pay the mortgage and start a family.

Those are not extravagances, but the minimum that should be available to any person who is prepared to work to pay their way in a wealthy nation such as ours. Yet that stability and security is denied to millions of workers in this country.

Increasingly, people are finding themselves plagued by job insecurity, not knowing from one day to the next whether they will be working or earning.

In recent years, the rise in the number of those feeling insecure at work is worrying. Nowhere is that clearer than in the explosion in the use of zero-hours contracts.

As recently as last year, the coalition was claiming that slightly more than 200,000 people were employed on zero-hours contracts.

The true figure, as revealed by the Office for National Statistics, was in fact seven times higher than Government Ministers admitted – a staggering 1.4 million people engaged in zero-hours employment contracts.

Ian Murray (Edinburgh South) (Lab): Although unemployment has gone down in this country, the tax-take to the Treasury from income tax has stayed flat, despite the Treasury predicting a huge increase. That shows that we have under-employment and a massive explosion in zero-hours contracts.

Double standards Mr Murray. You are guilty as charged employing staff on zero-hours contracts yourself.

Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): To be perfectly honest, I must say, and we need to get this on the record before the clock counts us out, that it is a bit rich for the Labour party to come here en masse to pretend that they are massively opposed to zero-hours contracts, when if one believes what one reads in the press – I am one of those who does, rightly or wrongly – it appears that some of the worst offenders are not only Labour councils, but Labour MPs.

I do not know whether any of those in the Chamber wants to fess up today, but perhaps those who skulked out quietly at the start of this debate are the guilty parties. (Ian Mearns)

 

 

 

April 2015: Labour MP breaks ranks over Trident

Murray said he had a “different view on Trident” to the ­Labour leadership and also suggested he would be prepared to vote against his own party on the issue in the House of Commons.

The shadow minister, who was seeking re-election as the MP for Edinburgh South, is thought to be the first member of Miliband’s front bench team to deviate from the official Labour line of being fully committed to renewing Trident.

When asked whether he would be prepared to face being sacked from Labour’s front bench for voting with the SNP against Trident, Mr Murray said: “I’m more than happy to cross that bridge when we come to it.”

The Labour politician said it would be “bonkers” if he allowed concerns about being in the same House of Commons lobby as the SNP on the Trident issue to dictate his position, which he insisted was a matter of principle rather than party loyalty.

He said: “I have a different view on Trident. The party ­position is the party position. I’ve made it clear that I wouldn’t support it [Trident].” (The Scotsman)

 

 

 

January 2015: Angus Robertson SNP Called for the removal of nuclear weapons from Scotland and abandonment of the proposed Trident replacement.

On conclusion of the debate, a vote was conducted.  35 MP’s voted with Angus Robertson in favour of cancelling the Trident replacement. Murray failed to vote. So much for being anti Trident.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmhansrd/cm150120/debtext/150120-0003.htm#15012058001018

 

Scottish Labour immediately leapt on the article and demanded Mr Hay be sacked as the candidate, less than two weeks before the election.

It is not possible to replace a candidate at such a late stage – many voters had already voted by post – and if applied would have handed the seat by default to the Labour candidate, Ian Murray

As it unravelled the story turned out to be an absurd, massive exaggeration and misrepresentation of reality.

But it also exposed a level of naked, shameless dishonesty and hypocrisy in Scottish Labour, and in particular its deputy leader Kezia Dugdale.

Below is an extract from  First Ministers Questions in which the issue was discussed.

In it, we hear Ms Dugdale repeat the accusations and assert that Mr Hay had, “described the majority of Scots as traitors”.

But that allegation is a total falsehood. The Scottish Sun tracked down the offending tweet from Mr Hay’s pseudonymous (now deleted) account and it says no such thing.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q7ajGqn-Kw

Kezia Dugdale’s hysterical, overblown attack on an SNP candidate over two-and-a-half-year-old joke tweets calls her own judgement into severe question.

Full mucky story:   http://wingsoverscotland.com/a-serious-case-of-hypocrisy/

Newsreader comments:

The discrepancies between Mr Hay’s ACTUAL tweets and the statements being made in Mr Maddox’s articles really beggar belief.

I imagined that Maddox was building up to the point when a ‘smoking gun’ is revealed – but no, just more innuendo.

Regardless of one’s politics, surely we can expect better from this newspaper? Perhaps not!

However, given the current journalistic focus here on associating with companies in the tax and wealth management business, perhaps the Editor might consider this worthy of publication?

Personally sick of Project Smear and now seriously annoyed.

Will now vote for him even if the Evening News reveals that his principal pastimes are strangling kittens and robbing old ladies.

This muck-spreading has gone too far.

I don’t claim to be morally superior, but neither do I spend my time scrabbling in the dirt.

What has the Edinburgh News been offered to so debasing their professional integrity to run nudge nudge, tripe like this, OK labour spin what’s next, he parked on a double yellow line when picking up a fish tea? Farted in an elevator? Forgot his PIN number had to call his bank and brought down the entire banking system, we deserve to be told!

 

 

 

 

But square the foregoing with the under noted posted by Fifi La Bonbon, (aka Kezia Dugdale) who at the end of April 2015 made a tremendous fuss in Parliament attacking Mr Hay, demanding the SNP disown him.

The 2014 referendum:

Fifi la Bonbon: I oppose giving the vote to children, but not because of paedophile hysteria, but because they’re too daft to vote.

How would publishing younger people’s details on the electoral register be of any benefit to a paedophile ?

What is the paedophile “danger” these “experts” are exercising their gums about?

Would a paedophile look up the details of someone apparently aged 15, and then write to them to ask if they would like to see some puppies?

Her views that 15-17-year-olds are too daft to vote will be extremely offensive to the younger members of Scottish society trusted by the SNP to vote in the referendum and any future Scottish Parliamentary Election.

The Deputy Leader of the Labour party in Scotland should follow her own advice and resign before the so-called, “daft youngsters” get the chance to punish her by voting her out of Holyrood in 2016.

https://caltonjock.com/2015/04/24/kezia-dugdale-or-is-it-fifi-la-bon-bon-the-latter-is-unfit-for-politics-if-the-latter-is-the-former-she-is-unfit-for-the-office-of-deputy-leader-of-the-labour-branch-office-in-scotland/

 

 

 

May 2015:  History made in Edinburgh…. but Labour hold onto one seat

Labour’s Ian Murray narrowly held on to Edinburgh South, where SNP candidate Neil Hay was caught up in a manufactured social media scandal about a perceived insult to elderly people that his colleagues said cost him many votes.

This was a campaign conducted in the gutter by a Labour Party desperate to hold onto power, by any means, in South Edinburgh. (The National)