Alex Salmond's Speech

Simply fantastic. He pitched it perfectly and his leadership qualities were there for all to see, the party faithful even giving him a standing ovation before he'd uttered a word.


To quote my brother who just texted me: "I can't say exactly what it is, but he makes me sit here, in a candy floss distant gaze , thinking of how good Scotland could be if we shut up and gave it a go"



My brother voted Tory in May.

The Independence Generation

I've just watched Nicola Sturgeon's speech. It was pretty good even if it was a shame that Brian Taylor and some commentators gave the game away a wee bit about what was going to be said. I've never been too sure about the logic behind leaking your best lines if you want your speech to make maximum impact.

Anyway, Nicola touched on the Commonwealth Games and reduced NHS waiting times. She reinforced how Scotland are against nuclear weapons and how excited the Government are at potentially bringing the Commonwealth Games to Scotland. There was plenty of back-slapping but not so much so as to be unattractive. Best of all, there was a direct challenge to Wendy Alexander to back the SNP's plans to scrap prescription charges, suggesting Labour would lose their claim on the NHS as their baby if she didn't.


I did have one note of concern (I don't want to be one of those one-way tupthumping SNP bloggers, especially in this week when everyone else will be.) My concern stems from Nicola's finish, I thought she looked a little bit flat, almost apologetic which made me think she had perhaps put a word or phrase out of place.


I guess time will tell as opposition parties will be all over her speech like a rash (rashes that are now less likely with Sturgeon as Health Minister) but my best guess was her referring to the "National Conversation on Independence"


I believe the SNP's national conversation was created in order to discuss all potential constitutional approaches for our country and assess which is the best way forward. There was criticism levelled at the Nationalists as it was suggested that they wouldn't listen to any suggestions other than independence. So, perhaps Nicola's wording above would allow that criticism to continue and perhaps even with good reason.


Other than that, the speeches I've seen so far (Nicola's included) have done little other than back up what has been a spankingly good 6 months for the SNP since May.

Nationalism Rules OK

Well, what a week of sporting achievements for the UK!

Scotland's nonsensical bossing of Group B in the Euro 2008 qualifiers continues as they beat Ukraine with relative ease. I don't know what was more bizarre, seeing us go up 2-0 within ten minutes or the state of the group after the game when we were 5 points ahead of France with 2 games to go.

And England's equally baffling heroics in the Rugby World Cup gathers pace with a great display against France. A young 10 year old pundit on the BBC summed it up well: "I enjoyed the first 5 minutes, and the last 5 minutes. But the time in between I was a little bit nervous".

But the special mention has to go to the Argentinian squad, not for their rugby which was decidedly average but rather for their national anthem. A group of 16, 17 stone men having had a lifetime of having their heads bashed in and bodies broken were shaking with the emotion of the moment as they lined up for their national song. Lips quivered and eyes moistened as pride swelled the lungs of these modern day matadors. This wasn't just another game of rugby. For the Argentinian 22, this semi-final meant the world.

Now, I may be oversensitive to such things. For example, on the (very) odd occassion that I watch the X-Factor and those Irish tones say the dreaded words "I'm sorry, you're goin' home", I stoop to a blubbering mess wailing "Why Louie, why!?. She's wanted this since she was a little bai-ai-ai-rrrn!".

But even still, my thoughts couldn't be halted upon being moved by these highly charged and highly emotional South Americans. Is rampant nationalism really so harmful when it is channelled into a force for good? Few could argue that the unbridled passion that was shown on Sunday night can only be a positive energy.

So maybe next time a unionist MSP likens the SNP to Hitler or Xenephobes, we should think instead of those passionate Argentinians and wonder: Will O Flower of Scotland ever really have the same effect on our countrymen? And if not, why not?

Advice for Gordon

People are lining up to smack Gordon Brown down at the moment. And much like popping bubble wrap, it's not the kind of thing you would tire of quickly.

But despite this, I would like to advise Gordon of the best foot forward from this dastardly mess he finds himself in. Now clearly I can't do this because I don't know the guy or, more pertinently, he doesn't know me, so instead I shall just write my thoughts down here as ever.


Basically, Gordon, you need to do nothing.


Simple as that. You need to be the most boring, unremarkable Prime Minister we've had in decades.

I always thought that would be your tactic after you shuffled into number 10 on that rather anti-climatic day. Instead you have adopted something of a charm offensive and it had seemingly been going rather well but now, the recent spinning and heavy-handed political overtones has undone all your good work. We're tired of the games Mr Brown, so tired of it we could scream.

So, with no election until 2009, you don't need a big announcement, you don't need to blow us away with some amazing policy to make us forget your embarrassing past week. Just manage the country, keep the economy going as best you can, get the troops back as quickly and safely as you can without being irresponsible, try to calm down the public spending or at least tailor it more efficiently and, for goodness sake, make sure you don't screw up the Olympics budget or bring in silly ID cards.

Honestly, on a level playing field you will trounce David Cameron. You may be behind on points at the moment but it's a long game and the mismatch of the flyweight vs the heavyweight will tell as the rounds pass by.

And anyway, if Scotland thump Ukraine tomorrow and England hammer France in the rugby, you'll have nothing to worry about in the short term let alone the medium to long term.


So just stop trying so hard and enjoy the moment a bit more. It will be David Cameron's turn to screw up sooner or later.

Having confidence in one's convictions

I have just read a new story relating to Northern Rock and was somewhat surprised to see the share price at £2.59. It was not so long ago that it was sitting down at the £1.20 mark.

I say "somewhat surprised" as I remember thinking that the shares were an absolute bargain about a month ago. If I had any knowledge on buying shares I definitely would have went for some. And a 100% opportunity profit later, I'm now gutted I didn't!


If only I'd known the astute Alastair Darling had his money where his mouth was, I might have been just a little bit braver.....

Excellent News!

It was widely expected but it's great to see Al Gore (jointly) win the Nobel Peace Prize.

I watched An Inconvenient Truth at a time when I was aware of the problem of global warming without actually knowing any of the detail. I can safely say the film not only educated me on areas that I really should have known more about at the time but the film was also the primary motivation for me to genuinely recycle more than the odd plastic bottle, switch to energy saving bulbs and (almost) always leave the lights off and tv unplugged before heading out.

It may not sound like much when I put it like that but let's not forget Al Gore has performed his presentation tirelessly around the world for years and most of those who have not seen it firsthand will have the dvd readily available for them. Basically, my insignificant efforts replicated all over the world is the change the planet will need to reverse the habits of the past 200 years or so.


Yes, there are many who like to knock Al Gore for some of the content in his presentation. I am not even close to being qualified enough to comment on that. But, similar to those who only have negative things to say about Bob Geldof, Jamie Oliver and others who are clearly striving to make the world a better place, I like to think the greatest of awards for Al Gore is a solid recognition of the change a single person can make and an encouragement for the world to be more positive in these days when cynicism is running rampant.

Of Mice and Men

It's maybe somewhat late in the day to be posting about the sleekit, cowrin, timrous Gordon Brown, the panic in his breastie and his greedy clunking fists getting caught in the election cookie jar but I thought I’d take a spin on the proceedings from Alex’s point of view. Yes, I know Gordon has spun this story enough for all of us but indulge me if you will.


Many I know who are not of the SNP persuasion (bless them Salmond, they know not what they do) were highly amused by Alex’s choice of words when he labelled Gordon the Big Feartie from Fife. I was similarly tickled and, while I’m on delightfully childish name-calling, I also happened to like Boris’ “big girl’s blouse” offering. All good phrases to pinpoint the message that Gordon Brown, perhaps, is not the conviction politician he would like us to believe he is.

But back to Alex. Sometimes in life the gloating when your opponent is stuttering is only really at its most vocal after the event has taken place. I guess the political playground isn’t so far off from the football terraces when chants such as “you’re not singing any more” and “Champions League, you’re havin’ a laugh” only really tend to take off in injury time.

Make no mistake, Alex would not have enjoyed an election this autumn one little bit.

Reasons? Yes, I have a few:


The SNP are enjoying a truly splendiferous honeymoon period at the moment. A honeymoon period so consistent and extensive that one has to entertain the very real possibility that there could be rose-tinted anniversaries with a loving electorate for years to come. So why would they want this lovely state of affairs to be jeopardised by a UK election? The polls would be doing cartwheels over the odd word here and the occasional bit of skulduggery there. And the only people who don’t like such reckless tomfoolery with the electorate’s views are those that are perched at the top.

Let’s not forget, the SNP will always poll poorly in Westminster elections relative to Holyrood. The Nationalists would not have wanted their high polling position to seemingly be on the decline in the eyes of a non-savvy public.

Further to this, an election campaign would probably take the heat off Wendy Alexander who, by almost all accounts, has had a bit of a shocker since she was coronated Queen of Scottish Labour. I can honestly say I am surprised and even a little disappointed by her poor performances. (Damn, I very nearly kept a straight face as I typed that).

And my last reason is a rather simple one but perhaps fundamental to why Alex Salmond would want The Feartie to stay on longer in his role as Our Dear Leader. I believe Alex is hopeful that the Tories can defeat Labour at the next election and this would go a long way to assisting the independence cause. Yes, sometimes even the aimless rantings of an opposition whose toys have left the pram actually hit the mark.

So the SNP would prefer the Tories were back in power but all the indications were that that wasn’t going to happen this autumn. OK, we had a mini silly season with the conferences and Gordon Brown dropped the ball a little bit and of course the Tories got a big bump the weekend after their leader’s great speech. But a swing large enough to oust a highly competent and energetic UK Labour government? Not likely. It’s just lucky for them that a hung parliament was possible enough for Gordon to adopt a familiar prudent approach.

So Labour had this one in the bag. And if the SNP honestly thought Alex Salmond would have beaten Gordon in “his own backyard” they wouldn’t have leaked the story before the event. They merely hoped it would contribute to the increasing burden of risks that would cool Brown’s apparent election fervour.

It may have worked, it may not have worked. But I am pretty sure the biggest feartie in the past month was actually from Banff and Buchan.

Game Over

"You skipped a 3 month fandango

turned cartwheels at the fore

Inside you felt kinda seasick but the polls called out for more

The room was humming harder as you got carried away

When you called out for an election, the media did the same

And so it was that later, as Cameron told his tale

that your face, at first just ghostly,

turned a whiter shade of pale"

Hitting the ground moaning

Despite it being only October, Nicola Sturgeon must surely win quote of the year with this gem from the Chamber today:



"This is a government that hit the ground running - what we've just heard is an opposition that hit the ground moaning and hasn't stopped."

That must be the footballing equivalent of an audacious 30-yard strike away from home (any excuse to see it one more time!)

With unexpected thanks to the Midlothian Advertiser for getting the story up before most

Robbed!

No, I'm not talking about the Botticelli (the thieves of which have now been found).

I'm referring to Dnipro who were mugged by 11 Aberdonians last night.

Nevertheless, such a 'crime' means a hat-trick of frankly astonishing results for Scottish football teams in Europe after Rangers 3-0 thrashing of Lyon and Celtic seeing off the Champions League holders AC Milan last night.


Is there no end to the SNP's magic touch? ;)

The One That Got Away?

Ok, let's get one thing straight before we kick off here. Giving a good speech is not akin to leading the country well. OK? Good.

Tony Blair gave good unflustered barnstorming speeches but had some well-known fundamental flaws in how he governed.

Gordon Brown usually looks like he'd rather be anywhere else when communicating with the masses but has got off to a great start as leader.

Of course, there are some people who fail rather dismally in both areas.


Anyway, yes, despite the above protestation, I can humbly admit that this is my grudging admission that David Cameron had a bit of a stormer yesterday. I hasten to add it would take a miracle before I'd put a cross next to his name.

The reason for my rather troubled feelings surrounding this good performance is not due to a love of Brown over Cameron. In one (rather perverse) way I actually would rather enjoy seeing a surprise Tory victory as I think the SNP could only benefit from it in many ways, not just in their tireless quest for Scottish Independence.

But no, the reason for my dissatisfaction is that I think there is now a good chance that our nervous Labour leader will be thinking that the risk of actually losing a November election outwieghs the risk of looking like a wimp by not having one at all this year. After all, the Electoral Commission have thrown up the perfect excuse to have the election later rather than sooner as the infrastructure and manpower to have a UK election just isn't in place. One of those "I'd love to, but it's out of my hands" excuses.

So, as Brown crunches the electoral figures and sees his 13-point lead slip back to a level that he can count on his fingers, so too does this psephologist see this once upcoming election perhaps being kicked into the tall grass.

I guess we'll just have to look to America 2008.