Picture the scene: 30 November 2009, St Andrew's Day events all across the country kick off, there's tartan as far as the eye can see, you have a nice warm glow from a nip of whisky (or 3) and you sit down to watch a debate on independence with Highland Cathedral humming somewhere at the back of your mind.
In such circumstances, Alex Salmond going up against Iain Gray in discussing Scotland's constitutional future would surely be a home fixture so I was initially baffled as to why the First Minister has turned the leader of the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament's offer of such a debate down.
From The Times:
A spokesman for the First Minister did not take the bait and said that Mr Salmond’s diary for St Andrew’s Day was already full and that his sights were set on a UK general election debate with Gordon Brown.
Fair enough, I can well imagine Salmond will be popping up at many a venue on 3th November. Is there really time to have an elongated FMQs session with Iain Gray?
I suspect there are further reasons for giving the debate a bodyswerve. Do the SNP really want independence to be top of the agenda going into the UK election? Though the main reason for denying Gray the debate is surely that the popular SNP don't want to assist Gray in removing his obscurity handicap and promoting his status towards that of Salmond's.
After all, even at the Labour conference, there is a question mark over how prominent a speaking slot Iain Gray has been given. Will he be sharing a platform with Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy? Will his speech make it into the news? We shall see.
But in terms of an independence debate, Gray has been denied and, although I'm a little bit disappointed as it would have been a great event, Salmond's practical and political reasons for turning the offer down are understandable.
Labour are playing a dangerous game with Murphy and Gray adopting a semi-'Bring it on' stance but only with debates and not on referendums. The mixed signals could do them some damage in the longer term. You can have a one-on-one debate on St Andrew's Day 2009 but not a full public debate and vote on St Andrew's Day 2010. Does that stack up?
So no debate in Bovember but it's not like there won't be plenty of other occasions to immerse one's self in, maybe the SNP should send Gray a programme...?
SNP Tax
11 minutes ago
7 comments:
Isn't St Andrew's Day the day he's meant to be launching the Referendum White Paper? If he didn't do that, the Unionist parties would be all over him like a rash, accusing him of grandstanding.. I realise he can do more than one thing a day, but I'm guessing he's already been booked for months to go to various St Andrew's Day events and National Conversationy things.
It's a good idea from Gray, but he would have known that of all the days left this year, that's probably the worst; was he hoping Eck'd turn him down?
Iain Gray was on Radio Scotland just now saying Salmond won't go up against him because the FM is washing his hair that day. He also said 'I am not against' (an independence referendum). The only problem seemed to be having it 'in the middle of a recession'. A recession that will be over by the end of the year.
Game on for Nov 2010?
Have to applaud Salmond for keeping Gary on the backfoot, the reality is that Salmond is liekly to take Gray's scalp beofre any likely refernedum with murmurs of discontent growing amongst Gray's MSP colleagues and a general air of despair at each FMQ's/
Sycophants like Yousuf might think Gray is doing well, the majority of others I believe do not in their heads and hearts think Labour and Gray specifically are doing anything.
Isn't there going to be a debate anyway with the introduction of the bill?
Gra's grandstanding is hilarious, a bit taming the shrew.
Anyone watching Gray at the conference right now? He's actually delivering his speech quite well. Much better than his usual delivery.
I wonder if this is his biggest ever crowd?
Decent try by Gray, but Salmond's much too canny to fall for it.
"Do the SNP really want independence to be top of the agenda going into the UK election?"
Well, why not? Post devolution, what is there really for Scottish people to vote for at Westminster elections. Salmond isn't going to have his referendum, so why shouldn't he at least turn the next general election into a de-facto referendum on the union. Let the scottish people chose between Thatcherite government of diferent hues, or a return to nation-hood and government by shared values.
If Salmond gets 30 Scottish MP's, those independence discussions would begin the day after the Westminster Election.
By the way, Gray was completely cringworthy this morning on GMS.
酒店經紀人,
菲梵酒店經紀,
酒店經紀,
禮服酒店上班,
酒店小姐兼職,
便服酒店經紀,
酒店打工經紀,
制服酒店工作,
專業酒店經紀,
合法酒店經紀,
酒店暑假打工,
酒店寒假打工,
酒店經紀人,
菲梵酒店經紀,
酒店經紀,
禮服酒店上班,
酒店經紀人,
菲梵酒店經紀,
酒店經紀,
禮服酒店上班,
酒店小姐兼職,
便服酒店工作,
酒店打工經紀,
制服酒店經紀,
專業酒店經紀,
合法酒店經紀,
酒店暑假打工,
酒店寒假打工,
酒店經紀人,
菲梵酒店經紀,
酒店經紀,
禮服酒店上班,
酒店小姐兼職,
便服酒店工作,
酒店打工經紀,
制服酒店經紀,
酒店經紀,
菲
梵,酒店,
Post a Comment