I have found this storm over Alex Salmond's choice of Christmas card really quite remarkable and not a little bit depressing. For a start, moving away from the Santa and Rudolph consumerism of the festive period is to be welcomed but the artwork on the final card that was chosen is stunning as far as I am concerned.
I would say that as there is a pleasing resemblance to my personal favourite print, Banksy's Girl with the Balloon (below) so to criticise Gerald Burns' artwork is bizarre as far I'm concerned.
The accusation that Salmond has politicised Christmas is part of a growing trend for everything to be reduced to a petty level, and I do mean all parties for that. I personally find it as depressing for Labour to be facing an enquiry for having a few barbecues as it is for the SNP to be facing an inquiry for trying to reduce class size.
Maybe that's par for the course for the run-up to elections, the trivial supercedes the crucial but it's still a sad day when artwork is put on the front page of a nation's main newspaper along with the title 'Politics and Whine' and a needlessly stringent criticism of its merits. So much for backing our most talented sons and daughters!
On the back of Iain Gray calling the Culture brief a 'non job' we now have The Scotsman reducing Gerald Burns' fine artwork as a "visual muddle" and "arty sham" resulting in a "dodgy political message".
Was the Scottish artist up for the Turner Prize or something? So much for tis the season to be jolly.
And anyway, I don't know how Salmond's choice of card is any more political than Iain Gray's. I think it's very nice of the Labour leader to have chosen a youngster's card to use as his message of goodwill but there is arguably a coded message that comes with it, that Labour's on the side of the kids.Which is fine, I mean, who cares, it's Christmas. And anyway, I won't have a bad word said against that picture on Salmond's card. The little girl in it is in my nephew's class at school....!
21 comments:
It looks damned chilly where that wee lassie is.
She is perhaps in need of a tax payer funded marquee to warm herself in.
From the authors of "British Jobs for British Workers", an empty jingoism included in a Prime Ministerial adress and so low as to be adopted by the BNP, and "A union Flag in Every Garden" to celebrate "Britishness day", the comments today from unionists about a Happy Bithday Jesus card from the FM look ludicrous and frankly obsessive.
Both Labour and the Tories chose to describe themselves in 2007 on the ballot paper under fictitious descriptors registered with the Electoral Commission, as no actual organisations with those names were registered with the electoral commission for financial regulation, as fronts for London based organisations. Both use the Saltire heavily in their campaign PR.
Hardly a day goes by when Brown or Cameron are not back-dropped by a Union Flag, with or without a war grave mis-appropriated for low spin and a self-paid photo opp. And we now have to endure Unionists complaining about an Xmas card?
Oh please.
And a bit unrelated, but not totally, given we are on Unionist spin and uber spin, on the subject of Montague Burton and the Universality of Cheese, if I may.
I posted on here last week that I found what was happening, and happened, chilling and odious. And I was rebuffed.
I hope a few people, having digested Joan MacAlpine in the Sunday Times this weekend and alot of other commentary, and having got over the cheap and immediate PR effect and miniscule political ramifications of a largely invented non-story written by a News of the Screws author with an axe to grind, will now spare a thought for a decent, highly educated, engaged, civically outstanding indvidual who has been thoroughly done up.
A personal blog, born and posted in relation largely to other cyber forums where robust abuse was the norm, taken out of context, mis-portrayed totally as an active smear effort, used to vilify an individual who was doing a huge amount of good for his community and whose personal character and contributions seem a tad ahead of his tabloid executioners .
and this, by the likes of Foulkes, who thinks casual fascist references are funny and Moffat who thinks Hitler gags are witty. And by the likes of the News of the World.
The Three Wise Cracks...
SNP Christmas cards
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8400349.stm
SNP Christmas parties
http://www2.jpscotland.co.uk/steamie/2009/12/david-maddox-currying-favour-at.html
SNP Cookery Books http://www2.jpscotland.co.uk/steamie/2009/12/david-maddox-kitchen-cabinet-secretary.html.
How the most trivial and banal can be turned into anti-SNP spin.
I'm trying to be really objective about alleged anti-SNP media bias, but when trash like this appears on leading TV news and newspapers, it's hard not to believe the charges.
I must be missing something as I cannot see what a wee lassie holding a flag can have fascist tendencies. I think the nutters peddling this rubbish need to be sectioned. In the 1974 election we had 'reds under the beds' in 2009 - 'dangerous cybernats and subliminal Christmas cards'.
'I personally find it as depressing for Labour to be facing an enquiry for having a few barbecues as it is for the SNP to be facing an inquiry for trying to reduce class size.'
Hear, hear!
'And anyway, I don't know how Salmond's choice of card is any more political than Iain Gray's. I think it's very nice of the Labour leader to have chosen a youngster's card to use as his message of goodwill but there is arguably a coded message that comes with it, that Labour's on the side of the kids.'
I'm confused by this. I was under the impression that it is extremely common for MSPs to hold a Christmas card-designing competition for the local schools in the constituency? In fact, I had assumed this was the norm. Nothing unusual about Iain Gray doing this, surely...?
I think the pic Salmond chose is very evocative and beautiful, but personally, I find it quite sombre, bordering on sad...not what I would choose for Christmas. Matter of taste, I guess.
Anyway, if they have any sense, Labour will stay out of this card row as much as possible. I mean, you can't accuse the SNP of making trifling accusations re BBQ/marquee and then do the same thing re a Christmas card...
I REALLY REALLY hope this week's FMQs isn't going to degenerate into: 'You've used public money to have a BBQ.' - 'Well, you're obsessed with independence, as we can see from your Christmas card...' etc etc etc ad infinitum
I personally find it as depressing for Labour to be facing an enquiry for having a few barbecues...
I'm happy for the Labour party to have as many barbecues as it likes what I don't want is for Local Authorities to donate to Labour fund-raisers.
It's evidence of the way the one-party Labour state in Central Scotland has blurred the lines between local authorities and the Labour party.
Over the last 10 years East Lothian has donated about £7000 to Labour and that's the only donation that's come to light so far. It's against the rules for a local authority to donate money to a political party and it's against the rules for a political party to accept such a donation without checking it is legal or declaring it with the Electoral Commission.
The Libs', Labs' and Cons' complaint that the Saltire on the Christmas Card is political may be petty but it is a symptom of a much deeper malaise.
You only object to a symbol or flag as, "political", if you don't identify with it. If you have no sense of ownership over that flag and have no kinship with what it represents.
The dislike of the Scottish National flag on the Christmas Card is a clear admission by the all three opposition parties that they neither identify with the Saltire nor with what it symbolises and regard it as belonging to the enemy of both their British identity and of their political power.
I can't actually think of any other country where the Government would come under fire for including the national flag on a design for a Christmas card. It's a story that has disappeared fairly quickly from Ceefax and dropped off the news as the BBC and the others realise how damaging it is to the opposition in Holyrood.
It wasn't Labour having a few barbecues it was East Lothian Council allowing the Labour Party to use council facilities to fund raise.
I know we are all supposed to be being nice these days but I think that's going just a tad over the score.
Are we all supposed to just bend over backwards and allow them to break every rule in the local government book because Montague Burton called someone a bad name?
Deary me.
Look at the coverage in the Herald of the Christmas card. It says ''some'' are calling it Stalinist ''some'' are calling it Stalinist propoganda. So the headline is that the Christmas card has been branded Stalinist.
Considering that Stalin killed more people than Hitler I find that a tad offensive. Especially as the ''some'' who have branded a Christmas card Stalinist have not been named.
Frankly compared to the MSM Montague Burton was an amateur in nastiness, he wasn't even in the same ball park.
But hey let's not rock the boat.
For sure, everywhere I go, people in queues, on the bus, in the pub, at the supermarket checkout are talking about the First Minister’s Christmas cards. The unemployed in Scotland will be pleased to see Labour working so hard for them.
But I was sure that Labour told us that there was no time for constitutional discussions. No time for a referendum. No time for anything. All time and effort was to be expended on, well I though, joblessness and economy.
Clearly I misheard or misunderstood. All their effort is to be concentrated on criticising a Christmas Card.
Good job there guys. You are worth every halfpenny we pay you!
Heaven forbid that everything will be seen through the prism of Montague Burton's blog from here on in. If I remember correctly, the last blog-related comment I read of his involved telling me to 'fuck off back to my scented garden'.
That said, there are some fine points being made here and the chap still has my sympathies.
Stalinist!?
Observer, well spotted. Robbie Dinwoodie usually writes some excellent stuff but he's let himself down with that article I fear...
As you say, who are these "some people". It's not a story unless they're named, surely. Not that I know how journalism works, or is supposed to work.
I agree with Jeff about the trivialisation of politics. Personally, I think that is part of the unionist jedi mind trick thing. That is their politics.
I know you like to be not too partisan Jeff but I think the unionist opposition has been a disgrace on this front and their pals in the media peddle it for the same reasons.
I mean we're still persuing an illegal war killing millions and some imbecile calls a christmas card fascist? It's Orwellian garbage by a unionist hack, end of.
However, I have to admit that I think nationalists do get caught up in this game. I mean if we treat our people like fools by not talking about independence, as if it wasn't our key policy, then we are indulging in the same kind of trivialisation.
If anything is Stalinist in Scotland it is the propaganda-ridden press and the corporate shills that masquerade as 'journalists'.
Why do you think alternative media sources are becoming more successful and the papers are losing circulation?
Last point, if fraud is discovered it has to be investigated. What our trivial toy-town opposition do is different, they dream up accusations and vote for inquiries in order to create a smokescreen so that people think the SNP is just as intrinsicly corrupt and petty as they are.
I'm all for being nice but I don't like unionist politics - not at all!
Wow. What a fine image the first minister has chosen. What a beautiful thing the saltire is. All those bare flagpoles I see in Glasgow would benefit greatly from wearing such bonnie colours.
will now spare a thought for a decent, highly educated, engaged, civically outstanding indvidual who has been thoroughly done up.
A personal blog, born and posted in relation largely to other cyber forums where robust abuse was the norm, taken out of context, mis-portrayed totally as an active smear effort, used to vilify an individual who was doing a huge amount of good for his community and whose personal character and contributions seem a tad ahead of his tabloid executioners .
and this, by the likes of Foulkes, who thinks casual fascist references are funny and Moffat who thinks Hitler gags are witty. And by the likes of the News of the World.
QFT
As usual, well said, Ayrshire Scot.
Hi...
I like to play the games on my pc my console and on my cell phone..
this article was related to games & also related to technology and i had also hobby to search gadget and latest gadgets and many more so this article was really great in my opinion.
'For sure, everywhere I go, people in queues, on the bus, in the pub, at the supermarket checkout are talking about the First Minister’s Christmas cards. The unemployed in Scotland will be pleased to see Labour working so hard for them.'
tris
To be fair, this has been Tory and Lib Dem-led. A lot of Labour folk seem to agree that it's nonsense to even discuss the card thing.
If Gray manages to get through FMQs without making reference to it, even if Salmond brings up the marquee first, I'll give him brownie points.
Cyber Nats like ayrshire scot just don't get it do they? The guy was printing disgusting, utterly untrue claims about anyone who disagreed with his views. If the Cyber Nats think it is at all defensible and have sympathy with him, then they are clearly as nasty a bunch of people as MacLachlan.
BTW - Why do Cyber Nats always use pseodonyms like "Ayrshire Scot"? Is it because they're too gutless to use their own names? Or is it because they all work SNP politicians who would have to fire them if their identies were revealed?
Politicscot:
Fair dos. It woulod be good if he could... I bet Foulkes won't be able to though....
Doubtful "Thomas" proves the point Joan MacAlpine made about people commenting on Montague's blog without having read it.
Thomas is probably of the New Labour persuassion who think that lying about WMD and contributing to 800,000 civilian deaths is defensible but a comedic, personal blog that used bad language is beyond the pale.
Thomas.
Not all cybernats do "hide" behind cybernames. And some cyberslabs do.
I was just saying how difficult it must be not to appear petty or to be scoring cheap points when criticising such a lovely card painted by a Scots artist.
Tom Harris tried not to....
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