A Showboat to the Maldives

It's been revealed that Scotland's main climate change champion, none other than our Glorious Leader Alex Salmond is to visit the Maldives en-route to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. It's not as some of you may assume because it's the Maldives Derby or Grand National, no it's so he can study the effects of climate on the Islands. The visit has been promoted because Mr Salmond signed an agreement with the government of the Maldives to help combat global warming at the recent climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Seriously, does his actions make any difference at all? With the problems that beset our economy, news that the NHS in Scotland does not perform as well as in England and all the other issues that we have – like the SNP's wilful desecraeation of Scotland through the gung-ho policy of approving wind farms – does he honestly think this is the best use of his time?

Rather than flying to the Maldives perhaps he should take a showboat

Lies, Spin, Connivance, B/S, Total Bollocks and Wind Farms

The opening this week of the Whitelee wind farm outside Glasgow exposes the lying and deceitfulness of both the wind farm industry and Alex Salmond.

Hurrah they all trumpeted! The 322-megawatt wind farm is going to be able to power the whole of Glasgow. Except it isn't. Government figures show that it will likely operate at a capacity of 28% which means it will be far from effective but just as expensive. It will do little more than keep half of Glasgow’s lights on, and not do anything to power TVs, dishwashers, tumble dryers et al.

Of course it will make a lot of people a lot of money because of the subsidies that are paid. Especially the Spanish owned company that built it and the landowners on whose land it's built. We will be paying massive subsidies so that these ultimate examples of gesture politics can keep turning.

Meanwhile, according to Jason Ormiston the former PR windbag for Scottish Renewables, which represents the wind industry, the vast majority of wind farms were sited out with highly sensitive landscape areas. What utter bollocks. Try coming to the Lammermuir Hills where most of the wind farms are built on AGLVs (officially designated Areas of Great Landscape Vale) and a SSSI in the case of the Aikengall wind farm. He also said, "One of the biggest threats to wild land is climate change and one of the most effective responses to it is the sensible development of renewable energy." He said this in his capacity of Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, having been promoted from PR spokesman.

He went on to say, "The industry will continue to work with a rigorous planning system so that the building of productive renewable energy projects in the right places continues to follow good practice." He, and his organization, cares not a jot where they are built, just as long as they are. The wind farm planned by that defender of the Scottish Borders landscape, the Duke of Roxburghe on land he owns in the Lammermuir Hills at Fallago Ridge is case in point. It s on peat bogs that will be forever ruined by the concrete bases that are the size of football pitches that will be needed if the wind farm gets approval. It has been awaiting a decision by the Scottish Government's reporter following a public inquiry for over a year now. The reason that none has been forthcoming is nothing to do with the fact that it will complete the decimation of these remote hills, but because the MOD objected. Their radar will not work properly, creating 'holes' in its effectiveness. Ironically it would not be able to 'see' if an aircraft was approaching the Torness Nuclear Power station.

So desperate is the Duke’s company to develop this wind farm that they have got the former Conservative minister and now MP for Kensington and Chelsea, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, to write to Des Browne and another Labour Minister pointing out that they are acting contrary to the Prime Minster’s stated aims.
"As you know, the Prime Minister has indicated very recently the importance the government attaches to the development of alternative energy projects, and clearly wind farms must be a very important part of this overall strategy. It would be unfortunate if one arm of the government was pursuing a policy with such rigidity that it conflicted with the broader arms of the government."
Now that’s a first. A Tory helping the Prime Minister!

Then we have the downright untruths spouted by the great leader who opened the Whitelee wind farm. According to Alex Salmond, "Whitelee in its current form is already flying the flag for onshore wind power in Europe. The benefits of this investment go beyond South Lanarkshire and beyond our real economy. It is an investment in Scotland's potential and ambition to lead the clean, green energy revolution."

Back in January 2007 Alex Salmond was unequivocal. "There is a real difficulty with public acceptance of onshore wind. There should be a cap on future developments. We should concentrate the development of onshore wind into suitable areas.”
He went to say that financial support for onshore wind farms should be looked at again as he believed there was a danger onshore wind developers were getting too much financial support. Of course all that was done in order to help the SNP get elected and gain votes in areas where there was rising opposition to wind farms being built against public opinion.

This volte-face from Mr. Salmond is not totally unexpected; he is after all a politician. But such is the courting of the Scottish government by the renewables industry that even I’m staggered by the complete change in attitude. Does he not understand that wind turbines are inefficient, make little money for Scotland – other than for the landowners and the renewable companies, which are often foreign owned?

Are there any wind farms in Mr. Salmond’s constituencies? In fact how many wind farms have been approved in SNP constituencies as opposed to opposition constituencies? It might make for interesting analysis.

The Loco Income Tax

So Alex Salmond has set out his minority government's programme for the coming year at the heart of which is the local income tax plan. Clearly every party, including the Greens, are opposed to it in someway or another - even the LibDems - and despite some of the more looney comments on the Scotsman's web site it will be difficult for the SNP to get it approved by parliament. Quite a few of their commentators seem to be unaware that the SNP is a minority government. Then again AS knows this and quite likely doesn't care anyway. So much of what the SNP does has nothing to do with governing Scotland today, it is all geared towards gaining independence tomorrow. Anything that pitches David against Goliath is sesn as opportunistic politics by the SNP. Moves are made, speeches are given, comments are offered on everything and every action by the SNP is geared towards trying to show that Scotland would be better with independence. I have no argument with doing that, I'd probably do the same. But it's always best to keep in mind that what we're seeing is not what we're likely to get.

On a more mundane level it's interesting that so many people have come out and said it's the practicalities of a local income tax that are unworkable. Breaking up the Union and running Scotland as an independent country will all be about the enormously complex practicalities and the costs involved with such a break up. I've always argued that I get the emotional idea of independence, but it's the practicalities that scare me. Add to this ego and ambition and the longer this goes on the bloodier it will become.

Presumably under a LIT regime anyone owning a second home in Scotland, whether or not they live in Scotland will not specifically pay anything more for that property. It seems to me that both the Borders and the Highland's councils will see a reduction in their revenue. I wonder how many properties in Scotland are owned by people who live in England? They presumably will not pay a penny.

Loco = wildly irrational

Wind Turbines are so Great for the Scottish Economy - Except they're Not!

There's big news here in Scotland this morning because Vestas, the wind turbine manufacturer, is closing it's Argyll factory with a loss of around 100 jobs. In the Scotsman there's much gnashing of teeth saying it's a blow for Alex Samond's wind aspirations, it's because the planning process is cumbersome, it's because the factory doesn't build the biggest turbines (surely that's their decision? - Ed) and the government 'should intervene' says a union leader. According to government minister Jim Mather, "As a government, we are ready to do whatever we can to try and find a sustainable future for the yard."

The Scotsman miss one vital point. Yesterday Vestas also announced the expansion of their facitlity in the Isle Of Wight with plans to provide 300 plus more jobs on the English island. All the turbines that are being approved in Scotland are not exactly doing a lot for employment north of the border are they? The First Monister constantly trumpets how good all these wind farms are for Scottish jobs. First we have the Norwegian company behind Crystal Rig giving the ground works to a Welsh company and now this.

Labour Lions Being Led By Donkeys?

I would have bet against an SNP victory in Glasgow. I thought there would be a big closing of the gap but not a swing of that extent. Clearly the SNP will hail this as a vote for independence and become even more bullish about the prospect of breaking away from England. However, the reality may be a little more complex and the future a lot less certain. 

There's little doubt that this was all about being anti, a Brown led government. His leadership style, if you can call it a 'style', is all about detachment, distancing one's self from things, while this was a campaign that Alex Salmond embraced and got out there to fight. There's no doubt that it was a superb effort by the SNP and credit to them for fighting such a good fight, but they will not find it so easy to pull it off across Scotland. Indeed, if independence ever happened there would be no MPs in Westminster. In the meantime we're in for an increase in the rhetoric from the First Minister but when the reality sets in, things will probably work out very differently. Not least of all because this will send a splinter up the bottom of Labour back benchers. 

Gordon Brown is not the solution, he's the problem - that and his bunch of lightweight cabinet ministers who just don't get what politics is all about. Can you imagine this happening with the likes of John Reid and Prezza on the team? They would have been battling in the way that Labour have traditionally done best. Our current crop of Labour so-called heavyweights in their sharp suits and TV smiles just think they have to go on the Andrew Marr show and the Today programme and all will be well. Frankly there's not a lot of attention paid to such programmes in Glasgow East and many, so called, Labour strongholds. This may not be Gordon Brown's Waterloo but he is certain to come under extreme pressure. God help the Labour MPs in the marginal seats across the UK, but then again, God helps them that help themselves. For me Labour MPs are no lions, but they're certainly being led by donkeys. 

Is Alex Salmond a Liar?

Back in January 2007 Alex Salmond was unequivocal. "There is a real difficulty with public acceptance of onshore wind. There should be a cap on future developments. We should concentrate the development of onshore wind into suitable areas. He went to say that financial support for onshore wind farms should be looked at again as he believed there was a danger onshore wind developers were getting too much financial support. Of course all that was done in order to help the SNP get elected and gain votes in areas where there was rising opposition to wind farms being built against public opinion.

This week the farce minister said that Scotland was on the brink of a renewables revolution as he gave the go-ahead for the largest wind farm in Europe. He told the World Renewable Energy Congress in Glasgow that his government has given the green light had been given to a 152-turbine project in South Lanarkshire. The chairman of the congress hailed Mr. Salmond as the "saint of renewable energy".

This volte face from Mr. Salmond is not totally unexpected; he is after all a politician. But such is the courting of the Scottish government by the renewables industry that even I’m staggered by the complete change in attitude. Is he stupid? Does he not understand that wind turbines are inefficient, make little money for Scotland – other than for the landowners and the renewable companies, which are often foreign owned? Here in the Lammermuir Hills we are still waiting for a decision on the Fallago Ridge wind farm that was the matter of a public enquiry in January and February this year. The longer it goes on without a decision the more likely it is to be approved and the greater the damage to these hills.

Some questions. Why if wind farms are so benign are they not being placed along the M8 corridor, close to where the majority of Scotland’s electricity is consumed and more convenient for export via the grid? Are there any windfarms in Mr. Salmond’s constituencies? In fact how many windfarms have been approved in SNP constituencies as opposed to opposition constituencies? It might make for interesting analysis.

Not The Right Stuff

Alex Salmond likes to think of himself as a Prime Minister in waiting, a statesman and someone we should look up to as Scotland's leader on the world stage. Then he goes and spoils it all by being crass and frankly tasteless. At a press conference in Glasgow East, televised by Channel 4 news this evening, he held up a card on which was a picture of Gordon Brown and Margaret Thatcher. He waved it around saying. "What were they discussing, Mrs Thatcher's state funeral?" 

Now whatever the rights and wrongs of granting the former Prime Minister such an honour - and I'm not sure it should have been given - Alex Salmond shows himself as both petty and petulant. That is not the sort of thing someone in his position should say. It shows him up for the rather annoying self congratulatory politician that I've always felt he is. Leaders rise above such things and however hard he tries Mr Salmond will always come over as both smug and supercilious. 

It's Not Good News For Scotland

So Wee Wendy’s gone. Surprising in some ways because the whole row about her accepting donations was more about technicalities than it was about serious wrong doing. The rules are confusing and there’s no doubt that her political opponents, mostly the SNP, have made capital out of her mistakes, and who can blame them? More to the point her leadership of Scottish Labour and therefore the opposition in Holyrood has been far from glorious, in part because of the wounding effects of the donations scandal, but it lies deeper than that and involves both the Lib Dems and the Tories. The fact is when compared to the SNP the other three parties have all lacked effective leadership, none of them have a voice that resonates, or a leader who can challenge Alex Salmond.

With the litany of broken SNP promises the opposition parties should be far more effective in challenging Shrek, but don’t seem to be able to find the voice to do it. In fact the resignation of WW is going to damage the whole opposition unless someone can emerge in the Labour party with a voice and a style that says, ‘I’m your leader’. The fact is it’s not about policies it’s about prizes and at every level and in every contest the SNP walk away with the prizes because AS has the leadership skills.

Of course a new Labour leader in Scotland may emerge that does not have all the negative trappings of the Gordon Brown era, but I’m not holding my breath. From amongst the die hard old West of Scotland Labourites I’m sure there’s a danger that they’ll regress and that is bad for the Scottish parliament; because you can’t see Nicol Stephens or Ms Goldie stepping up to the plate. We continue to be dogged in Scotland by a political elite (I use the term loosely) that seems in the main to be second rate. Most people I talk to mention the fact that we have the also rans, the reserves and a team of substitutes. Whichever way you dress it up that’s not good for Scotland, but it’s awfully good for Alex Salmond.

Scotland Targeted By British Airways...I Don't Think So.

The furore over BA's failings with the new terminal 5 has inevitably given Alex Salmond the chance to complain that once again Scotland is being treated unfairly. He was on the BBC news last night wagging on about it and saying Scotland was fed up. He said passengers were getting "fed up". Andy Willox, of the Federation of Small Business Scotland, added his voice to the complaints: "It is an open secret that flights to and from Scotland are the first to be scrapped in order to clear the backlog and handle more lucrative international flights." So did Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce: "It seems once again that services to and from Scotland are suffering disproportionately."

The simple fact is that flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh are amongst BA's most frequent services and from an airline point of view it is easier to cancel flights on routes where you operate a higher frequency. That way it's possible to combine loads onto other services. The first thing that airline schedulers do is to look at is the booked loads and then try and figure how to cause the minimum disruption - for both passengers and the airline. To suggest that this is some anti-Scottish thing is plain daft.

The First Minister used the opportunity to once again call for more direct flights from Scotland. "Filtering everything through Heathrow leaves us extremely vulnerable, we need more direct flights and of course we should have a fast train service north to south." It's as though he lives in an economic vacuum. No matter how much he wants an independent Scotland it will not automatically create demand for enough passengers to bring about a surge in direct services. Quite a few flights that have started up in the last three years with the Scottish governments route start up grants have ceased for lack of passengers. In the economic realities of aviation it's all about profit, not politics.

The Desecration of the Lammermuir Hills

In all the rhetoric and argument over the Lewis wind farm proposal what is happening on our doorstep is largely ignored. Of course it is not such an emotive argument as that concerning the Outer Hebrides, but it is arguably more significant. Last week the Scottish Government's approved a 68-turbine site in Perthshire, it’s great news according to the energy minister Jim Mather. "There is no doubt that this country can become the green energy capital of Europe." This mantra's beginning to wear a bit thin and its time we started to think in a more holistic way about of impact of wind farms; especially as it affects tourism. This is especially important in the Borders where tourism is our single biggest industry. And as some of you may recall Alex Salmond said, before the election, that there needed to be a curb onshore wind farm development.

Over the past six years the Lammermuir Hills have steadily been allowed to become the wind farm capital of Scotland - and arguably Europe - as there are already 188 turbines either operating, being erected or approved. Today a public enquiry is to begin in Duns over the latest scheme, the Fallago Ridge wind farm, on land owned by the Duke of Roxburghe.

This latest wind farm, if approved, will increase the number of turbines in the Lammermuir Hills to 236, which would represent 15% of the total turbines in Scotland. Naturally it will be argued that the scheme will help to make Scotland the green energy capital of Europe and little attention will be paid to how much money is to be made by both the developer and the landowner. Unusually in the case of Fallago Ridge the landowner and developer are inexorably linked because the Duke is also a shareholder in North British Windpower. This means that some of the huge subsidies that are paid to developers will benefit the Duke to the tune of tens of millions of pounds over the lifetime of the wind farm. We can also assume that he will also receive some additional benefit as a shareholder in the development.

On the Duke's web site he proudly announces. "I have endeavoured to expand the Estates operations into the more commercial tourist related areas, which complement the stunning Borders countryside I and my family are fortunate enough to live in" Does he think the Fallago Ridge wind farm will become a tourist attraction? Or is it that they are sited far enough away from his estate at Kelso as to not affect his tourism income? The fact is that local councils and the Scottish Government have allowed the systematic ruination of the Lammermuir Hills in the pursuit of the elusive green energy ‘goals’. Areas of Great Landscape Value, SSSI's and local opinion have been ignored. Meanwhile one of the south of Scotland's last wild places is steadily being taken by stealth allowing the rich to get richer while Scotland becomes the poorer.

Some Tale or a Conversation

The 'national conversation' on Scottish independence as described by Alex Salmond continues with his assertion yesterday that he anticipated Scotland would break away from the United Kingdom in a decade. Now I've always thought, and that's how the dictionary defines conversation, that it was (at least) a two sided affair. Interestingly there's not a lot of people n Scotland who seem to want to join in the conversation, perhaps most people, as the polls indicate, just don't want independence? The SNP are fond of comparing us with Norway where the word for conversation is ‘Samtale’. Maybe we should adopt a new word for the type of conversation that the FM wants - Sometale....

Alex Salmond is Extraordinary

I'm on my way home from London and what do I find on reading the Scotsman that I bought at King's Cross station? The ordinary has become extraordinary and our first minister has stared death in the face!

Alex Salmond was on a Boeing 777 that was coming into land at Dubai airport when the aircraft had to abandon its landing because another aircraft was still on the runway. The FM's plane was in no danger, despite the Scotsman telling us of how “the drama unfolded”, and after doing a short circuit of the airport it landed with no one injured or barely perturbed. This of course is something that happens several times a day, at least, somewhere in the world. A spokeswoman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats was quick to comment.

"While I'm sure that everyone is breathing a sigh of relief that the First Minister is OK, let's remember ordinary people face situations like this every day."

Isn't it comforting to know that the Lib Dems think Alex Salmond is extraordinary.

How Much?

Over at the Wardman Wire there's a very interesting post about Our brave leaders latest pronouncement, the £32 billion of oil revenues that Scotland is being deprived of by that nasty Labour English, sorry, Scottish PM and Chancellor of the Exchequer in London. The Wire says....

In his Scottish National Party leader’s speech at the annual conference in Aviemore, Alex Salmond stated that the Treasury receives £32bn a year revenue from North Sea oil revenues based on a price of $86 per barrel.

He contrasted Westminster’s financial “squeeze” with the £32 billion a year the Treasury receives from North Sea oil revenues now oil prices are around $86 a barrel. (Scotsman)

Bearing in mind that the official forecast for the current year is less than a third of that figure at £10.4bn - and that even that figure is double the £5.2bn figure for 2004-5 - can anyone provide me with a detailed citation and calculations for Mr Salmond’s £32 billion number?

Scotland’s very own ‘Artful Dodger’ is at it again. A big fish in a small pond is Mr Salmond who has perfected the art of attacking on issues that, while big news north of the border, mean not a lot down south. With many bigger fish to fry (that came out unintentionally) the Labour Govt. in London cannot be bothered with Shrek and his pronouncements. The trouble is the squeeze on Scottish Labour is coming from both north and south of the Border.

Is Scotland So Broke It Needs Fixing?

Back in August Alex Salmond announced his plans for a national conversation on independence. Since then the conversation has been all one sided with the FM and his party never missing any opportunity to bang on about independence. Today at the SNP conference we hear that Mr Salmond is going to say, amongst other things, that Scotland could be one of the richest countries in Europe and independence is getting closer and it is the top of the SNP’s agenda.

I continue to be sceptical about the SNP’s ability to be a government and I'm absolutely sure that independence is a poison chalice. I have no issue about living in a country that is independent from England, it's not an emotional issue it is one of practicalities and unanswered questions. The Black gold argument is powerful, but it is a little bit like a football team relying on one striker to score all its goals. What happens if he gets injured or sold?

To me the SNP's desire for independence overshadows all their thinking and traps them on a course that is not necessarily right for Scotland. For me there are too many questions that just don't get addressed and the "it'll be alright on the night" philosophy is not something we should be countenancing when it comes to the lives of 5 million people. How badly 'broke' is Scotland that it needs fixing? How bad are our lives? How much better will life, definitely, be under an independent SNP Scotland?

Is it Really Celtic's Lion?

Alex Salmond, the politician formerly known as Shrek, has set out his plan to create a "Celtic Lion" economy in Scotland on the final day of his trip to the United States. In his speech in New York he outlined his ambition to emulate the economic success of the Ireland's Celtic Tiger. "We have everything it takes for a Celtic Lion economy to take off in Scotland. What we require is vision and leadership to enable us to make it happen. Ireland has shown what is possible and there is no reason why we could not match their tiger with our lion.”

Not quite Mr. S. There’s the little matter of the EU help that kick started the Irish economy. He went onto say. "The cumulative effect of my government's proposed targets and policies is Scotland will be among the most business-friendly countries in Europe and one of the most competitive in the world.” He’s clearly caught the Nu-Labour bug of confusing targets with some definite action. There’s also the little matter of salary levels, which will hardly compete with China and India. Then again I guess the Scottish economy is to be built on financial services as there’s absolutely no evidence that we have anything to offer manufacturing industries.

Then again what’s it all about Alex? Nothing more than yet another opportunity to peddle the independence is best slogan. “My message to the world is simple - Scotland is open for business and flourishing; an independent Scotland will be open for business and an even better place to do business."

That is tosh and of course he’s going to say it but please don’t expect everyone to fall for it. Then again his speechwriters have got a hold of a copy of ‘Teach Yourself Political Platitudes’ and have trawled through it for some serious crap. "My hope for Scotland is that we will be honest about where we are and ambitious about where we can go. And, perhaps, within the next generation, we can introduce the world to a new marvel - the Scottish Celtic Lion."

Finally I wonder what Rangers' fans have to say about all this? Very bad idea to call it the Celtic Lion rather than the Scots Lion.

Talk Talk

The much hailed Council of Economic advisers that the First Minister has pledged will have a key role to play in informing the Scottish Government's pledge to raise growth rates north of the Border to those in the UK as a whole. Look at its make up.

John Swinney and Alex Salmond along with the Executive's Head of analytical service, Scottish Government and Special adviser to the First Minister (a 30, an American management consultant) and Andrew Goudie - Chief economic adviser to the Scottish Government (He's been at the Scottish Office aince 1990 and in his current job since 1999). So five out of the eleven at the meeting were part of the Scottish Executive.

Add to them Executive vice-president. the Chairman of Weir Group and Scottish & Southern Energy, Chairman and chief executive of Clyde Blowers. and Sir George Mathewson Chief executive and then chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland (SNP supporter). Then there are a Fellow of St John's College, Oxford, Professor of petroleum economics at the University of Aberdeen, Professor emeritus at Cambridge University and professor-at-large at the Chinese University, Hong Kong and a visiting Professor of Economics at St Andrews University. It's all rounded off by Ireland's Director of IEconomic and Social Research Institute.

Yet more talk talk.

A Little Less Conversation

The National conversation announced by our First Minister and the SNP makes splitting up the UK all sound so simple. He also has decided that we're paying for this conversation that clearly the majority of people in Scotland didn't ask for and don't support. The paper is long on rhetoric and short on practicalities, but then it would be wouldn't it? In particular the economics of it all strike me as somewhat shaky. The principal underpinning everything is - other small countries do really well and so will Scotland.

Shrek’s pronouncements on TV last night about the Norwegian and Irish economies being models for what could happen in an independent Scotland may have been very bad timing. Yesterday in a survey in Ireland worries over the economy and a slowdown in Ireland's property sector knocked Irish consumer sentiment to a near four-year low in July.
The IIB Bank/ESRI Consumer Sentiment index fell to 74.7 from 83.2 in June - its lowest point since October 2003. A cooling property market and lower levels of house building have led to jitters of a spill over into other areas of Ireland's thriving economy and fears of an impact on employment prospects.

To quote the King, not of Scotland but of just about everywhere else. We need “a little less conversation a little more action please.” Salmond and the rest of them are too engrossed in the game of politics and not focused on the realities of life.

Tilting At TV Masts and Satellites

The 'challenge' laid down by Alex Salmond over a long-term strategy for broadcasting is an interesting one. But let me say from the outset that seeing 'control of broadcasting handed over to Holyrood' does not auger well for a whole variety of reasons.

First off the idea that government in some why can really exercise a positive influence on the creative, commercial and strategic direction of broadcasting is dubious at best.

The idea that 'people in London' are deliberately failing to nurture Scottish talent is just daft. People go where the money is and even if we have Scottish owned, run and managed networks they simply won't be competing on a level playing field.

The commission proposed by The FM will be chaired by a former BBC Scotland news chief, Blair Jenkins, who has been asked to come up with a strategy for broadcasting in Scotland. Big problem. Mr Jenkins famously fell out with the BBC over staffing cuts and resigned. I admire his stance, but I fear for his impartiality. I had an exchange of emails some time back, when Mr Jenkins was still in his job, over the BBC's coverage of news from the Borders - his answers were evasive and far from helpful.

One last thought. We have the Scottish News on the BBC at 6.30. If there was that much news why isn't it better? It cannot be that the people delivering it and those managing it are that useless, can it? What will we get with a Scottish 6, world news covered by reporters with Scottish accents?

Broadcasting is just like politics. The big guns head south for greater glory and greater reward. It'll never be any different. Shrek is tilting at TV masts and satellites.

I'm Tiring of the Saltire Fiasco

You’d think that after the rather petty spat over flying the Saltire or the Union flag on public buildings in Scotland that things couldn’t degenerate any further. Well they just have. MSP Christine Grahame, that model of restraint and balanced thinking has waded into the argument by suggesting that if the Saltire is not flown higher than the Union Jack at Edinburgh Castle and the “British Army is not prepared to reconsider its position then I think the time will have come to review its tenancy arrangements."

She brings shame on not just her party, but also on the whole notion of what government is about. It is not about futile gestures designed to make us feel like a nation. It is not to pretend that the “British Army” is an army of occupation, neither is it about trying to turn people in Scotland against the idea of the Union by through childish arguments.

She claims to have discovered that ownership of Edinburgh castle was transferred to Historic Scotland at devolution, making the Scottish Executive responsible for the flagstaffs. Has this prime example of a Numpty got nothing better to do? Why do we have to throw money away on those such as Ms. Grahame?

It’s this type of stupidity that will do for the SNP. Shrek will have to fight hard to keep the militant tendency in line otherwise they will undermine his ability to try and keep things on the higher ground. Not that he’s entirely blameless himself with the pending announcement on a Scottish Commission on broadcasting – it really is all rather missing the point.

Smug Salmond

According to the headline of the main article in the Scotsman this morning – ‘Skilful Salmond returns to Westminster as the political assassin’. Having watched his performance on the BBC Scottish news last night and then read the article I wondered whether its writer was watching the same performance as I was. The journalist goes on to say. "After an absence of nearly three months, Scotland's Nationalist First Minister swept into the most British of institutions - Buckingham Palace and the House of Commons - with a sense of ownership."

Oh please. What a joke. He was merely another MP asking a question, he was sworn in as a Privy Councillor and he had a press conference. And guess what? It is only the Scottish media that even noticed his presence. It wasn't even covered in the main news. And as for the smiling assassin I just don't get it. There's was nothing contentious and nothing even remotely tricky for Gordon Brown.

The media here seems obsessed with how clever Alex Salmond is, he's beginning to look increasingly smug and that usually precedes a fall.