Tavish Scott Should Not Hide From The Truth

Back in March 2007 I wrote on this blog about the Runaway Gravy Train. Part of that post was about Tavish Scott and his property developing. It followed on from George Reid, who was retiring as the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament calling for a radical overhaul of MSPs allowances. This is a part of what I wrote.

The big money fiddle is in the amounts that MSPs can claim for accommodation in Edinburgh. Mr Reid chose to save the taxpayer money by staying in a hotel; many choose to buy second homes in the city.

Tavish Scott, the Transport Minister and Lib Dem, is another that’s climbed aboard the gravy train. He first of all lived in his sister's Edinburgh flat, bought it and then sold it for a profit of over £30,000 Mr. Scott now has a mortgage on a 'substantial' Morningside property that he apparently shares with a BBC journalist. When questioned Mr Scott has used the 'no comment' defence, probably hoping that things will blow over. Why should they? Why should he operate within the letter of the code but clearly sit outside the standards of behaviour that we expect from our MSP's. We have so far paid over £50,000 towards Mr Scott's properties, he's pocketed a decent sum of money, is potentially in line to make more and he can't even be bothered to say anything other than, "I'm not going to comment on anything to do with this."

Fast forward to the Herald on Sunday today.

The Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was last night refusing to reveal whether he paid capital gains tax (CGT) on the profits made on the first of two taxpayer-funded flats. A spokeswoman for Tavish Scott, who made a £36,000 profit in 2005 after selling a publicly-subsidised property, refused to give an answer on the "private" matter.

Private matter? No it's bloody not it's our money. How can he be so out of tune with the mood of the nation? Just because he's an MSP and a long way from Westminster doesn't mean he can just plead that it's a private matter. In the last Lib-Dem Manifesto it quoted the then leader Nichol Stephen as saying "I want to see the government consultation process reformed...we should give them (the people of Scotland) the facts, meet them face to face, ask their opinion and then tell them the truth." It's hypocrisy - nothing more, nothing less. He, like many of our politicians, has lost sight of what they are there for. It's not self-advancement or anything about self. It's all about service.

It's not about whether or not MSPs have followed the rules, it runs much deeper than that; Tavish Scott is showing contempt for the electorate. Of course he's far from alone and is just one of the 'public servants' who thinks they are better than those they serve.

The Sales Rep in the Westmister Bubble

Nick Clegg on Newsnight last night looked like a rather badly briefed sales rep trying to sell a product about which he hadn’t even bothered to read the manual. It was squirm TV. “I’m not going to tell you about our other ideas because the other parties will nick ‘em.” I wonder if he’ll share his ideas with the electorate?

It was a bad day all round for the young man. He was asked by a caller to a local radio programme whether he knew how much state pensioners received. After some shuffling and rather inept dodging he finally said. "I think it's about £30 quid now, isn't it?" It is of course £90.70. The Westminster bubble was evident for everyone to witness.

Whats the Difference Between Sixty and a Century?

According to Vince Cable The Darling Chancellor has been guilty of scaremongering. Vince 'High Tension' Cable accused him this morning on BBC News of ratcheting up the worry in the country "by telling people it was the worst financial crisis for a century." Well as far as I can see Alistair, 'call me' Darling said, 60 years; which of course is post the great depression. Whose guilty now Vince?

Nicol Stephens and the Self Serving Lightweights

So first it's Wee Wendy and now Non-entity Nicol, you really couldn't make it up. Apparently the reason is he wants to spend more time with his family! Well, given his leadership performance since the election then I cannot imagine he's spent much time away from his family, other than that as a regular MSP, because he's been practically invisible. The sad and somewhat worrying thing about all this is the imploding nature of Scottish politics. You'd really think that most of them were in it for the money and the opportunity to be important, because there seems so little of substance going on right now.

This all plays right into the hands of the SNP who are making everyone else look pretty silly and ineffectual while they themselves are hardly doing a stellar job, but it's a bit like anything in life. Why waste a lot of effort when you don't really need to. The opportunity to serve one's country is so important yet we seem to be lumbered with a lot of self serving lightweights.

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.

Cleggy Drops A Clanger

The Liberals really are a daft bunch. Their new leader, wimpy 'Norman' Clegg, has hired Brian Eno, rock musician (of sorts -Ed) to act as an adviser on 'youth issues' and to help him fix Britain's "broken politics". Apparently this move is 'part of his mission to engage people "beyond Westminster" in politics.'

Is he stark raving mad? Brian Eno is fifty nine years old - so quite what he knows about youth issues I know not. Apart from being a member of Roxy Music and working with Bowie on his Berlin Trilogy of albums, Mr E. has been called the father of ambient music. There's no doubting Brian Eno's intelligence and his commitment, especially as an anti Iraq war figure but what's Cleggy up to getting him involved? It's our 'celebrity culture' mixed with a view that seems common in politics that people who have become famous in their field can somehow magically fix things in other fields. 'Government' and 'Opposition of all the talents'? What about the people we vote for and the Civil service?

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.

Paging Tavish

Over at J.Arthur Macnumpty he does a very interesting round-up of who votes at Holyrood each week. His last two week's posts have revealed that Tavish Scott has not voted at all. The former minister of transport and current spokesman on sustainable growth and finance missed the Edinburgh tram and airport rail debate. Precisely why does he have a house in Edinburgh, paid for by us, if he can't be bothered to turn up to vote?

Little Cousin Robin

Tavish Scott, the brain (is that true? – Ed) behind the smiling Stephen Nicol, said on the TV today that the Lib Dems wouldn't do a deal with Labour on a coalition, but would entertain the SNP. To be fair they are sticking to their guns (at the moment) on no referendum, Meanwhile the Greens have said there is no barrier to co-operating with Alex Salmond's party and have not ruled out a formal coalition deal. None that is, except the small matter of the SNP not being in favour of onshore windfarms. I suppose now that Shona Baird has lost her seat (she has a wind farm on her family farm that makes her a pretty penny) they maybe able to come to some agreement.

Moral Majority Maze

Nicol Stephen, speaking to The Scotsman said: "The largest party, in my view, has the moral authority to seek to form a government, whether it's a minority or through coalition, and that's a simple, straightforward, obvious position."

On the face of it a good statement, one that is eminently sensible for the Lib Dems as he is clearly anxious to remain as Deputy Farce Minister and sees the SNP in the position of being the largest after next week's election. He's still making the case that he wants no truck with a referendum. It remains to be seen if he keeps to his word as he says he will join the opposition benches if the SNP insist on a deal that includes a referendum. Do I trust him - No!

I'm against independence, not for emotional reasons, I totally get it on those grounds, but on the practical and financial issues of running an entirely separate country. However, it appears that the majority of people in Scotland don't want independence either, despite saying that they will vote for the SNP. It's more than likely that the majority of people in Scotland will not vote for the SNP either, which means that they might be the largest party, but not carry the majority of the voters. Therefore who does have moral responsibility here? Where does that leave us?

Do We Really Want Independence

Scotland on Sunday this morning says. "The SNP leader accused Labour of "attacking Scotland and Scottish self-confidence", claiming Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Jack McConnell were guilty of falling "out of touch" with a new mood of can-do optimism in the country." This whole election is degenerating into a debate about independence despite the fact that a poll in SOS by YouGov which says only 26% of people want independence.

Of course it's easy to see why. The SNP are the only credible opposition and the voters want to bash Blair, Joke, Broon and Labour - not necessarily in that order. The Conservatives and Lib Dems have between them about the same support as Labour according to the poll - that leaves 11% wanting the SSP, Tommy or the Greens, with a few undecided.

Given the level of animosity towards the Nu-Lab experiment it's unsurprising that they can't get their message across about the real costs of independence. The most worrying thing for Labour is the level of personal capital Gordo is investing in this campaign - he was in Edinburgh campaigning with the Joker on Saturday. This will severely damage his credibility across the whole of the UK if it goes as wrong for Labour as it looks like it will. On Iain Dale's blog yesterday he reports about campaigning in Norfolk and being told that no way do people want a Scottish MP as Prime Minister. Inevitably there were posters on his site complaining about anti-Scottish feeling amongst the English. This is clearly tripe. With the flag of independence being steadily run up the flagpole by the SNP, it's no wonder that there’s this type of feeling amongst a significant swathe of the electorate down south. I do believe I've heard, on occasions, people in Scotland complaining about being governed from London.

If Joke and Co. had done a better job of being in power, then despite the war, Trident and other negative aspects of the Bliar boys, they would still be electable, along, of course, with their Lib Dem cronies.....now what's the name of their leader - Steven Nicholson?

The Lib Dems - A Party of Employment Opportunities

Why do the Lib Dems exist? Easy. To create employment. Where else would someone like Nicol Stephen get a job! Of course he's far from alone. Apart from Tavish Scott, their 'gossipy' campaign manager (as he was described in the Scotsman this morning) who else can anyone name? In the Borders we have Euan Robson, 'Pudding' as he's referred to at Holyrood amongst the more acerbic MSPs (there are some? -Ed). Well I would be happy if he and the rest of the Lib Dems got their just deserts.

By operating in the centre ground, that overcrowded patch that every other party bar the loony left and small patch of green close to the compost heap, are situated, they really have no point of real difference. They bluster about renewables and wind farms and tinker around with the nuances of policies put forward by the other parties, but in truth there's nothing worth getting excited about. By doing a deal with Labour they've had a good long spell sitting in the sun and what have they achieved, apart from talking a good game? They've pushed through the Borders railway, which few people believe will bring substantial, if any benefits - others doubt that it will ever open and will have just been another white elephant costing us millions in consultancies and other drains on the coffers. I'm hard pressed to identify in what other tangible ways they've made any difference at all.

Now we have Nicol Stephen on a one-man image-building crusade. He's also the man who is so unfamiliar with the rules governing MSPs buying Edinburgh properties that he applied for and got a joint mortgage with his wife - this is expressly against the rules. He then apologises - sort of - and then nothing more is said or done about it. Every time he comes on TV he looks like he's just had his hair styled and his forehead polished – he’s that kind of politician. Makes me wonder have the Lib Dems got some American poll adviser? Everything in the Lib Dem campaign is focused on Nicol, the 'I', 'I', man. There's even a web site, nicolstephen.org. Why should there be one for him and one for the Lib Dem party in Scotland? I'll wager big that they've done focus groups that say he's a likeable person, if only people knew who the hell he is - and what he stands for.

Nicolstephen.org carries news today of "One hundred new local health centres and a new Total Waiting Time Guarantee will allow people across Scotland to benefit from faster diagnosis and treatment close to where they live, under plans announced today by the Scottish Liberal Democrats." Where's the money for this? As they'll never be in a position to deliver the promise it's empty rhetoric. It's everything that is truly awful about the Lib Dems. They're short on ideas but big on promises. There’s more than a subtle difference.

Be Careful What You Wish For

In today's Scotsman there's an exclusive interview with Tony Blair. It all hinges around if we vote SNP it's a small step to breaking up the Union argument. Labour are on the ropes in Scotland. Joke's lack of ability as a farce minister and as the local party leader, coupled with all the anti Labour government in London sentiment in Scotland makes the Union argument about the only thing left to try and stem the rising tide of anti-Labour public opinion. The problem is that the Lib Dems have been cornered by the vote for them is a vote for Labour strategy (that was a brilliant move); not helped either by the one man party syndrome of making Nicol Stephens the star (I bet that came from a focus group). No one can see the Tories winning, although there’s a definite mood swing, which says that they are not the big bad Thatcherites of old. Their vote will definitely increase. But none of this does anything to help Labour.

However, one statement by TB does resonate. "A lot of these people criticise the Labour Executive from the right, they say you have too large a public sector. I've seen the SNP policy programme. It's not to cut the public sector at all. On the contrary, it's to make a series of unfunded spending commitments."

I repeat my earlier assertions that the nitty gritty of independence will inevitably add to the costs for an independent Scotland by increasing the size of the administrative burden. If we are independent will we just not have all the departments and offices that the government currently have – much of the departmental running of the country is done from England. How much will Scottish Embassies around the world cost, or will we have an annexe, a small office out the back of all the British Embassies? What will the status of soldiers be who are in the British Army - mercenaries? Will what's left of Great Britain have bases in Scotland rather like we did in Germany. How much will a Scottish Passport office cost?

The list is endless but for me the devil is in the detail and I worry that the machinery of state that is necessary to run a country is one that takes an awful lot of organization and experience. It's not a jibe at Scots ability or anything close to it. We have people of tremendous ability here, but unravelling from one system and building another is the nightmare scenario. And while we do have a population that's roughly the same as Finland, Denmark and Norway (individually) but they've developed their apparatus of government over many years.

One argument that just does not ring true for me is the one put forward by some commentators that there are huge numbers of Scots in exile overseas waiting to do a Sean Connery and come on home once the Union Jack has been struck from every building.

Opposition is easy, although winning an election can admittedly be a tough, but this could be a poison chalice for the SNP. The euphoria, the excitement of the post election revelry will soon make way for the cold light of dawn. The Salmon might not appear so chirpy nor little Nicola quite so light on her feet when they have to deliver.

The Battle of the Pamphlets

Over at A Big Stick and A Small Carrot there's a wonderful piece about a local Labour election pamphlet in which 'members of the public' pictured and quoted turn out to be Scottish Labour Party candidates in the local council elections.

You can view it HERE

We've had a few election pamphlets with the post, only so far seen the Tory local council candidate. The Green party mailer for South of Scotland MSPs has pictures of a tram, a house being built, an office block (I think it is anyway) and a shopping street. Nothing at all about the South of Scotland. It features Chris Ballance MSP, who I must admit I have a bit of a downer on. His father was my headmaster (Chris Ballance and I went to the same school in Surrey) and when I was 17 I had to sit in his study with my mother while he said to her. "Of course, your son will never amount to much." It was a real 'does he take sugar' moment.

We've had the SNP MSP candidate Aileen Orr's brochure, which is much more relevant. If only they didn't believe in independence she'd get my first vote. Aileen talks more sense than any of the other candidates. The only thing that disappoints is no mention of bloody wind farms blighting Berwickshire. As Dexy's Midnight Runners once sang - Come on Aileen. (Eileen you idiot - Ed)

The worst of the brochures have consistently been from the Lib Dems. In places they don't even make sense. They feature our aptly named 'sitting member' Euan Robson in a variety of locations with pensioners, babies and bus stops. So dull, so lacking in imagination and in fact just like the Lib Dems. Their election broadcast last night on BBC Scottish TV was just laughable. Apparently they only have one candidate - Nicol Stephens. It was all about Nicker, the words me and I were plastered all over it.

John Lamont the Conservative Holyrood candidate has done a good job of communicating. I think he will get another swing from the Lib Dems as he did in the UK parliament elections, but not enough to win. Against what I thought would happen Annabel Goldie has done a good job. My vote for him won't count for much!

UPDATE
Just in the latest from Euan Robson MSP Lib Dems. He talks in his brochure about power supplies and fails to even mention, just once, the fact that his constituency is being overrun with wind farms and applications for a turbine curtain along the border with England. So it's not happening is it Euan? Failing to even address it is a disgrace.

Charlatans One and All

Don't you just love politicians? Their ability to say one thing while meaning another is unmatched. If indeed they were operating in the corporate world they would find it difficult to maintain their reputations for honesty and fair dealings with colleagues, clients and their customers. The latest to piece of 'bobbing and weaving' comes from the Salomon who has now said that a referendum just on Scottish independence was his "absolute preference", but accepted that it would have to be decided in "negotiations". This of course opens the door to a Lib Dem coalition. Now from both their points of view this is good. The likelihood of the SNP winning an outright majority is slim and Labour is even slimmer so with the Lib Dem charlatans on board the Salmon would become First Minister and Nicker Stephens would be back as his deputy. I wonder how little Nicola feels about that?

Scottish Labour - A Sub Post Office

Labour in Scotland is a little bit like a sub post office – it’s always under threat of closure. The arguments that seem to be filling the comments section in the Scotsman as often as not seem to say that they’ve failed, but it’s usually linked to some policy or another that is controlled in London – the war, Trident, cash for peerages, or just about everything that Gordon Brown has done or has not done. The Joke is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t and so he has to march side by side by Gordon – perhaps they should be calling themselves the Solidarity Party. The SNP’s It’s Time slogan, while chosen to push the idea of it being their time perhaps unwittingly is saying ‘it’s about time’ for change. That’s how many voters seem to be feeling. There’s two problems with all this. The tradition of voting labour and an uncertainty about whether the SNP can hack it. God forbid people should decide to vote for the Nicol Stephen and his party of ‘I’.

HE IS JOKING I TAKE IT?

Ming's five tests.

He called on Mr Brown to -

1. "end Labour's authoritarian attack on civil liberties" by scrapping ID cards.

2. "grasp the challenge posed by climate change"

3. "break open the poverty trap".

4. "trust the people" by devolving power to local people

5. "Britain's foreign policy should not be set in Washington".

If Mr Brown met these tests, "he will have changed direction and embraced liberal democracy," Sir Menzies told delegates at their Spring conference.

What a load of empty tosh. It means nothing and proves just one thing. Ming Campbell is a yesterday man. It's so empty and vacuous to hear this kind of drivel. Still I suppose that's what its all come down to now. How is grasping the challenge of climate change a test? What is it exactly we're supposed to grasp. It's typical of the sort of crap that comes out of the minds of young farts and into the mouths of old farts.