Reasons to help Christine Jardine in Aberdeen Donside

On the wall in Christine Jardine's campaign headquarters, formerly a pet shop, just out of interest, there is a poster where people have written why they have come to help. Here it is in glorious technicolour.

Some of the best are:

Because the SNP have short-changed Aberdeen

Because Christine is awesome

I believe in Christine

Because I just really, really, really love the Lib Dems a lot. (I'd put money on Liberal Youth co-chair Kavya Kaushik having something to do with that one.)

Because we need people like Christine in Parliament.

Because Lib Dems support local communities

To stop the Nats

Donside needs a strong Lib Dem Voice

Christine is the intelligent choice

Because we are on the right side of local issues - and Willie Young sure is not

Returning the favour for Eastleigh

Delivering new pens

Because campaigning is a good hangover cure (this one appeared the night after Malcolm Bruce's 30th anniversary dinner)

Whatever motivates you, you would be given a very warm welcome in Donside over the last three days of the campaign at Team Christine Towers at 8 Scotstown Road. The phone number is
07516 450672 or you can email volunteer@christinejardine.com.

There's a new VPB as well if you want to catch up with some phone canvassing - C534BA-1813

Christine is an amazing candidate. She has knocked on thousands of doors over the last few weeks and her no nonsense, Aberdeen first attitude has been very well received. We also could not have asked for more from Liberal Youth Scotland. They have really stepped up to the plate and have been an intelligent, hard working,  integral part of the campaign. We are so lucky to have them. 

Liberal Democrat James Harrison is next year's Glasgow Uni SRC President

I'm going to come over all proud now.

Way back in the mists of time - it must have been 2007 or 2008, I can't remember which, James Harrison was the Liberal Youth representative on the Scottish Party Campaigns and Candidates Committee, in his first year at Glasgow University.

Tonight, he's been elected as the next SRC President at Glasgow University. I saw him recently at the Equal Marriage when he'd come over with the Glasgow contingent of students. He's had a sabbatical role this year as VP Learning and Development. He seemed very well suited to the sort of leadership role he's been entrusted with. He'll be a fantastic president. He's run a really strong campaign and he deserves his victory. To get a flavour of what the guy's about, have a look at this recent interview in the Glasgow Guardian. 

I suspect there will be much beer consumed in celebration tonight.

It's great to see that Liberal Democrat students are winning elections and winning the trust of students again.

It goes to show that despite all that's been said in the press, the party can still win trust amongst students in Scotland. So next time anyone says students will never trust us again, tell them about James' victory.

Congratulations to James and I wish him all the best for his year in the top job.

The Tale of Nick Clegg and the Puppet Show #puppetshowincident

Treasurers as a whole are a pretty humourless, miserable bunch of bean counters whose favourite word is "no" because they don't want people to spend any unnecessary money. Careful stewardship of finances is very important. I know that's what I'm like.

Liberal Youth Scotland are, as ever, bucking that trend. Their treasurer is the gregarious, witty, engaging, creative and original Eilidh Dickson.

Now, Eilidh is utterly competent in every area of her life except when she is in the vicinity of Nick Clegg. In Birmingham last year, the poor girl got so starstruck when she met him that she shook so much that she made him spill his tea.

So, let's fast forward to Scottish Conference in Inverness last weekend. I'll never give up the chance to narcissistically plug my tv interview, but there is a good reason. If you look in the background, you'll see a yellow thingy. That's part of the Eden Court furniture, a puppet show, which gives the children of Inverness a fantastic opportunity to use their imaginations.

Last Friday morning, the leading lights of Liberal Youth Scotland arrived to set up their stall ahead of the start of Conference at 1pm. Eilidh is easily distracted and was enchanted by the puppet show. Her creative genius compelled her to construct a simple play. The subject of this play is closely guarded secret which no amount of alcoholic bribery has so far managed to dislodge, but I suspect it might be a little rude. So the puppets were on the stage, doing their thing, expertly controlled by Eilidh.

The play was in full flow when, all of a sudden, the invisible Eilidh realised that no less a person than the Deputy Prime Minister was walking past on his way to his first engagement at the Conference. I am absolutely certain that that made his day after an early start and a delay for fog at Gatwick.

The only question is, what will Eilidh do at Gateshead Conference this weekend? I actually think that her record merits a wee turn at the Glee Club and, who knows, in future years the Eilidh Dickson Puppet Show may even rival that event as the must see event of Conference......

The Love Equally March in pictures #equalmarriage

Yesterday over a thousand people marched from the Edinburgh University down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood to make the case for the law to be changed to equalise the marriage laws for same sex and heterosexual couples. There was a healthy delegation from Liberal Youth Scotland who, generously, didn't mind elderly hangers on walking with them.

It's worth bearing in mind that those opposing marriage equality could only manage 200 people just before Christmas at their event.

At Holyrood, in the shadow of Arthur's Seat, the crowd was addressed by Green MSP Patrick Harvie and SNP MSP Marco Biagi as well as representatives from the Humanist Society of Scotland (did you know they perform more marriages in Scotland than the Catholic Church) and the Unitarian Church.

It was great to meet up with Liberal Democrat MSP Jim Hume at Holyrood too.

Here are my images of the day, including the one that made both LYS President Sophie Bridger and I cry. I know I'm soft hearted and cry at anything, but she's a lot more grown up.

Sophie and Kavya in costume

Arriving at Holyrood

Two girls on friends' shoulders - captures the happy spirit of the occasion

Marco Biagi MSP speaks

Patrick Harvie MSP speaks

There were many bright and colourful banners around

Lib Dem MSP Jim Hume catches up with LYS

Don't forget the Love Equally March in Edinburgh on Valentine's Day

At 2:30 tomorrow afternoon, a crowd will gather at Bristo Square in Edinburgh and will march to the Scottish Parliament where a rally will be held in support of equal marriage.

The Love Equally march is being organised by the Official Scottish Youth Parliament and supported by, among others, NUS, Liberal Youth Scotland and the Equality Network.

It's a bit of a pity that Valentine's Day falls in the middle of the Parliamentary recess, so there won't be many MSPs around, but it does fall in the middle of the school holidays and was a factor in us deciding not to go away this week.

There are rumours that certain members of the Liberal Youth Scotland Executive will be dressing up. It's worth going along just for that.

Hope to see you there.

Have your say on Equal Marriage in person or online

I may have nagged you once or twice about taking part in the Scottish Government's consultation on Equal Marriage which runs until 9th December.

The opponents of equal marriage are trying to get 100,000 negative responses to the consultation. We know that  almost 2/3 of the Scottish population, a good couple of million of the voting public, support equalising the marriage laws so we owe it to all of them to encourage as many positive responses as possible - with no limits.

The postcard above is part of the ever awesome Liberal Youth Scotland's very well received campaign on equal marriage which is running this Autumn. They have also set up a link on their website so that you can write to your MSPs urging them to support equal marriage.  Their draft letter is written with sensitivity and heart, and you can add your own views to it.

Those nice people at the Equality Network have made responding to the consultation really easy - it took me about 10 minutes this morning while I was trying to get 3 kids out for school and faffing with dinner money and tights and the like. Click here for the link.  They also then send you an e-mail with all that you've written so that you can post it on your blog. I will - but it gives me an excuse to nag you again, so I'll keep you in suspense for the time being.

Equality Network are also running a series of events with people from the Scottish Government over the next couple of weeks. I'll be at the one on Saturday at the Scottish Government HQ at Victoria Quay between 2 and 4 pm.

There are other events (and this text has been blatantly filched from their Facebook page. I hope they don't mind):

Glasgow Event
(6.30pm, Wed 9th Nov)
St Mungo Museum, 2 Castle Street
Glasgow, G4 0RH.
Register: http://equalmarriageglasgow-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/

Inverness Event
(6.30pm, Tues 15th Nov)
Spectrum Centre, 1 Margaret Street
Inverness, IV1 1LS.
Register: http://equalmarriageinverness-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/

Dundee Event
(6.30pm, Wed 16th Nov)
Discovery Point, Discovery Quay
Dundee, DD1 4XA.
Register: http://equalmarriagedundee-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/

Dumfries Event
(6.30pm, Thurs 24th Nov)
LGBT Centre, 88b High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ.
Register: http://equalmarriagedumfries-eorg.eventbrite.co.uk/
They say that "refreshments" will be available so there's even more incentive to go.

If you can get to any of these events, please do - and don't forget to respond to the consultation. It's really important that we make our views heard.

Liberal Youth Scotland President Sophie Bridger is Lib Dems' Inverclyde candidate

One of the people who has impressed me most over the past year, even when I don't agree with her, is the new Liberal Youth Scotland President Sophie Bridger. Persuasive, intelligent and articulate, 20 year old Sophie has shown really strong leadership skills within LYS and has made an excellent and constructive contribution to the Scottish party executive in just a few meetings. She's very likeable and  has very cool head. I'd say that these are pretty much the exact qualities you need to fight a by-election for the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the current climate.

It's handy, then, that she's been selected as our candidate in the Inverclyde by-election. I think this is a job she'll do very well.

Welcoming her selection, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

“I am delighted that Sophie has been chosen as our candidate for this important by-election and I congratulate her on this achievement.
 “Sophie is the right choice for Inverclyde. She is a rising star within the Party and I know that she will be a fresh new voice for Inverclyde at Westminster.
 “Sophie has a brilliant track record, having given her time over to volunteering and working in a care home. It is time for a real change in Inverclyde and Sophie and the Scottish Liberal Democrats will make that change.
 "Liberal Democrats have real solutions and voters here can put their faith in the younger generation to fight for Inverclyde.”

To help Sophie's campaign, please contact Jean Stewart on 01475 704735 or Simon Hutton on 07886 626380.

More Embarrassment for Tories as young Conservative justifies Tory lies as "PR"

Ok, what I'm about to tell you is hardly in the same league as Tory Bear describing Gordon Brown as looking "like paedo" but then that is pretty grim.

It's almost going back to the days of the Federation of Conservative Students who were a blight on my student days. I remember they had a faction called Students Against Sodomy at Aberdeen University. Eventually FCS became too much of an embarrassment even for Norman Tebbit, who disbanded them.

The thing is that these days those types have blogs from which they can pour out their poisonous bile. I wonder if David Cameron will dissociate himself from the remarks made by Tory Bear and others on Twitter and across the blogosphere.

You can't really regulate the political blogosphere - it won't work and it would be a very stupid party that actually tried to control what its bloggers write, but there are limits to what can be considered acceptable and Tory Bear has, I think, gone over the line. The irony is that Conservative Central Office has issued a diktat to Tory candidates that all social network and blog postings must be vetted first as Andrew reported. You have that level of control freakery for them, but still effectively condone the bile emanating from certain parts of the Tory blogosphere.

Having said that, the Chair of Conservative Future Scotland has managed to embarrass the party on two counts as Callum Leslie from Liberal Youth Scotland outlines here.

Apparently, according to Duncan Stewart, it's fine to bring in people to act as local students for a Cameron press conference because it's just PR, even if call me Dave is using the event to talk about greater openness in politics.

More damningly, he said that he reckoned that no genuine University of East London student would have wanted to hear David Cameron.

As Callum says, it just shows that the Tories have nothing to offer young people while Liberal Youth "offer real hope for the generation". Young people can see how Tavish Scott and the Scottish Liberal Democrats are working for them at Holyrood and Nick Clegg and his colleagues have seen that they are suffering most from the effects of the recession.

General Assembly upholds appointment of Scott Rennie

A quick late night post to let you know that the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has voted to uphold the appointment of Scott Rennie as Minister of Queen's Cross Church, Aberdeen. I'm really happy for Scott and wish him and David all the best with their move.

I'm also thrilled that Liberal Youth Scotland organised an event in solidarity with Scott at the General Assembly. No doubt Stephen will blog about it soon as I know that he was there. UPDATE: and he did

The BBC news website devoted I think a disproportionate amount of coverage to a few people protesting against Scott without mentioning the 4 times larger group of people who were there to support him.

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