Hat tip to Lib Dem Voice for the news that David Heath, Lib Dem Brian Blessed look alike and Somerton and Frome MP is to introduce a bill aimed at ending fuel poverty.
This measure, if it becomes law, would introduce two measures which would make a huge difference to those struggling to pay their fuel bills: an energy efficiency programme and statutory social tariffs to reduce the impact of high energy costs for the most vulnerable.
A worthy measure, worthy of parliamentary support. Let's hope the Government backs it so it has a chance of becoming law.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tavish Scott leads Scottish Lib Dem vote against SNP "business as usual" budget
Scottish Lib Dem Leader Tavish Scott sent out an e-mail to members and supporters today outlining his reasons for the party's refusal to support the SNP's budget in Holyrood.
Slamming it as "weakest response of any Western European Government, national or devolved, to the economic difficulties we face in 2009", Tavish outlines Lib Dem proposals for permanent tax cuts, pointing out that the Nationalists have the option of varying the rate of income tax north of the border and could, if they choose, give us all a 2p in the pound tax cut. This would put around £330 back in the pockets of the average Scottish family.
Now, I've not always been the biggest fan of the tax cutting culture that seems to have gripped our party, but I'm prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt at the moment as we are dealing with the recession. The SNP's ultra safe budget does nothing to give the Scottish economy the stimulus it needs. They have already made cuts to bodies like Scottish Enterprise when we actually need them more than ever now.
I think our MSPs are right to vote against what is effectively an unambitious and lacklustre budget.
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Slamming it as "weakest response of any Western European Government, national or devolved, to the economic difficulties we face in 2009", Tavish outlines Lib Dem proposals for permanent tax cuts, pointing out that the Nationalists have the option of varying the rate of income tax north of the border and could, if they choose, give us all a 2p in the pound tax cut. This would put around £330 back in the pockets of the average Scottish family.
Now, I've not always been the biggest fan of the tax cutting culture that seems to have gripped our party, but I'm prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt at the moment as we are dealing with the recession. The SNP's ultra safe budget does nothing to give the Scottish economy the stimulus it needs. They have already made cuts to bodies like Scottish Enterprise when we actually need them more than ever now.
I think our MSPs are right to vote against what is effectively an unambitious and lacklustre budget.
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More Tabloid Hypocrisy.....
So, not surprisingly, the Sun adopted a censorious and outraged tone over the Prince Harry incident.
That's right, the Sun was going all politically correct on us. This is, of course, the same paper that publishes semi naked pictures of women every day, but we'll let that disrespect of half the world's population pass just for a minute.
It amazes me that the editors either don't notice or don't care about the blatant hypocrisy of, on one page printing all this finger wagging stuff at Prince Harry and a few pages further on making a great song and dance about David Walliams' holiday activities..
The paper seems to feel that because David had a night out with Dale Winton and Louis Walsh in Miami, it can make whatever innuendo it likes about his private life.
I'm reminded that they also took a swipe at our own Simon Hughes with an article riddled with misconceptions and innuendo simply because he'd opened a public toilet in his constituency. The joke of this was that this story was published in 2006 just around the time of the leadership election, yet the toilet in question was actually opened 12 years earlier.
The paper has not been above a bit of racist scaremongering itself in the past - warning us all about "migrant crooks" - their words, not mine.
Which group of people will our friendly tabloid be bashing next week?
And, as for David Walliams, I just hope he's having a lovely and relaxing holiday so he can come back and write us some more Little Britain USA.
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That's right, the Sun was going all politically correct on us. This is, of course, the same paper that publishes semi naked pictures of women every day, but we'll let that disrespect of half the world's population pass just for a minute.
It amazes me that the editors either don't notice or don't care about the blatant hypocrisy of, on one page printing all this finger wagging stuff at Prince Harry and a few pages further on making a great song and dance about David Walliams' holiday activities..
The paper seems to feel that because David had a night out with Dale Winton and Louis Walsh in Miami, it can make whatever innuendo it likes about his private life.
I'm reminded that they also took a swipe at our own Simon Hughes with an article riddled with misconceptions and innuendo simply because he'd opened a public toilet in his constituency. The joke of this was that this story was published in 2006 just around the time of the leadership election, yet the toilet in question was actually opened 12 years earlier.
The paper has not been above a bit of racist scaremongering itself in the past - warning us all about "migrant crooks" - their words, not mine.
Which group of people will our friendly tabloid be bashing next week?
And, as for David Walliams, I just hope he's having a lovely and relaxing holiday so he can come back and write us some more Little Britain USA.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
If only it were this easy.......
I've just found this which suggests that laughter can help to control weight loss. If only it were that simple, that reading George Osborne's speeches, or the SNP Guide to Budgeting would have me in a size 12 before the year was out.
But what if it were true? What would be the laughter equivalent of superfoods to boost weight loss? Clearly, humour is very much in the eye of the beholder. Believe it or not, there are some people who find Roy Chubby Brown funny. I haven't yet forgiven my sister for giving me one of his videos one Christmas, many years ago. She watched him one day and now completely takes my point.
The things which never fail to make me laugh are:
Working with Andrew Reeves because he's one of these people who instinctively knows how to inspire and motivate a team by making them laugh.
Any television appearance by Claudia Winkelman. The woman is just adorably bonkers.
The episode of Friends where everybody finds out about Monica and Chandler "but they don't know that we know that they know that we know.........."
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Any Ben Elton rant about Thatch from the 80s - Saturday Night Live with his ill-fitting glittery suit was wonderful
The episode of Blackadder 2 with the Puritan relations in one room and the drunken party in the other
Virtually any Billy Connolly stand-up.
Unfortunately, any weight loss programme requires self discipline, deprivation, portion control, and if anyone tells you they can do it without being hungry some of the time then they are lying. It doesn't put you in the best mood for laughter.
There was an article on BBC Breakfast this morning where they were saying that half an hour's laughing can be as good for you as half an hour's weightlifting. I will probably just stick to the laughing. Now, where's that Bridget Jones DVD.......
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But what if it were true? What would be the laughter equivalent of superfoods to boost weight loss? Clearly, humour is very much in the eye of the beholder. Believe it or not, there are some people who find Roy Chubby Brown funny. I haven't yet forgiven my sister for giving me one of his videos one Christmas, many years ago. She watched him one day and now completely takes my point.
The things which never fail to make me laugh are:
Working with Andrew Reeves because he's one of these people who instinctively knows how to inspire and motivate a team by making them laugh.
Any television appearance by Claudia Winkelman. The woman is just adorably bonkers.
The episode of Friends where everybody finds out about Monica and Chandler "but they don't know that we know that they know that we know.........."
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Any Ben Elton rant about Thatch from the 80s - Saturday Night Live with his ill-fitting glittery suit was wonderful
The episode of Blackadder 2 with the Puritan relations in one room and the drunken party in the other
Virtually any Billy Connolly stand-up.
Unfortunately, any weight loss programme requires self discipline, deprivation, portion control, and if anyone tells you they can do it without being hungry some of the time then they are lying. It doesn't put you in the best mood for laughter.
There was an article on BBC Breakfast this morning where they were saying that half an hour's laughing can be as good for you as half an hour's weightlifting. I will probably just stick to the laughing. Now, where's that Bridget Jones DVD.......
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Tories get it wrong again
The Tories have put out a new campaign video featuring a very cute baby with the comments that the baby has "his dad's nose, mum's eyes and Gordon Brown's debt."
The shot then moves to the baby being given what is clearly a bottle of formula.
Are we not supposed to be challenging the idea that bottlefeeding is the norm and encouraging and supporting breastfeeding?
All the evidence points to human milk being far superior than anything you could ever manufacture.
I'm not suggesting that the Tories should necessarily have shown the baby breastfeeding, although it would be good to have a society where even Daily Mail readers felt comfortable with that image - just that they send the wrong message by being seen to promote formula feeding.
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The shot then moves to the baby being given what is clearly a bottle of formula.
Are we not supposed to be challenging the idea that bottlefeeding is the norm and encouraging and supporting breastfeeding?
All the evidence points to human milk being far superior than anything you could ever manufacture.
I'm not suggesting that the Tories should necessarily have shown the baby breastfeeding, although it would be good to have a society where even Daily Mail readers felt comfortable with that image - just that they send the wrong message by being seen to promote formula feeding.
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Monday, January 12, 2009
Spellbinding Fun
When I was in Primary 5, I hated my spelling homework. Every week we were given a list of uninspiring words which we had to learn and write a sentence using each one. It was excruciating to have to find interesting sentences with dull words like inflate or distribute. Ok, I might have learned to spell the words, but I hated the falseness of the sentences I had to create. Looking back, it would have been easier to write a piece of prose with all those words in it but hindsight is a fabulous thing.
Anna too hated the spellings and sentences style homework. Then, midway through primary 4, everything changed. Instead of the tortuous sentences, we now have a range of activities which is meant to appeal to every learning style. In the last few weeks we have had buzzing bees - where she has to draw an outdoor picture with 8 bees along which she writes her words, fancy writing, where she writes the words out in all sorts of creative self made fonts, writing the words every which way, backwards, vertically, horizontally, circling all the vowels or consonants within the word, writing each word in the petals of a flower and so on. It's all very creative.
My absolute favourite is back writing, where we have to write the words on each other's back and guess what they are. It didn't take Anna long to twig that if she took a long time to guess, she would effectively just get her back rubbed for longer. I'm actually thinking of making it the standard form of communication in our house.
Fun though this undoubtedly is, I have some reservations. Something within my childhood and its traditional teaching methods turned me into a freakishly anally retentive pedantic bore when it comes to spelling and punctuation. I would argue that this is not necessarily a bad thing. While my literature producing colleagues may burn effigies of me, stick pins in dolls of me and hate me with a passion unrivalled in its intensity for my take no prisoners style of proof-reading, they still keep giving me stuff to check.
I was worried that these new methods did not teach how to use words in context. What use is it to learn the notes if nobody introduces you to making melodies? I probably shouldn't interfere with the perceived wisdom of education professionals but I've added a few games of my own - acting out the words, or just having a talk about what they mean and how you can use them.
Before anybody trawls through this blog looking for spelling mistakes to show me up, I would remind you that I am also human and that some posts may have been written after application of grape to brain. I may have an unforgiving proof-reading eye, and never fail to point out mistakes, but I really am a big softie and have never been horrible to anyone for making a spelling or grammatical error.
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Anna too hated the spellings and sentences style homework. Then, midway through primary 4, everything changed. Instead of the tortuous sentences, we now have a range of activities which is meant to appeal to every learning style. In the last few weeks we have had buzzing bees - where she has to draw an outdoor picture with 8 bees along which she writes her words, fancy writing, where she writes the words out in all sorts of creative self made fonts, writing the words every which way, backwards, vertically, horizontally, circling all the vowels or consonants within the word, writing each word in the petals of a flower and so on. It's all very creative.
My absolute favourite is back writing, where we have to write the words on each other's back and guess what they are. It didn't take Anna long to twig that if she took a long time to guess, she would effectively just get her back rubbed for longer. I'm actually thinking of making it the standard form of communication in our house.
Fun though this undoubtedly is, I have some reservations. Something within my childhood and its traditional teaching methods turned me into a freakishly anally retentive pedantic bore when it comes to spelling and punctuation. I would argue that this is not necessarily a bad thing. While my literature producing colleagues may burn effigies of me, stick pins in dolls of me and hate me with a passion unrivalled in its intensity for my take no prisoners style of proof-reading, they still keep giving me stuff to check.
I was worried that these new methods did not teach how to use words in context. What use is it to learn the notes if nobody introduces you to making melodies? I probably shouldn't interfere with the perceived wisdom of education professionals but I've added a few games of my own - acting out the words, or just having a talk about what they mean and how you can use them.
Before anybody trawls through this blog looking for spelling mistakes to show me up, I would remind you that I am also human and that some posts may have been written after application of grape to brain. I may have an unforgiving proof-reading eye, and never fail to point out mistakes, but I really am a big softie and have never been horrible to anyone for making a spelling or grammatical error.
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Prince Harry Fuss
One thing above all else depresses me about the furore over Prince Harry's racist remarks.
I don't think that he deliberately went out of his way to be gratuitously unpleasant. I have actually watched the video and he seems very comfortable and relaxed and didn't seem to be trying to upset anybody.
In the 21st century, it is clearly seen as acceptable to use racist and offensive language in the Army on a daily basis.
Isn't it time to do something about that?
In some ways, Prince Harry didn't ask for the role he was given, and I can almost understand him saying stuff it in public life, but as a member of the Armed Forces he should face disciplinary action for saying what he did.
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I don't think that he deliberately went out of his way to be gratuitously unpleasant. I have actually watched the video and he seems very comfortable and relaxed and didn't seem to be trying to upset anybody.
In the 21st century, it is clearly seen as acceptable to use racist and offensive language in the Army on a daily basis.
Isn't it time to do something about that?
In some ways, Prince Harry didn't ask for the role he was given, and I can almost understand him saying stuff it in public life, but as a member of the Armed Forces he should face disciplinary action for saying what he did.
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So what exactly is the point in protesting?
Both Malc and Jeff have questioned the point of going on protests like yesterday's Gaza march. They argue that it's futile cos it's not going to change anybody's mind and it just leaves the authorities a whole load of stuff to clean up.
While I am not naive enough to think that George, or Gordon, or Tony, or David, or Barack or Hillary are going to say "Wow, look at all those people in the streets. Maybe we should get tough with Israel, I haven't quite lost so much of my idealism that I've turned into Victor Meldrew before my time:-).
These are the reasons why I think standing up for what you believe in and making your voice heard is important:
The Martin Neimoller thing - you know:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
On a similar vein, there's the old one about All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’
To raise awareness of an issue. There's nothing like 8000 or whatever people with banners walking past you while you do your shopping to make you aware of something. Maybe yesterday's protest caused people to look into the issue, contact their MPs, donate medicine or money to the humanitarian effort for Gaza. I'm hoping that the medicines I gave in will benefit someone in Gaza at some point.
To show solidarity I mentioned yesterday about the Palestinian family who thanked my 9 year old for caring about their country. If that march has given them some comfort, then surely that's a good thing. Also, now that the world is a much smaller place, people in Gaza may get to here that there are thousands across the world who want their situation to change. It can only help community relations in this country. There was a broad band of organisations supporting this demo and improving links between people like the Scottish Islamic Federation and Jews for a Just Peace must be a good thing, surely.
Also in terms of passing things on to the next generation, my daughter has been full of questions about the Palestinians and the history of it all. Thank goodness for people like John Pilger and Robert Fisk, that's all I can say.
Because we can We are lucky to have the rights of freedom of association and to protest against our Government. I just think that when you feel really strongly about something, then you should use this right. It's part of your responsibilities as a citizen to engage in the political process in a way that suits you.
Ok, so somebody might have had to pick up some paint and some shoes as a result of this demo. I think the Police didn't need to be there in as huge numbers as they were. It was all very peaceful and that's not because the crowd was cowed and deterrred by the Police, but because they genuinely wanted to make their point peacefully.
How much vomit and other bodily fluids and violence and general unpleasantness must the Police encounter over the course of a normal weekend? I guess the paint and the shoes were nothing in comparison.
Can anyone think of any other reasons?
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While I am not naive enough to think that George, or Gordon, or Tony, or David, or Barack or Hillary are going to say "Wow, look at all those people in the streets. Maybe we should get tough with Israel, I haven't quite lost so much of my idealism that I've turned into Victor Meldrew before my time:-).
These are the reasons why I think standing up for what you believe in and making your voice heard is important:
The Martin Neimoller thing - you know:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I was not a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
On a similar vein, there's the old one about All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’
To raise awareness of an issue. There's nothing like 8000 or whatever people with banners walking past you while you do your shopping to make you aware of something. Maybe yesterday's protest caused people to look into the issue, contact their MPs, donate medicine or money to the humanitarian effort for Gaza. I'm hoping that the medicines I gave in will benefit someone in Gaza at some point.
To show solidarity I mentioned yesterday about the Palestinian family who thanked my 9 year old for caring about their country. If that march has given them some comfort, then surely that's a good thing. Also, now that the world is a much smaller place, people in Gaza may get to here that there are thousands across the world who want their situation to change. It can only help community relations in this country. There was a broad band of organisations supporting this demo and improving links between people like the Scottish Islamic Federation and Jews for a Just Peace must be a good thing, surely.
Also in terms of passing things on to the next generation, my daughter has been full of questions about the Palestinians and the history of it all. Thank goodness for people like John Pilger and Robert Fisk, that's all I can say.
Because we can We are lucky to have the rights of freedom of association and to protest against our Government. I just think that when you feel really strongly about something, then you should use this right. It's part of your responsibilities as a citizen to engage in the political process in a way that suits you.
Ok, so somebody might have had to pick up some paint and some shoes as a result of this demo. I think the Police didn't need to be there in as huge numbers as they were. It was all very peaceful and that's not because the crowd was cowed and deterrred by the Police, but because they genuinely wanted to make their point peacefully.
How much vomit and other bodily fluids and violence and general unpleasantness must the Police encounter over the course of a normal weekend? I guess the paint and the shoes were nothing in comparison.
Can anyone think of any other reasons?
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Saturday, January 10, 2009
Chat with John Barrett MP
That nice John Barrett, MP for Edinburgh West bought Stephen and I coffee and a mincemeat tart as reward for getting cold and wet waiting till the end of the Gaza rally to hear him speak.
It was great to catch up because I haven't seen him for ages, but I thought this observation he made was worth sharing with you all:
"I was in London at the time of the July 7 bombings. These bombers came from Leeds. We haven't built a wall round Leeds and then started bombing Leeds."
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It was great to catch up because I haven't seen him for ages, but I thought this observation he made was worth sharing with you all:
"I was in London at the time of the July 7 bombings. These bombers came from Leeds. We haven't built a wall round Leeds and then started bombing Leeds."
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Gaza Protest in Edinburgh - an emotional afternoon
I'm just back in and am thawing and drying out after the Gaza march and rally in Edinburgh. Due to a meeting over-running this morning, I didn't catch up with the march until it came back on to Princes Street after the trip to the US Consulate.
I was really pleased to see so many people had turned out. The Police estimate was around 5000 but it looked and felt like more. Bob reckoned that there would have been at least 6000 when the march formed on East Market Street.
I found Bob, Anna (who had been very good for the almost two hours she was out in the cold) and Stephen pretty quickly. Bob and Anna soon went off to get something to eat but Stephen and I continued on to the rally at the Ross Bandstand. Bob and Anna actually met a Palestinian family in Pizza Hut who, when they saw the Palestinian flag Anna was carrying, thanked her for caring about their country. She now feels that she did something worthwhile today.
Bob and Stephen both commented on the excessive number of police taking photographs of participants. The march was very well behaved and peaceful so I'm not quite sure why this was so necessary, particularly in an area of town that already has huge coverage with CCTV cameras.
There was only one MP there at the rally - John Barrett, Liberal Democrat member for Edinburgh West. He was the last to speak and we stuck it out to the end, despite the cool, dry Winter's afternoon turning nasty. By the time we left, it was pouring with rain and there was a really driving wind. Stephen had to get out the strawberry lip balm at one point for himself.
The rally started though with a child of around 7 or 8 going up on stage and starting a chant "George Bush where are you? We want to throw a shoe at you" which apparently they had made up on the way round. She made the whole crowd laugh.
We heard from a huge variety of speakers from trade unions, Jews for a Just Peace, the Scottish Islamic Federation, a doctor talking on the phone direct from Gaza describing the humanitarian crisis, MSPs Sandra White and Pauline MacNeill and John Barrett.
One telling point made by the Scottish Islamic Federation speaker is that they would unequivocally condemn any bombings by terrorists in any western country as they don't advocate violence by anybody - yet the US fails to condemn these appalling raids on Gaza.
Pauline MacNeill spoke about how she had gone to observe the elections which saw Hamas come to power in 2006. She said that Hamas wouldn't have been her choice, nor many other people's, but they were the legitimate choice of the Palestinian people and the influential countries in the world needed to engage with them. Pauline was the first person to really help me to understand the plight of the Palestinian people over 20 years ago when she was President of NUS Scotland and I was just a naive and innocent first year student.
John spoke about how he had asked Gordon Brown about the number of civiians who had been killed in Iraq since the war there had begun and how he had been given the chilling answer "it's not for us to count these things." He reiterated how Nick Clegg had been the only UK leader to speak out against the Israeli action and called for a million people to take to the streets when Barack Obama visits here in February to show our opposition to these awful attacks by Israel in the same way as we did for the Iraq war. He said that everybody who felt strongly about this should go and visit their MP and reminded us that Gordon Brown's constituency was only a little bit to the north and Alistair Darling's was 5 minutes away from where we were.
The more I have looked into this the more passionately I feel for the plight of the Palestinian people. The Israelis have spent a fortune raining down bombs on these poor people. They force them to live in appalling conditions, often without electricity or running water. What if they spent the same amount of money giving them schools, hospitals, clean, safe water and reliable electricity? That humanitarian gesture would do so much for the cause of peace.
Let's hope that once Obama takes office he uses his authority to take action to end this, so that we never again have the disgraceful display we saw the other night when the US abstained on a relatively tame resolution calling for a ceasefire.
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Friday, January 09, 2009
Israel accused of War Crime in Gaza
So, just imagine it. You're a Palestinian family, in your home, such as it is, probably without electricity and running water. You're absolutely terrified of it being destroyed by the Israelis in one of their vicious air assaults.
Then an Israeli soldier comes to call - tells you to get out for your own safety and leads you to another building.
With a sinking feeling you know that you'll lose everything that you own as your house will be destroyed, but at least you'll all be safe.
Then, within a day, Israeli shells start pummelling the so called place of safety.
Maybe your family isn't going to survive this after all.
Scaremongering? Exaggeration?
Not according to the Guardian.
Whoever is responsible for this heinous act, which killed 30 including 9 members of one family, needs a one way ticket to the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. Immediately.
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Then an Israeli soldier comes to call - tells you to get out for your own safety and leads you to another building.
With a sinking feeling you know that you'll lose everything that you own as your house will be destroyed, but at least you'll all be safe.
Then, within a day, Israeli shells start pummelling the so called place of safety.
Maybe your family isn't going to survive this after all.
Scaremongering? Exaggeration?
Not according to the Guardian.
Whoever is responsible for this heinous act, which killed 30 including 9 members of one family, needs a one way ticket to the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. Immediately.
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Who needs a geek?
The sole purpose of this post is to see if I've been successful in creating a Twitter feed for this blog so that all posts appear on Twitter.
It took me ages to figure out, but I think I've done it. Had to kiss a lot of frogs along the way - what a palaver!
We shall soon know if it works if this post updates.
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It took me ages to figure out, but I think I've done it. Had to kiss a lot of frogs along the way - what a palaver!
We shall soon know if it works if this post updates.
LibDig This!
Justice Done for Trump Councillor
I am not surprised, but am delighted nonetheless, that my friend and Aberdeenshire Councillor Paul Johnston has been cleared by the Standards Commission of any breach of the Councillor's Code of Conduct in connection with remarks he made in opposition to Donald Trump's controversial planning application.
Paul took the very brave step of reporting himself to the Commission rather than wait for Aberdeenshire Council to do it.
I don't know all the ins and outs of the dynamics of the Aberdeenshire Council Lib Dem administration, but I have known Paul, Debra Storr and Martin Ford for a very long time and all 3 of them are dedicated, honest and thoroughly decent public servants.
All 3 now languish either on the fringes or outside the Aberdeenshire Council Group. Until I heard Martin Ford speak at the Scottish Liberal Democrats conference in February last year, I hadn't really understood why he had used his casting vote to refuse the application when he could have saved himself a lot of personal grief by voting to defer the decision, which was the only other option available at the time. He explained so well that it was the proper procedure that he should do that and that any other applicant would simply have lodged an amended application.
Martin was stripped of his key planning chairmanship. A few months later, Paul was threatened with the Standards Board by the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council so he took the matter there himself. In a breathtakingly unjust act of pre-judgement, his fellow councillors decided he was guilty before the investigation was complete. Debra's actions at that meeting, supporting Paul, led to her eventual resignation before she was expelled from the Group. Aren't her actions, defending him from what was essentially a kangaroo court, in the DNA of anyone calling themselves a Liberal?
Now, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since the rejection of Trump's application. A lot of arguments have been had, toys have been expelled from prams at a huge rate of knots.
However, it is time to draw a line under all of this and move on. I believe that it's vital that Paul, Martin and Debra play a full role in the Lib Dem Group again. We can't afford to lose good people like them.
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Paul took the very brave step of reporting himself to the Commission rather than wait for Aberdeenshire Council to do it.
I don't know all the ins and outs of the dynamics of the Aberdeenshire Council Lib Dem administration, but I have known Paul, Debra Storr and Martin Ford for a very long time and all 3 of them are dedicated, honest and thoroughly decent public servants.
All 3 now languish either on the fringes or outside the Aberdeenshire Council Group. Until I heard Martin Ford speak at the Scottish Liberal Democrats conference in February last year, I hadn't really understood why he had used his casting vote to refuse the application when he could have saved himself a lot of personal grief by voting to defer the decision, which was the only other option available at the time. He explained so well that it was the proper procedure that he should do that and that any other applicant would simply have lodged an amended application.
Martin was stripped of his key planning chairmanship. A few months later, Paul was threatened with the Standards Board by the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council so he took the matter there himself. In a breathtakingly unjust act of pre-judgement, his fellow councillors decided he was guilty before the investigation was complete. Debra's actions at that meeting, supporting Paul, led to her eventual resignation before she was expelled from the Group. Aren't her actions, defending him from what was essentially a kangaroo court, in the DNA of anyone calling themselves a Liberal?
Now, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since the rejection of Trump's application. A lot of arguments have been had, toys have been expelled from prams at a huge rate of knots.
However, it is time to draw a line under all of this and move on. I believe that it's vital that Paul, Martin and Debra play a full role in the Lib Dem Group again. We can't afford to lose good people like them.
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Scottish Parliament backs Gaza ceasefire call
The Scottish Parliament yesterday backed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and recognised the work of charities and NGOs trying to help improve the plight of the Palestinians.
The text of the motion was
S3M-3179 Nicola Sturgeon: The Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza—That the Parliament expresses its concern over the loss of all lives in the conflict in Gaza; joins the international community in calling for a ceasefire; acknowledges the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza; recognises and welcomes the role being played by those in Scotland involved in the humanitarian response, and supports the work of all charities and NGOs in Scotland that are responding to this situation.
and it was supported by everybody except the Tories. How you could actually fail to support something calling for a ceasefire is beyond me, but they managed it.
Jim Tolson, MSP for Dunfermline West, and Hugh O'Donnell, who went to Gaza in November on a Parliamentary visit were the Liberal Democrat contributors and I thought that their contributions were worthy of reproducing here.
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): Like millions of other people, I am absolutely shocked by the huge scale of the Israeli attacks that have been taking place since 27 December and which we have seen on the worldwide television news. With 1.5 million people crammed into the Gaza strip, high levels of civilian casualties were inevitable. There is no credibility in the Israeli statement that the Palestinians have used people as human shields, because it is impossible to have human shields when so many people are crammed into such a small space anyway.
In December, I attended the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on Palestine. The feedback from Hugh O'Donnell, Sandra White and Pauline McNeill on their audacious boat trip to Gaza was absolutely heartbreaking. There was also feedback from Palestinian people, many of whom had suffered for years in their homeland at the hands of the Israelis. There was feedback, too, from aid workers who had been attacked and harangued out of Gaza, and from Scots who had lived in Gaza and had felt that in many ways they were living under occupation. We heard heartbreaking points from all. We heard that no spare parts are allowed for sewage systems and how Israeli gunboats force fishermen to remain close to the shore and to fish in waters that are contaminated with sewage, which inevitably contaminates the food chain.
I decided to be no armchair supporter. I was sufficiently moved to join 2,000 demonstrators in Glasgow last Saturday. A cross-party group of MSPs was there in support of the demonstration, although there were no Tories. The demonstration, which was on behalf of and in support of the people of Gaza and Palestinians worldwide, was peaceful but vociferous. The heartbreaking news about what has been going on in Gaza, particularly since 27 December, was well elocuted by many. I cannot condone the rocket attacks on Israel, but the Israeli response is utterly disproportionate. All violence must stop now and not just for three hours per day. Violence breeds violence and only a democratic settlement will bring lasting peace.
Nicola Sturgeon was absolutely right that almost all Scots are concerned about the situation. As she said, the violence is shattering and hopes for a long-term peace are the way ahead. I back those sentiments fully. The motion's focus on charities and NGOs pulling together is the right approach. The one point on which I agree with Ted Brocklebank is that that is one response that Scotland can make, whereas we cannot act on many other matters. Nicola Sturgeon also referred to the MSPs' trip to Gaza in November. That was a brave and audacious attempt by our colleagues to provide aid. They definitely managed to do that and I am glad that they did. At the end of the day, as Nicola Sturgeon said, we hope that the Parliament will speak with one voice on the issue. It is crucial that we do so.
Pauline McNeill was one of the members who went on the trip to Gaza. She talked about how Scotland can respond to the crisis in humanitarian ways. We heard much about that at the demonstration last Saturday. People can comment here and elsewhere on what is happening to try to ensure that the Palestinians' story gets out to a worldwide audience. We can also comment on the scale of the suffering, which has been going on for many years and not just since 27 December. Pauline McNeill rightly suggested that the public expect us to add our voice to that of others. The world focus must be on an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Some Israelis, and even George Bush, have denied that there is a humanitarian crisis. There is no credibility whatever in that statement. I am glad that Mr Bush is going, but I wish that I could believe that the Israeli Government will be more reasonable in the future. I do not hold out too much hope of that.
Ted Brocklebank's speech was sad indeed. Although he deplored the tragic deaths of civilians in Gaza, including those of 200 children, he soured the debate somewhat, which was rather sad to witness. Hamas is not just a militant organisation—no more than the Tories are in the Parliament. It is unfortunate that Ted Brocklebank took that line. My colleague Hugh O'Donnell, who took part in the trip to Gaza, made a good speech. I am glad that he congratulated the organisations that are taking practical steps to help people in Gaza. The Liberal Democrats' UK leader, Nick Clegg, has called on the UK Government to stop arming the Israelis. I certainly back that call.
Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): The Palestinian people are paying a dear price for Europe's guilt about what happened to European Jews. I find Mr Brocklebank's comments completely inappropriate but unsurprising, given the fact that the Conservatives did everything that they could to prevent the debate from taking place, notwithstanding what the cabinet secretary said.
I congratulate all the organisations in Scotland that are taking practical steps to help the people in Gaza. Even those of us who were there recently can have only a limited understanding of what has gone on in the past two weeks. We have watched in horror as the conflict in Gaza has claimed innocent victim after innocent victim. We have watched the UN schools, for which the Israelis have the co-ordinates, being completely destroyed. The past two weeks have been a telling indictment of the international community. We have an outgoing United States President who is giving Israel carte blanche to do what is being done to the people of Gaza and, regrettably, an aching silence from the President-elect. We also have a European Union that is encumbered by clumsy decision making and confused messages.
Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope, which has been referred to by other members. It is the short respite in the bombing that has been promised by Israel, along with the talk of a cease-fire. The three hours to which Nicola Sturgeon referred is barely enough time to do anything—let alone to feed a population of 1.5 million—but it is a start, even if it is intended only to deflect growing international criticism of what Israel is doing.
As other members have said, Israel has every right to defend itself, but its current approach is self-defeating and conveniently ignores the roots of its existence in the Stern gang and Irgun. There is no more a military solution to this situation than there was to the situation in Northern Ireland. We must get the sides to talk to each other. We were brave enough to talk to the Irish Republican Army, so why can we not make the Israelis brave enough to talk to Hamas and Hamas brave enough to talk to the Israelis?
The overwhelming use of force by Israel and the unacceptable loss of civilian lives are radicalising moderate Palestinians. We are now seeing Hezbollah launching attacks from Lebanon.
Britain must condemn unambiguously Israel's tactics, just as it has rightly condemned the Hamas rocket attacks. We must lead the European Union towards using its economic and diplomatic influence in the region to broker peace. That includes, if necessary, cancelling the preferable trade agreement that it is currently negotiating with the Israelis.
Finally, the world's leaders must accept that the response to the election of Hamas has been a strategic failure. Attempts to divide and rule the Palestinians by isolating them and collectively punishing an innocent civilian population in Gaza will not succeed. No terrorist organisation has ever been bombed into submission. To secure peace in the middle east, Hamas must turn its back on its terrorist activities to help to create Palestinian unity and Israel must recognise that the people of Palestine have as much right to exist on that land as the Israelis do. In Scotland, we must do all that we can to support the humanitarian efforts for the civilians in Gaza.
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The text of the motion was
S3M-3179 Nicola Sturgeon: The Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza—That the Parliament expresses its concern over the loss of all lives in the conflict in Gaza; joins the international community in calling for a ceasefire; acknowledges the unfolding humanitarian disaster in Gaza; recognises and welcomes the role being played by those in Scotland involved in the humanitarian response, and supports the work of all charities and NGOs in Scotland that are responding to this situation.
and it was supported by everybody except the Tories. How you could actually fail to support something calling for a ceasefire is beyond me, but they managed it.
Jim Tolson, MSP for Dunfermline West, and Hugh O'Donnell, who went to Gaza in November on a Parliamentary visit were the Liberal Democrat contributors and I thought that their contributions were worthy of reproducing here.
Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): Like millions of other people, I am absolutely shocked by the huge scale of the Israeli attacks that have been taking place since 27 December and which we have seen on the worldwide television news. With 1.5 million people crammed into the Gaza strip, high levels of civilian casualties were inevitable. There is no credibility in the Israeli statement that the Palestinians have used people as human shields, because it is impossible to have human shields when so many people are crammed into such a small space anyway.
In December, I attended the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on Palestine. The feedback from Hugh O'Donnell, Sandra White and Pauline McNeill on their audacious boat trip to Gaza was absolutely heartbreaking. There was also feedback from Palestinian people, many of whom had suffered for years in their homeland at the hands of the Israelis. There was feedback, too, from aid workers who had been attacked and harangued out of Gaza, and from Scots who had lived in Gaza and had felt that in many ways they were living under occupation. We heard heartbreaking points from all. We heard that no spare parts are allowed for sewage systems and how Israeli gunboats force fishermen to remain close to the shore and to fish in waters that are contaminated with sewage, which inevitably contaminates the food chain.
I decided to be no armchair supporter. I was sufficiently moved to join 2,000 demonstrators in Glasgow last Saturday. A cross-party group of MSPs was there in support of the demonstration, although there were no Tories. The demonstration, which was on behalf of and in support of the people of Gaza and Palestinians worldwide, was peaceful but vociferous. The heartbreaking news about what has been going on in Gaza, particularly since 27 December, was well elocuted by many. I cannot condone the rocket attacks on Israel, but the Israeli response is utterly disproportionate. All violence must stop now and not just for three hours per day. Violence breeds violence and only a democratic settlement will bring lasting peace.
Nicola Sturgeon was absolutely right that almost all Scots are concerned about the situation. As she said, the violence is shattering and hopes for a long-term peace are the way ahead. I back those sentiments fully. The motion's focus on charities and NGOs pulling together is the right approach. The one point on which I agree with Ted Brocklebank is that that is one response that Scotland can make, whereas we cannot act on many other matters. Nicola Sturgeon also referred to the MSPs' trip to Gaza in November. That was a brave and audacious attempt by our colleagues to provide aid. They definitely managed to do that and I am glad that they did. At the end of the day, as Nicola Sturgeon said, we hope that the Parliament will speak with one voice on the issue. It is crucial that we do so.
Pauline McNeill was one of the members who went on the trip to Gaza. She talked about how Scotland can respond to the crisis in humanitarian ways. We heard much about that at the demonstration last Saturday. People can comment here and elsewhere on what is happening to try to ensure that the Palestinians' story gets out to a worldwide audience. We can also comment on the scale of the suffering, which has been going on for many years and not just since 27 December. Pauline McNeill rightly suggested that the public expect us to add our voice to that of others. The world focus must be on an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Some Israelis, and even George Bush, have denied that there is a humanitarian crisis. There is no credibility whatever in that statement. I am glad that Mr Bush is going, but I wish that I could believe that the Israeli Government will be more reasonable in the future. I do not hold out too much hope of that.
Ted Brocklebank's speech was sad indeed. Although he deplored the tragic deaths of civilians in Gaza, including those of 200 children, he soured the debate somewhat, which was rather sad to witness. Hamas is not just a militant organisation—no more than the Tories are in the Parliament. It is unfortunate that Ted Brocklebank took that line. My colleague Hugh O'Donnell, who took part in the trip to Gaza, made a good speech. I am glad that he congratulated the organisations that are taking practical steps to help people in Gaza. The Liberal Democrats' UK leader, Nick Clegg, has called on the UK Government to stop arming the Israelis. I certainly back that call.
Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): The Palestinian people are paying a dear price for Europe's guilt about what happened to European Jews. I find Mr Brocklebank's comments completely inappropriate but unsurprising, given the fact that the Conservatives did everything that they could to prevent the debate from taking place, notwithstanding what the cabinet secretary said.
I congratulate all the organisations in Scotland that are taking practical steps to help the people in Gaza. Even those of us who were there recently can have only a limited understanding of what has gone on in the past two weeks. We have watched in horror as the conflict in Gaza has claimed innocent victim after innocent victim. We have watched the UN schools, for which the Israelis have the co-ordinates, being completely destroyed. The past two weeks have been a telling indictment of the international community. We have an outgoing United States President who is giving Israel carte blanche to do what is being done to the people of Gaza and, regrettably, an aching silence from the President-elect. We also have a European Union that is encumbered by clumsy decision making and confused messages.
Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope, which has been referred to by other members. It is the short respite in the bombing that has been promised by Israel, along with the talk of a cease-fire. The three hours to which Nicola Sturgeon referred is barely enough time to do anything—let alone to feed a population of 1.5 million—but it is a start, even if it is intended only to deflect growing international criticism of what Israel is doing.
As other members have said, Israel has every right to defend itself, but its current approach is self-defeating and conveniently ignores the roots of its existence in the Stern gang and Irgun. There is no more a military solution to this situation than there was to the situation in Northern Ireland. We must get the sides to talk to each other. We were brave enough to talk to the Irish Republican Army, so why can we not make the Israelis brave enough to talk to Hamas and Hamas brave enough to talk to the Israelis?
The overwhelming use of force by Israel and the unacceptable loss of civilian lives are radicalising moderate Palestinians. We are now seeing Hezbollah launching attacks from Lebanon.
Britain must condemn unambiguously Israel's tactics, just as it has rightly condemned the Hamas rocket attacks. We must lead the European Union towards using its economic and diplomatic influence in the region to broker peace. That includes, if necessary, cancelling the preferable trade agreement that it is currently negotiating with the Israelis.
Finally, the world's leaders must accept that the response to the election of Hamas has been a strategic failure. Attempts to divide and rule the Palestinians by isolating them and collectively punishing an innocent civilian population in Gaza will not succeed. No terrorist organisation has ever been bombed into submission. To secure peace in the middle east, Hamas must turn its back on its terrorist activities to help to create Palestinian unity and Israel must recognise that the people of Palestine have as much right to exist on that land as the Israelis do. In Scotland, we must do all that we can to support the humanitarian efforts for the civilians in Gaza.
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Thursday, January 08, 2009
Clegg hones Lib Dem Election Team
Nick Clegg reshuffled his front bench team today in what will probably be the last change of roles before the General Election.
I personally was delighted to see Steve Webb go back to Work and Pensions. He's done well at Environment and Climate Change, but he is Mr Pensions and knows everything there is to know in that complex minefield. I actually don't understand why he was ever moved in the first place and I am sure we will benefit from his expertise in this important area.
Top Lib Dem MP Blogger Lynne Featherstone is to head up the as yet unformed New Technology Board to make sure the Party is maximising its use of available technology. Lynne's personability combined with Innovation Director Mark Pack's technological brilliance is probably a partnership made in heaven. Richmond MP and transport specialist Susan Kramer leaves the shadow cabinet to head up the campaign against the Heathrow expansion. Jenny Willott gets what can hardly be called a promotion from Work and Pensions, where she has been effective, to Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whatever that does. I hope it's a mechanism to allow her more influence in the General Election campaign. I have had a lot of time for Ms Willott since she stood against Paul Holmes for the Chesterfield selection 10 years ago. I was obviously on Paul's team, but we were so impressed with Jenny that we did phone canvassing for her when she first stood for selection in Cardiff Central.
My major observation about all of this is that key and able women seem to have been given jobs outside the key Shadow Cabinet positions while, on the other hand, we have Simon Hughes, (who it's impossible not to love, so I'm not slagging him) brought back into the Shadow Cabinet after 4 years as President. I'm wondering what exactly Nick is saying here. It could be that Lynne's Jenny's and Susan's roles do become high profile, but generally being a spokesperson for a Parliamentary brief is the way to get the media to notice you. Time will tell.
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I personally was delighted to see Steve Webb go back to Work and Pensions. He's done well at Environment and Climate Change, but he is Mr Pensions and knows everything there is to know in that complex minefield. I actually don't understand why he was ever moved in the first place and I am sure we will benefit from his expertise in this important area.
Top Lib Dem MP Blogger Lynne Featherstone is to head up the as yet unformed New Technology Board to make sure the Party is maximising its use of available technology. Lynne's personability combined with Innovation Director Mark Pack's technological brilliance is probably a partnership made in heaven. Richmond MP and transport specialist Susan Kramer leaves the shadow cabinet to head up the campaign against the Heathrow expansion. Jenny Willott gets what can hardly be called a promotion from Work and Pensions, where she has been effective, to Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, whatever that does. I hope it's a mechanism to allow her more influence in the General Election campaign. I have had a lot of time for Ms Willott since she stood against Paul Holmes for the Chesterfield selection 10 years ago. I was obviously on Paul's team, but we were so impressed with Jenny that we did phone canvassing for her when she first stood for selection in Cardiff Central.
My major observation about all of this is that key and able women seem to have been given jobs outside the key Shadow Cabinet positions while, on the other hand, we have Simon Hughes, (who it's impossible not to love, so I'm not slagging him) brought back into the Shadow Cabinet after 4 years as President. I'm wondering what exactly Nick is saying here. It could be that Lynne's Jenny's and Susan's roles do become high profile, but generally being a spokesperson for a Parliamentary brief is the way to get the media to notice you. Time will tell.
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Scotland Wide Gaza Demo this Saturday
Hopefully we will have more luck at attending this demo on Saturday. It's Scotland-wide and being supported by everyone from the Stop the War coalition to Scottish Jews for a Just Peace to the Muslim Council of Scotland.
The Meeting Point is East Market Street at 12.30 pm and march to the US consulate, then back to Princes Street for a rally with speakers.
Don't forget to take in date medicines, sealed in their original containers, to send to Gaza.
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The Meeting Point is East Market Street at 12.30 pm and march to the US consulate, then back to Princes Street for a rally with speakers.
Don't forget to take in date medicines, sealed in their original containers, to send to Gaza.
LibDig This!
What sort of pathetic apology for a human being am I?
I mean, I haven't bought a guitar
Nor have I cleaned the house,
or bought milk, though I was in Morrisons an hour ago and forgot.
Although I don't have the technology to join in with this meme, I am surprised that nobody has added the verse "I'm sorry I haven't delivered the leaflets."
Is this because although we are all sad enough to waste tonnes of time on the internet, we always make sure our leaflets are out there first?
If you have no idea what I'm talking about and are intrigued, have a look here.
Pink Dog's response is my favourite, but nothing new there:-)
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Nor have I cleaned the house,
or bought milk, though I was in Morrisons an hour ago and forgot.
Although I don't have the technology to join in with this meme, I am surprised that nobody has added the verse "I'm sorry I haven't delivered the leaflets."
Is this because although we are all sad enough to waste tonnes of time on the internet, we always make sure our leaflets are out there first?
If you have no idea what I'm talking about and are intrigued, have a look here.
Pink Dog's response is my favourite, but nothing new there:-)
LibDig This!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Nick Clegg calls for end to arms exports to Israel
I am very heartened to see Nick Clegg being very firm in today's Guardian, saying unequivocally that we must stop arming Israel.
In this European election year, it was also good to see him show the important role the EU could have in helping to resolve the crisis, and in fact stating that the removal of the EU presence in Egypt in response to Hamas' election was counter productive in that it has made it easier for those who are firing rockets at Israel to obtain them.
Oh, and Happy Birthday to both Nick and my cousin David, who is celebrating his first birthday in his new home in Canada.
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In this European election year, it was also good to see him show the important role the EU could have in helping to resolve the crisis, and in fact stating that the removal of the EU presence in Egypt in response to Hamas' election was counter productive in that it has made it easier for those who are firing rockets at Israel to obtain them.
Oh, and Happy Birthday to both Nick and my cousin David, who is celebrating his first birthday in his new home in Canada.
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Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Two New Millennium Bloggers
No, this isn't a reference to our favourite elephant but congratulations to two stalwarts of the Scottish blogging scene, Jeff and Fraser who today have made their thousandth posts on their blogs.
I like reading both of them and hope that they're good for at least another thousand posts.
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I like reading both of them and hope that they're good for at least another thousand posts.
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Israeli Bombs kill 40 at UN School in Refugee Camp
I'm saddened to see that there has been no let up in the Israeli assaults on Gaza. Then again, why should there be when they are getting away with such indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks?
They need an incentive to re-think what they are doing, otherwise more innocent lives will be needlessly lost.
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They need an incentive to re-think what they are doing, otherwise more innocent lives will be needlessly lost.
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