We do not have a parliamentary system which can hold a government with an absolute majority to account, even when that government only gained 37% of the vote. This is a salutary video for all of us, but particularly my fellow SNP members who think that being on House of Commons committees will make a big difference. Watch it from 16.32.30 where Paul Flynn starts to explore the links between Liam Fox, Adam Werritty and Matthew Gould. As he threatens to uncover hidden truths, he is shouted down by Tory MP Robert Halfon and forbidden from speaking by Tory committee chair Bernard Jenkin.
The Tories will be even worse in this parliament.
Halfon has today been promoted to Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party and given a seat in the Cabinet. He is a really nasty piece of work whose political career has been sponsored and financed by a very sinister figure named Poju Zabludowicz, who works closely with Mossad. It is appalling that Zabludowicz should be able to place his puppet into the centre of government, and shows yet again that money can buy power at Westminster, every time.
It is amusing that Cameron has been forced to put David Mundell into the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland. Also interesting that in the present state of opinion Cameron was not able to put in a colonial governor from the Lords or an English constituency. But whatever else may be said in Mundell’s favour, nobody has ever described him as highly intelligent, I suspect not even his mum. So it will be interesting to see how he manages his extraordinarily sensitive brief.
Labour equally had no choice but Ian Murray – which means as a shadow cabinet member he will have to stop pretending he is opposed to Trident. As anti-Trident rhetoric was the thing that saved Murray (plus disgraceful media attacks on his SNP opponent), by forcing him to become pro-Trident Scottish Labour will make a strong bid to have no MPs at all.
I think ‘digital’ feudalism is guaranteed, once the internet of stuff really gets a hold, with the 1 cubic millimetre computing nodes embedded in everything. Nice pic: http://img.techxplore.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2015/5525b1f10d46d.jpg
in a world that will be that heavily monitored – does it matter which minor figureheads run which minor party? Oh..here’s a party that has a different point of view… https://www.reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/35osr5/snp_planning_to_kill_off_snoopers_charter/
what else is up with the world today? possibly western pushed “freedom” is arriving soon in Former Yugo Macedonia
Finally, Julian seems to be reading German (wikileaks = not safe for spooks) unless you have written permission from your section head
didn’t make a case to the electorate
What I’m saying is that the only case visible was ‘gissajob.’ Labour no longer stands for anything. It hasn’t since Blair ditched Clause 4 –
To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service.
and replaced it with this hogwash:
The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect
Which, apart from the ‘many not the few’ token phrase to keep the old Trots happy, could have been written by Michael Gove. No?
Abe Rene (08h34)
It was a real pleasure to read your post after wading through the huge amounts of drivel and denial on this and the previous two threads.
You do realise though that you will never become a member of the Egregiousness of Excellences? Nor a Knight of the Disorder of Useful Idiots?
For which I thank you. 🙂
@Ba’ al Zevul “What I’m saying is that the only case visible was ‘gissajob.’”
This may well have been the Tories’ winning card – that there was more prosperity in the country as a whole. A Tory I encountered on my way to a comforting meal after the LibDem massacre worked in the building trade, and said that the Tories’ policies had been good for him and brought more work. He said that bricklayers could command much higher pay thanks to the demand for more building, thanks to the Tories.
Yup, builders love the Tories right now. The world financial crash and temporary pause in unsecured credit hit builders hard, but happily the housing bubble is now being reinflated, and of course the financial markets will never go phut again. Pity that for all the building, first-time buyers are still in trouble, with 2.6% house price rises being recorded for the last quarter. Remind me what the inflation rate is? There isn’t one? OK.
However, ‘gissajob’ was intended to be the request of the candidate, not some wider, er, aspiration
Tom Tomorrow (aka Dan Perkins) in the Daily Kos:
http://images.dailykos.com/images/139234/large/TMW2015-04-22color.png?1429459000
John Goss – thanks for the link – it does not convince. And factually it really is the case that all new members of the EU will have to be unanimously voted in – unless you still want to peddle the silliness of claiming that Scotland already is ‘in’ – she isn’t – the UK is in.
I think my point still stands – winning a second referendum may not be possible despite current successes for the SNP.
@Habakkuk “You do realise though that you will never become…” Indeed, since I doubt that I will ever do great things. I may well have to be content with small things.
@Ba’al Zevul “first-time buyers are still in trouble” You’re right there, it doesn’t matter to me whether inflation is zero or 3 percent, I couldn’t afford a house either way. I may have to settle for buying part of one, and when I’m too old to work, sell that part and move to a cheap hovel or something (or hope for a quick and peaceful demise with my boots on before retirement, that may well be the best outcome, *provided* my sins are forgiven).
Leslie.
For me Independence is not about money.
It is about my self esteem, my freedom, my choice to be, and do, what I think is good for me.
To stand on my own two feet, not just as a person, but as a free country.
What does it mean for you, if you are Scottish?
Ahlan wa sahlan Arsalan. I hope you are well. assalamu ‘alaykum.
Yes Arsalan what raises you to your keyboard today? Craig’s headline “vicious Tories”?
Craig has moved on to new heights of truth-telling and punching the whistles out of the fat cats who run this country. This keeps 2 full-time trolls busy obfuscating and putting the truth back into its soft packaged boxing and warehouse shelving.
Oh for the days when the only question was whether Disney cartoon character Usama bin Laden blew up the Disney WTC.
@Ba’ al Zevul “What I’m saying is that the only case visible was ‘gissajob.’”
job creation
Why do you keep changing your e-mail address Abe Rene in the same way as Habbabkuk has done over the years? btw Is Abe short for Abraham?
@ Mary “Why..?” I have changed jobs (their being non-permanent) now and then, and used different computers. My private details, such as my true identity and email address, are stable, but are confidential.
Cameron is 6 today so I am tied up with other duties, no post today!!
Hieroglyph
“So I was only half-right, and suspect Ed is made of stern stuff to last as long as he did.”
I know we’re supposed to be talking about vicious Tories but that’s what the right-wing New Labour are really anyway.
Neil Kinnock survived on A level Lefty talk for ages after he lost, but Ed’s lefty talk always seemed more heart-felt and it has had to run the gauntlet of his own party and the SNP and Craig. He must be made of stern stuff indeed.
The right wing wolves of New Labour have been snapping at him throughout the campaign, including brother Dave in march attacking him for having led the parliamentary opposition to bombing Syria to smithereens.
If Ed stood for election as leader again, he might succeed.
Happy Birthday, Cameron!
And a happy birthday to Cameron from me as well! And lots more happy and good ones to come, I hope.
@Jay
Do you have discalculia? Cameron has a majority over Labour of 99 seats. Even if the Labour had won all 59 seats in Scotland it would have come nowhere near a majority. England and Wales voted Tory and got Tory. Nothing to do with Scotland and how we voted. We voted for proper representation for once, for people not beholden to a Whips office staffed by the English, like Ian Murray now is, his principles subsumed by a shadow cabinet post. I doubt he will have the balls to rebel when the time comes.
@ Muscelguy
If the Scots voted for a feminist party, then they will be represented, otherwise…
Arsalan
11 May, 2015 – 5:11 pm
“So you are no longer a LibDem Craig?”
………………………………………………..
Should that not be Arse Alan?
Craig : “Cameron is 6 today so I am tied up with other duties, no post today!!”
Nice one Craig. Blame the lack of birthday presents on the postman.
Becky Cohen
11 May, 2015 – 6:17 pm
“Did anyone else see Nicola Sturgeon looking a bit like Margaret Thatcher in her pussy bow blouse on Andrew Marr the other day?”
……………………………………………………………………..
Did Margaret Thatcher ever wear a Pussybow blouse?
Do you have a picture Becky?
Lots of love Cameron – 6 yrs old today – This little story was from daddy when you were only 6 months old –
“Still in Accra. Nadira just phoned me from London to say that little Cameron – now 6 months old – was playing with the keys of her laptop – he has a fascination for mobile phones, remote controls and anything technical. Somehow he managed to open up firefox and navigate to Iain Dale’s blog.” 😉
Did Margaret Thatcher ever wear a Pussybow blouse?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhxUVif3pzU/UWQnQVO3JbI/AAAAAAAAAoo/YWwdlPMlz6o/s320/Margaret-Thatcher-in-a-pu-004.jpg
But it seems to be tied round her neck, not her….small furry animal.
Jay
12 May, 2015 – 1:52 am
“The SNP were sentient facilitators of Cameron’s victory, you could not make it up…”
……………………………………………………………..
Sentient…?
Ke?
I see the new Tory buzz words that we’ll be hearing a lot of are “Blue Collared Conservatives.
They’re more friendly than admitting we’re the slash and burn party.
“Blue Collared Conservatives.”
See also Essex Man, White Van Man, Ukip Voter, Little Man Who Does One’s Garden, etc.
Shouldn’t that be Ducdame?
Wiki: ducdame
An invocation to draw fools into a circle. As You Like It.
Meanwhile around the cabinet table the ECHR,is firmly at the top of the agenda,and how quickly they can replace it with the touted British Bill of Rights Act.
Gideon Osborne is coincidentally in Brussels today,amongst other matters,I wonder if he’s paving the way to replace ECHR.
God help us all if he manages to repeal the ECHR.
Could it trigger a second Scottish referendum,I bloody hope so.
JimmyGiro
12 May, 2015 – 6:21 am
“Young minds, reared by the relativism of left-wing State education…”
…………………………………………………………………………..
WTF is that supposed to mean?
………………………………………………………………………….
“Therefore, Jemand is right.”
……………………………………………………………………………..
No he isn’t.
The parties that promote “choice” don’t, for some reason, offer the voters the choice on the ballot papers to select – None of the above.
In my constituency there were five candidates and I didn’t want to support any of them but, if I want to participate, I am forced to choose one of them.