There is a good and balanced article in the Guardian on the SNP MPs by Carole Cadwalladr. Thank goodness Severin Carrell and Libby Brooks must have been unavailable. I am struck that of those she chose to interview, Tommy Sheppard (my MP), Mhairi Black, Chris Law, Michelle Thomson, John Nicolson, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh are all people I am on first name terms with and almost all of whom I have shared platforms with. It is quite a small community (though until the selection panel I hadn’t seen John Nicolson for 30 years).
Cadwalladr’s worry that the MPs will become seduced by Westminster has worried me too. But I don’t think it will happen. These are exceptionally strong characters and there is a self-reinforcing group of them, and they have a very active base of supporters with eagle eyes.
Naturally Cadwalladr’s article relays as fact ludicrous Labour claims that the SNP in Scotland does not implement progressive social policies (ignoring no tuition fees, free prescriptions, free geriatric personal care, land reform etc). Given it’s lack of control of fiscal and benefits policy, they could hardly do more. But the general tone of the Cadwalladr article is so far away from the simplistic “SNP evil” line which we normally see from the Guardian, that I shall hope for a while that the departure of the Blair-worshipping clown Rusbridger and his wig may see the paper return to some kind of journalistic values.
I met Mhairi Black last week and I somehow doubt she will ever be seduced by Westminster! Listening to her speak made me feel like I was on the Yes campaign again
“These are exceptionally strong characters”
Indeed, particularly in the case of Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, a ghastly ego-driven careerist who passed through both the Tories and Labour before realising which way the wind was blowing, finally realising her ambition as an SNP MP.
“There is a good and balanced article in the Guardian on the SNP MPs”
Balanced? It seems like a puff piece to me. They could have written it themselves.
Agreed MJ, the author might as well have just stuck their tongue down the back of the SNP’s trousers ( metaphorically speaking of course)
An idea for your next movie, Ron?
Have they started an FoI group in the SNP yet? Anon1s “ghastly” tasmina may yet steal the epithet from melanie phillips our homegrown pamella geller, but tasmina has a long way to go before she reaches the devilishly ghastly heights of a jeanine pirro.
A selection of tweets from Mhairi Black:
“Woke up beside half a can of Tennents and a full pizza and more money than I came out with. I call that a success!”
“@DcIn gayboyyyyyyyyyyyy :D”
“Started with a few wkd’s at hannah’s and now I’m watching 4 OD ….what the fuck happened to my night :L”
“the nuns can get tae fuck.”
“it’s comin homme its cumin home foot balls comingg home …is it fuck ya wanks”
Ignoring the achievements of the SNP. Accepting “Ludicrous Labour claims ” (naturally ?). Welcoming this as good journalism and hoping it’s a sign of things to come , indicates how desperate we are for un biased journalism.
Meanwhile back at the BBC …..Sunday Politics, Andrew Neil hosted Clegg & Harman followed in Scotland by David Begg economist plus two journalists from the Mirror Record stable……… No one from the UK’s 3’rd largest Perty.
Whilst discussing the position the SNP is in after the budget
I am on first name terms with and almost all of whom I have shared platforms with. It is a travesty that you are not one of the new SNP MPs Craig.
That is of course my own personal grievance and somewhat inconsequential, more importantly my own ‘eagle-eyes’ turn once again towards MI5 and John McTernan, chief of staff to Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, who “rigged” last year’s independence referendum by creating thousands of fake No ballot papers.
That little set-up now done, Part 2 is persuasion, cajolery, inducement and lure of those young SNP wave makers who popped out for a pint of milk and came back MP’s.
The inducement of corporate riches, gallantry and courtliness is well known. Can Craig and the active support base provide the sentinel shield required to prevent such disruption of values.
I have my doubts…
“Naturally Cadwalladr’s article relays as fact ludicrous Labour claims that the SNP in Scotland does not implement progressive social policies”
_____________________________________
Of course Jim Murphy’s attempt to scrap football legislation, and to allow the drinking of alcohol at football matches, were in Labours eyes progressive.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/jim-murphy-i-ll-scrap-snp-football-legislation-1-3595819
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/jim-murphy-allow-drinking-at-football-matches-1-3640265
Of course in reality, Labour and Murphy, were playing to the masses, in the heartlands of Glasgow and Edinburgh, it backfired spectacularly.
Progressive policies, the “Circle of Virtue” is the most progressive system around, yet very few nations help impliment it.
This is how it works.
The lower and middle classes create the wealth of a society, these groups spend money on goods and services.
Which in turn allows big business to create jobs due to the demand for service and goods.
This in turn creates more tax revenue for governments which allows them to invest more in education and services to communties.
This in turn leads to a better educated workfoce, that can command a higher wage, which takes us back to the beginning of this article.
Unfortunately Osborne is hellbent on austerity, which leads to the opposite of the Circle of Virtue.
This unprogressive system is called the “Vicious Circle.”
Which I can list if you wish.
I’m glad Craig thinks it is a fair article from the Guardian – but based on what its says I very much doubt that the MPs interviewed will leave much of a mark on this Parliament. Pure oppositionalism will not be enough to actually change anything – and I see precious little thinking about how they will actually achieve anything. Though this probably all part of the Sturgeon/Salmond masterplan – send a lot of 2nd raters/inexperienced to Westminster to make a lot of noise and be totally ineffective – and then use that ineffectiveness as the basis to argue for another referendum.
Anon1 12 Jul, 2015 – 1:29 pm : <i<"A selection of tweets from Mhairi Black ….."
You haven’t said whether you approve or disapprove of her tweets. Please elucidate.
“An idea for your next movie, Ron?”
Thanks for the laugh. Cheered me up no end.
The gefilte fish devils in power over us now want to spend £2b bombing assad, when its ossterity and 6wk NHS waiting times for the rest of us. The (CIA) ISIL caliphate has no interest in mecca or medina, but wants to extend the caliphate to Putins Russian caucasus instead – as clear a proof as you would ever want of its owners. Camerons invition to Harriet Harman to join in the yiddiash camraderie stinks more of gefilte fish than a bombay duck. We have to be alert AGAIN.
Maybe Nicola Sturgeon will clean up Police Scotland after that lassie has died after being left for three days in a field after her car crash, which killed her boy friend.
Can you imagine three days without water and any form of help, lying injured, cold at night and being cooked by day.
THE CRASH WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE.
Node,
What you should really be asking the brave anonymous one is the dates and times of the tweets he has selectively posted.
My guess is that that information is missing because it would show how old the person was when they posted that tweet. The point being that none of us,except of course those brave cyber warriors who hide behind an anonymous label on this site, would stand scrutiny for the daft things we did and said in our younger days before we grew up a bit more.
And that is what the brave Anon is counting on by excluding this information. Hoping that by selectively quoting old tweets made from youthful indiscretions that readers will think that these represent the person in question at this stage of their lives.
Even if it were the case, such tweets pale into insignificance when compared to the in the public arena corruption of older and senior sitting politicians, from back handers for influence and the revolving door between private corporate interests and the Westminster establishment through to the pedophile activities and cover ups.
All of which the brave Anon has little to say. Preferring instead to point and draw attention to the mote in the eyes of those that seek to offer an alternative and ignoring the beam in the eyes of those guilty of far worse behaviour.
For my part I am thankful that, unlike some that one encounters, I possess neither a cap to doff nor a forelock to tug.
@Dave Hansell – Jesus referred to it as the synagogue of satan. A prescient two thousand years ago !!!
Anon1, thank you for the public statements from Mhairi Black, which do much to allay my fears that she is susceptible to co-option by pomp and circumstance. The degenerate British perversion of dignity is the last straw the moribund regime can hope to grasp, and Ms. Black appears ideally suited to blow it to gleeful smithereens.
You’re right, Dave Hansell. My question is a trap. Anon1’s favourite weapon is the vague smear. Very few of them stand close inspection. Come on Anon1, do you approve or disapprove of her tweets. Please give your reasoning.
“Gayboyyyyyyyy” was a bit rich, but we’ll let that pass. As for the age of the tweeter, barely any younger than she is now. S/he seems to have had a good Scots upbringing on Tennents Super – we can put that down to youthful indiscretion but most of us weren’t getting that fucked at that age.
That this juvenile delinquent is now an MP at the youngest age since whenever it was is a sad and pitiful reflection on the quality of what is currently coming out of Scotland. I have no objection to young MPs but this kind of rubbish ought to remain in Scotland.
“Rubbish” with a first class honours degree.
Anyone can get one of those these days. I say anyone but being “poor and deprived” from Scotland makes it doubly as likely.
The equal participation of women in the SNP – unlike in other parties – is a joy to behold. A pity that they’re nationalists – just from my opinion though, I’d say that about any sort of nationalist Scottish, English, German, Japanese, Israeli, Syrian etc. Nevertheless, all politics from the right to the left and anywhere in-between should be like this: not just a game for boys in suits and ties.
“Anyone can get one of those these days. I say anyone but being “poor and deprived” from Scotland makes it doubly as likely.”
Yep, sure.
Anon1 : “That this juvenile delinquent is now an MP at the youngest age since whenever it was is a sad and pitiful reflection on the quality of what is currently coming out of Scotland.”
Juvenile delinquency, eh? Are David Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson a sad and pitiful reflection on the quality of what is currently coming out of England bearing in mind they trashed restaurants as members of The Bullingdon club?
No? Well what’s the difference? She’s a female working class Scot. They’re rich privileged English males.
So which is it, Anon1? Are you a snob, a racist or a sexist?
I’m sorry node but I’m going to have to digress from you on this point.
It is obvious to a blind man on a galloping horse that the more accurate descriptions you are seeking are forelock tugger and cap doffer.
Because the other question arises as to how exactly this information came the brave anonymous ones way. Chances are that it was obtained via some establishment party smear exercise which the brave anon, for whom butter would not melt in his perfectly behaved mouth, has chosen to participate in, knowing full well that what he is doing is also drawing attention away from the far worse examples which you and others quote by those he doff his cap to.
This tells you all you need to know in regard to the character of what you are dealing with.
As one would expect, Anon1 (whose bad name the mods now protect from modification) omits the date of those Black tweets. All were posted in 2010 (simply Google Images for ‘Mhairi Black tweets’ to confirm).
Wonder what Anon1 got up to when he was 15? Young Conservatives is my guess.
BTW, while an upper second may not be too arduous an achievement, a Glasgow First is not to be sneezed at. And it gets you a better job than Anon1’s.
Craig
Have you been seduced by the “it’s” brigade?
The fourth line from the bottom of your post refers.