SNP: Give Scotland power over minimum wage

THE SNP is to campaign for the minimum wage, income tax personal allowance and more benefits to be transferred to Holyrood in its general election manifesto next year.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Where did unionists get this daft idea that the SNP “contributing to and signing off Lord Smith of Kelvin’s report” somehow implies that the party has abandoned its commitment to securing for Scotland the full powers of an independent nation. This notion is every bit as inane as the insistence that September’s referendum result should be interpreted as a vote to give up our right of self-determination.

See on scotsman.com



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Brian Wilson: Blame game over for Nicola Sturgeon

POWERS and accountability offered by Smith make it impossible for SNP to duck responsibility, writes Brian Wilson.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Brian Wilson is, as I’m sure everyone knows, well out there on the deranged and deluded fringe of British nationalist fanaticism. So it is only to be expected that his rantings on the subject of the Smith Commission’s report and the response from those who are not so mindlessly devoted to the British state would have little to do with reality. While Wilson predictably rails against the SNP in characteristically bitter, bilious fashion, the herd of elephants in the room which his inane prejudice prevents him from seeing is the fact that Smith’s proposals don’t just fail to address - far less meet - the aspirations of the SNP and the wider independence movement, they don’t even come close to matching what was promised by the British parties and so comically “guaranteed” by Wilson’s fellow British nationalist, Gordon Brown.

Brian Wilson is right about one thing. The SNP was always going to be critical of whatever was offered in this latest round of futile constitutional tinkering. Just as British Labour in Scotland was always going to whine about the SNP’s “attitude”. The difference lies in the fact that the SNP are absolutely, factually, objectively correct and fully justified in pointing out the deficiencies and inadequacies of the Smith Commission’s final report. Wilson and his bleating, carping ilk, by contrast have no such justification. Apart from stating the obvious regarding the Smith Commission’s failure to deliver, the SNP is, after all, doing no more than remaining true to its core policy position of independence or, in the interim, the maximum powers that can be gained for the Scottish Parliament short of independence.

If Wilson and his British nationalist cronies don’t like being accused of betrayal, then perhaps they should make different choices.

See on scotsman.com



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Smith report: Labour and SNP trade 'watering down' claims

Labour and the SNP have accused each other of having tried to water down the historic agreement on new powers for Scotland.

Peter A Bell's insight:

It seems that British Labour in Scotland is reduced to one last desperate tactic - whatever happens, BLAME THE SNP!

See on heraldscotland.com



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Battle looms as Brown to stand down

GORDON Brown is expected to stand down as an MP at the next General Election after 32 years in politics.

Peter A Bell's insight:

One minute this clown is posing as the guarantor of the notorious “Vow” and the man who will personally ensure that Scotland gets “more powers” - although he has neither the authority nor the influence to do so - and the next minute he’s quitting as an MP, so that he will have even less power and influence than the bugger-all that he has now.

The great mystery which remains is why the media take Gordon Brown so seriously. It’s for damned sure nobody else does.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Carmichael warns SNP: don't aim for Indyref 2 because voters were 'too stupid' in September

The SNP must stop manoeuvring for a second independence referendum “that implies people were too stupid to get the answer right the first time,” according to Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael.

Peter A Bell's insight:

I guess we all recognise that Alistair Carmichael is not the shiniest bauble on the Christmas tree. But would anybody have expected him to be such a fool as to suggest that the Scottish electorate are stupid. Because he is the one casting this aspersion. Nobody from the SNP or the wider independence campaign has ever suggested such a thing.



To the extent that the SNP is “manoeuvring for a second independence referendum” they are doing so for one very simple reason - people are demanding another referendum.

The SNP is responding to the public mood. The Secretary of State for Portsmouth seems totally unfamiliar with the concept.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Lib Dems back welfare devolution

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have given their backing to the transfer of powers over welfare to the Scottish Parliament.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Frantic back-pedalling.

See on bbc.co.uk



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SIMON HEFFER: Now there's only one way to stop Ed being PM

The truth is that unless David Cameron agrees a deal with Ukip, so as to stop splitting the centre-right vote across the country, Ed Miliband will be prime minister in six months’ time.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Simon Heffer near-total lack of awareness is to extreme to be anything other than comical. His article is close to being a masterpiece of British nationalist self-parody. Even the hypocrisy is so brazen as to be almost humorous.

He bleats pathetically about the possibility of people in England being subjected to a government which only a minority voted for. He does so dumbly oblivious to the fact that this is precisely the situation which he and his fellow British nationalist fanatics insist that the people of Scotland should meekly accept.

He whines about the likelihood of of the SNP holding the balance of power at Westminster calling it an “insult to democracy”. He doesn’t appear to realise that, if the SNP does hold the balance of power at Westminster, it will be because of the very political/electoral system which he holds to be the very epitome of democracy.

Simon Heffer may be “sleepwalking into a constitutional nightmare”, but not all of us are so stupid. Many of us recognised long ago that the British state was facing an impending constitutional crisis. Many of us long since came to the conclusion that the British state, as currently constituted, was rapidly becoming untenable.

More and more of us are coming to the realisation that, whatever else may be required to resolve this situation, Scotland’s independence is crucial.

See on dailymail.co.uk



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SNP should top up benefits, says Gordon Brown

THE Scottish Parliament should be allowed to use its funds to top up some benefits payments to tackle poverty and injustice, former prime minister Gordon Brown has suggested.

Peter A Bell's insight:

It’s probably good that Gordon Brown has some objective other than self-promotion. It is unfortunate, however, that this objective is to undermine the SNP administration and Scottish Parliament at whatever cost to the people of Scotland.

What he is suggesting is reminiscent of the demands from British Labour in Scotland that the Scottish Government should fully fund the iniquitous bedroom tax devised by a Labour UK Government and subsequently expanded by their Conservative allies. Effectively, this represents a further transfer of funds from Scotland to the British exchequer while making it easier for the austerity-obsessed British parties to impose even more stringent cuts.

Gordon Brown’s “big idea” is that Tory/Labour austerity be subsidised from Scotland’s already strained budget. It’s not difficult to see why this dullard was such a colossal failure as Chancellor.

But, of course, it is no part of Brown’s purpose to seek ways of improving the governance of Scotland or the management of our economy. His sole purpose is to put the Scottish Government under pressure and force it to take measures which will make it unpopular.

What some may find curious is Brown’s underlying assumption that the SNP will continue to be in power. It seems that British Labour in Scotland has already conceded the 2016 Holyrood elections. Either that or Gordon Brown doesn’t care which party is in power. He just wants to weaken the Scottish Government.

See on scotsman.com



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Record View: The Vow is doing it's job

David Cameron is sticking by his pledge to Scots on the Barnett Formula despite being under pressure from his own MPs, proof the The Vow is doing it’s job.

Peter A Bell's insight:

The Daily Record lies!

David Cameron wasn’t even in the chamber. So how could he have contributed to the debate, as this appalling rag says?

Ed Miliband wasn’t there either. Nor was Nick Clegg. So we can easily see how much importance they attach to what is, supposedly, their “Vow”.

Other absentees were Gordon Brown, self-appointed plenipotentiary and spokesperson for the nation and people of Scotland, and Alistair Darling - remember him?

Why is the Daily Record trying so desperately to play up the significance of the “Vow” which pretty much everybody else long since dismissed as a dreadful joke? Perhaps because the newspaper’s already tattered reputation depends on the “Vow” not being exposed as the confidence trick that it undoubtedly was.

See on dailyrecord.co.uk



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Video: a triumphant Sturgeon is named our Scottish Politician of the Year

Nicola Sturgeon has won the top accolade in The Herald Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, in recognition of a remarkable period which saw her become the first female First Minister.

Peter A Bell's insight:

I despair of British journalists such as Robbie Dinwoodie ever getting their heads around the fact that the referendum wasn’t about the SNP. There is evidently no more chance of them comprehending that the constitutional issue goes beyond mere party politics than their friends in the British political parties.

The question remains however, as to how one can be so unaware and uncomprehending and yet still boast the title of “Chief Scottish Political Correspondent” - apparently without embarrassment.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Gordon Brown to outline further powers plan

GORDON Brown will set out a programme for jobs, economic growth and tackling poverty using the new powers of the Scottish Parliament when he addresses business leaders in Glasgow.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Who the hell is Gordon Brown?

He has no position. He has no status. He has no role. He has no authority. And, despite the fawning attention lavished on him by the British media, he has precious little respect among voters in Scotland.

So what is he doing setting out his “plan” for the Scottish Government? He isn’t even an MSP. He is never going to be an MSP. He is most certainly never going to be in a position to implement his “plan”. He isn’t even going to be in a position to influence policy. Not ever!

What he is doing is posturing. Gordon Brown - who was a nonentity even when he was a calamitous part of the disastrous Blair government - has decided that he wants to be a “statesman”. So he is acting out the role. And doing so very poorly despite the assistance of a media relations team which seems to have a somewhat worrying ability to have the British press print whatever they want them to print.

I note that Brown is “calling on the Smith Commission to endorse” whatever it is that his people have cobbled together. What I don’t find is any mention of an actual submission. Which only seems to confirm my initial impression. Gordon Brown is nought but a bag of wind and pish.

See on scotsman.com



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Alex Salmond is a paranoid loser, says former BBC chairman

Sir Christopher Bland

Peter A Bell's insight:

What Sir Christopher Bland remains stubbornly blind to is the fact that the BBC’s bias in the referendum campaign is not just something that popped into Alex Salmond’s head, but something which was confirmed by independent academic research.

As for the rather infantile “loser” epithet, I suppose that depends on how you look at it. Doubtless Bland defines a “winner” in terms that put himself in that category whilst excluding all those who are in no way like him. Seen in that light, Mr Salmond might well consider it a compliment to be considered a loser by Bland.

For certain, there are no objective measures by which Alex Salmond could be counted a loser. He is at present among the most influential politicians in the UK. Something he manages to combine with being one of the most popular politicians in Scotland. No mean feat in itself.

Alex Salmond is respected. He has a future as a significant public figure and a powerful political force. Sir Christopher Bland is a nonentity whose meagre achievements are all behind him.

See on theguardian.com



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Findlay in pledge to campaign against Trident

NEIL Findlay has promised to put Scottish Labour at the heart of the campaign against renewing Britain’s nuclear deterrent if he wins the party leadership next month.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Neil Findlay is either seriously confused or just as instinctively dishonest as any other British Labour politician. Here we have him reportedly boasting that he will lead the fight to change British Labour’s policy of supporting profligate expenditure on obscene weapons of mass destruction. But only a matter of hours ago he claimed that British Labour policy already was to oppose the renewal of Trident.

He would doubtless point out that he was referring to British Labour in Scotland. But British Labour in Scotland cannot have a different policy from the rest of British Labour for the simple reason that British Labour in Scotland IS NOT A SEPARATE PARTY!

When it comes to changing party policy, the leaderkin of deceptively named “Scottish Labour” has no more influence than any of the party’s diminishing band of card-carrying members. The plain truth of the matter is that, supposing he were to become “leader”, Neil Findlay would be obliged to do exactly as he was told by his bosses in London.

Johann Lamont was, perhaps mercifully, prohibited from speaking about Trident by Ed Miliband. Neil Findlay will be in exactly the same position. And, let us not forget, Jim Murphy would be no different. The role of “Scottish Labour leader” is a title without authority.

Was Neil Findlay lying when he asserted that opposing the renewal of Trident is British labour policy? Of course he was! Unless he relies on the equally dishonest claim that there is a Scottish Labour Party with the capacity to make policy.

Is he lying when he says he will campaign against Trident? Of course he is! Unless he is so deluded as to imagine he will be permitted to go against the party leadership in London.

See on heraldscotland.com



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The one-man policy committee - YouTube

Scottish Labour leadership candidate Neil Findlay MSP tells the Andrew Marr Show that his party opposes Trident renewal, surprising a nation as well as the r…

Peter A Bell's insight:

Watch, listen and marvel at the casual ease with which British Labour politicians lie to the people of Scotland.

It would be good to be able to say that there was something exceptional about wannabe leaderkin of British Labour in Scotland, Neil Findlay, dishonestly claiming that opposing the obscenity of Trident is official British Labour policy. Regrettably, however, this kind of brazen, bare-faced lying is now the norm among British politicians.

It would also be gratifying to be able to dismiss as nothing more than a momentary lapse Andrew Marr’s startling failure to challenge this falsehood from Findlay. But, far from being an aberration, this refusal to properly scrutinise the claims and utterances of British politicians is now firmly established as accepted practice in the British media.

See on youtube.com



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Murphy rejects Lamont position on benefit cuts

JIM Murphy has signalled a major shift in Scottish Labour policy if he wins the leadership, saying he would not seek to axe popular benefits and entitlements.

Peter A Bell's insight:

I’ve scoured this article searching for anything that might justify the headline.But I find nothing. In fact, far from rejecting Lamonts position on welfare cuts, Murphy appears to stating even more clearly than she ever did his opposition to universalism.

Let’s not beat about the bush here. The headline is a blatant lie.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Campaign for Scottish Home Rule

by Jennifer Dempsie If like me, as a frustrated independence supporter, have been trying to get your head round what Home Rule for Scotland could actually look like, then help might just be at hand…

Peter A Bell's insight:

Reading all this stuff about “Home Rule” prompts the same question in my mind as other talk of “more powers”. Why? What is the purpose? And I cannot help but conclude that the purpose of all this flailing around trying to discover that elusive magic devolution formula has precious little to do with concern for democracy and good governance and a great deal to do with desperate efforts to preserve the structures of power and privilege which define the British state.

Jennifer Dempsie gets all excited about the prospect of a presumption in favour of devolution. But if such a presumption is good in principle then why stop there? A presumption in favour of devolution is merely a timid, watered-down version of the truly fundamental principle that ALL powers pertaining to the government of Scotland should lie with the Scottish Parliament and that only the people of Scotland have the legitimate authority to limit or transfer those powers.

It is time to acknowledge that devolution is dead. The reason that the Smith Commission and all the rest are having so much difficulty formulating a viable devolution settlement is that there is no viable devolution settlement. There is no form of devolution which does not immediately beg the question, why this and not more? Why these powers and not those?

More importantly, there is no devolution settlement which does not leave unresolved the issue of who decides which powers are devolved and which are reserved. It will never be satisfactory for such decisions to be in the hands of British politicians in Westminster because this runs counter to the principle of popular sovereignty. And the only way such decisions can be fully and irrevocably vested in the people of Scotland - subject only to the terms of a written constitution - is with full independence.

See on bellacaledonia.org.uk



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Murphy's £10,000 donor also gave money to Tories

LABOUR leadership favourite Jim Murphy is under fire after benefiting from a £10,000 donation from a one-time Conservative donor.

Peter A Bell's insight:

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to find British Labour politicians benefiting from Tory money. The entire anti-independence campaign was basically a British labour propaganda campaign funded by the Tories and various other highly dubious individuals and organisations.

It should come as even less of a surprise to find that the British politician sucking at the Tory teat is the notoriously avaricious Jim Murphy.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Revealed: just how many members does Labour really have in Scotland?

THE scale of the challenge facing Scottish Labour can be revealed after it emerged the party has one-sixth of the membership of the SNP.

Peter A Bell's insight:

This secretiveness from British Labour in Scotland is simply not acceptable.Not only do we have no clear idea how many members they have, there is great uncertainty about what actually constitutes membership; who is entitled to vote; and the basis of that entitlement.

Bearing in mind that this impacts the process by which a potential First Minister of Scotland might be appointed, that process must be open and democratic. It is symptomatic of British Labour in Scotland’s arrogance that they assume they can just make it up to suit themselves.

Perhaps it is time we had legislation to set out clear rules for political parties.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Sturgeon won’t rule out SNP and Labour coalition

NICOLA Sturgeon has signalled that the SNP would be prepared to prop up Ed Miliband at Westminster if there is a hung parliament after next May’s General ­Election.

Peter A Bell's insight:

Some things never change. The Scotsman continues to peddle the myth that it was the SNP which “ushered in” the vile Thatcher. The reality, of course, is that the SNP offered to prop up the Callaghan government in return for British Labour doing no more than deliver on its promises about devolution. Callaghan turned down that offer knowing full well that it meant handing power to the Tories.



Years later, Gordon Brown took the same attitude, preferring a Tory government to any kind of deal with the SNP. Such is British Labour’s mindless hatred of their real political rivals. Such is the nature of the faux rivalry between the two main British parties.



And that mindless hatred doesn’t change, even when its corrosive effects threaten to destroy the party. Listen to the knee-jerk drivel from the non-existent “Scottish Labour Party”. They are still trying to sell the tired old “Vote Labour ‘cos we’re not the Tories” line despite the fact that we know that voting Labour is a largely ineffective way of avoiding Tory governments. And despite the fact that British Labour’s claim to be significantly different from the Tories long since ceased to be credible.



This dumb, delusional spokesperson for British Labour in Scotland is desperately trying to persuade us that politics hasn’t changed in the last few years. They are frantically seeking to convince us that politics is no more than a choice between Red Tories and Blue Tories. They are oblivious to the increased political awareness and sophistication of the people of Scotland that is a legacy of the referendum campaign.



And the sub-text is, as ever, that the old order and the old ways must be preserved. The structures of power and privilege which define the British state must be defended at whatever cost to the people of Scotland and other inhabitants of these islands outside the London bastions of the ruling elites.



It’s time for a new song.

See on scotsman.com



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Debate will not fade as unionists had hoped

THE road to the referendum was marked by milestones - a year to go, the last 100 days, the final month - when we took stock, assessed the campaigns and attempted to predict the result.

Peter A Bell's insight:

The first half of this article reads like a fair assessment of the post-referendum political scene in Scotland. But Magnus Gardham quickly reverts to his British nationalist form. Having acknowledged that the constitutional question is still very much alive, he pins his colours firmly to the mast with a regurgitation of banal anti-independence propaganda and some rather petulant-sounding sniping at Alex Salmond.

Gardham is quite right when he notes that not much has changed. The “Scottish” media is as mindlessly devoted now to the unionist cause as they were throughout the referendum campaign.They are just as heedless of the interests of the people of Scotland. And just as determined to preserve the old order and the old ways with all their powers of distortion and deceit.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Sturgeon urges Labour voters to back SNP at general election

LABOUR’S days of “holding back Scotland” must be brought to an end at the 2015 General Election, according to First Minister-in-waiting Nicola Sturgeon.

Peter A Bell's insight:

I’m not sure erstwhile Labour voters need much encouragement from Nicola Sturgeon to vote SNP in next year’s UK elections. Only the most mindless party loyalist (Duncan Hothersall?) could possibly imagine that British Labour is fit to govern. They will be asking themselves exactly what Miliband and his fractious little gang have achieved in opposition. They will be asking themselves what kind of alternative British Labour offers.

Most of all, they will be asking themselves how their vote can be most effective. The referendum campaign has left people in Scotland with a strong sense of their political power. They will be reluctant to squander that power. They will be looking for the best way to shake up the British establishment. Being politically aware, they will inevitably conclude that a strong SNP presence at Westminster is what Scotland requires.

See on heraldscotland.com



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Jim Murphy: ‘I’ll scrap SNP football legislation’

LABOUR leadership front-runner Jim Murphy has pledged to scrap controversial laws aimed at sectarianism in football “right away” if he becomes first minister.

Peter A Bell's insight:

This is nothing more than opportunistic populist posturing from Murphy. Lacking even the bare bones of a policy that he can call his own - mainly because he knows absolutely nothing about Scottish politics - all he can do as carp about existing legislation. If anybody was looking for fresh thinking and new ideas from this British Labour place-man then they were always going to be disappointed.

It’s all pretty meaningless anyway. Look at the stack of assumptions on which this vacuous promise depends. It assumes that Murphy will be elected Leaderkin of British Labour - North Britain. OK! That may be the one reasonably safe assumption given that he is London’s man and London decides these things. But, in order to be Leaderkin of British Labour - North Britain Murphy has to be a member of the Scottish, British or European parliaments. And there is absolutely no guarantee that he could win an election in today’s political climate. It is conceivable that Murphy could lose his cushy Westminster job next year.

Murphy’s empty promise also assumes that Labour will win sufficient seats to hold power at Holyrood in 2016. Something that seems to go well beyond mere wishful thinking and into the realms of deranged fantasy. Nothing is ever certain in politics. But, barring some earth-shaking unforeseen occurrence, another SNP victory in 2016 seems as close to a sure thing as we’re likely to get.

But let’s go along with Jim Murphy’s delusional notions for a moment. Even if he did become First Minister - a prospect which makes me shudder no less than the thought of Johann Lamont in that role - then the soonest he might implement a repeal of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act is late 2016 or early 2017. By which time the other aspects of the present government’s anti-sectarianism programme will have been up and running for a year or more and the legislation will be up for review anyway.

So we find that, even on a most cursory examination, Murphy’s “vow” is utterly meaningless. Remind you of anything?

See on scotsman.com



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Scottish Independence Will Happen in 20 Years Says SNP's Alex Salmond - International Business Times UK

See on Scoop.it - SNP Perth River Tay

Some 55% Scots voted against independence in the 18 September referendum this year.

See on ibtimes.co.uk



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