Miserable failure

Here's a wee teatime teaser. Go to Google and search the words 'Miserable failure'. What do the results show?...... Well they should show soon to be ex-US President, George W. Bush! Wonder what Bush would think if he tried it! LOL!

I'm backing DotSco, are you?

Scotland should have its own Internet domain name. The Spanish region of Catalonia has it's own (.cat) so why shouldn't Scotland? Scottish Ministers aim to create a Scottish web domain - ".scot" or ".sco" - and have set up a working group called dotSco. The group is making preparations to bid for a new domain in 2009, when the body responsible for Internet naming will invite applications for new ones. I'm backing the group, so why don't you? Just click on this link to go to the website and give your support :- http://www.dotsco.org/

Massive swing to SNP in Labour stronghold!

The SNP has gained yet another seat from Labour, this time the Kilbirnie and Beith council ward in North Ayrshire. The result presented a massive 15% swing from Labour to the SNP in what has traditionally been seen as a Labour stronghold! The SNP vote rose from 23% in May 2007 to 49% today whilst Labour fell back to 34%. Last year, even as the SNP won Cunninghame North by 48 votes, it was a massive 831 votes (14.68%) behind Labour in Kilbirnie and Beith, Labour's strongest area in the constituency. Despite Labour holding onto the other council seat in East Ayrshire the Labour vote was down and the SNP vote was up! These results prove that the SNP is still the favourite party amongst Scottish voters!

HBOS shareholders back takeover

This is a sad day for Scotland! Why? Because it is the day that Scotland lost one of its biggest historic icons! Today, HBOS shareholders voted to give the go-ahead for the Lloyds TSB takeover, plummeting HBOS shares down 22%! Lloyds shareholders had already backed the deal in November, and HBOS shareholders had been widely expected to follow suit, despite the vast amounts of people working for the bank and from various Trade Unions being very against the takeover. I congratulate the Merger Action Group (MAG) for making their points clear and, despite not succeeding, they managed to win public support and let people know why the UK government had acted wrongly.

TRIBUNAL LATEST: Action group press release

Hi all, thought I would post a (shorter version) copy of the press release from the Merger Action Group today about the latest of what is happening in the competitions tribunal, so here it is:

Neither the Prime Minister, the Chancellor nor the Business and Enterprise Secretary had the power to waive competition law when they allowed the proposed merger of Lloyds TSB and HBOS to proceed, a court heard today.

For the full press release on the first day of the CAT, please click the link below. http://www.mergeractiongroup.org.uk/updocs/MAG-PR-7-081208.pdf

SAVE THE BANK OF SCOTLAND - SAVE BANK JOBS

Mandelson sends threatening letters to MAG

Hi all. Thought I would just update you all on the latest revelation being revealed today. It's been revealed that Lord Mandelson, or "Bully Boy" as he's now being referred to as, has been criticised after his lawyers apparently sent threatening letters to those in the Merger Action Group (MAG for short). In a statement on today, SNP MSP Alex Neil and Independent MSP Margo MacDonald said the letter had threatened MAG's six key members for legal costs unless they halted their court action. Ms MacDonald added: "I find it breath-taking that a group of responsible people whose only motive in taking this legal action is what best serves the public interest can be subjected to such threats and intimidation by a member of the UK Government." To me, it just looks as though Lord "Bully Boy" Mandelson and his team of cronies at Westminster are scared that the legal challenge might actually work and will now try anything to try and derail it!

SAVE THE BANK OF SCOTLAND - SAVE BANK JOBS!!!

HBOS can and should be saved!

I came home this evening to find out that the merger action group, set up to put forward a legal challenge to the HBOS and Lloyds TSB merger, has successfully passed its first hurdle and will be allowed to present their case to the competitions commission. I really hope this legal challenge succeeds and stops the merger going ahead. Not only would the merger mean the loss of a Scottish institution, but also potentially thousands of jobs! According to the group, they now have just 3 days to save the bank so they need all the support they can possibly get. So please follow this link to support the group: http://www.mergeractiongroup.org.uk/

Remember, Westminster will try to do everything it can to ensure that the takeover goes ahead and I am certain that the dark hand of Lord Mandelson is right behind the deal, as well as Darling and Brown! We cannot let them get away with this! Support the group now and save the Bank of Scotland!

Happy St Andrew's Day

Happy St Andrew's Day everyone! Today is the day we all celebrate our Scottishness, and as I walked through my home town of Carluke today everyone was doing it, either by wearing something Scottish or eating something Scottish! Not long before typing this post I went onto the BBC news website where they had a selection of pictures of buildings across the nation being lit up in blue to celebrate as well as a story about the number of parties going on. I think it's fantastic that we now celebrate our national day like this, and long may it continue!

Also, reading through the paper this morning I was reminded that it will be two years today that the people of Scotland will vote in the Independence referendum! This will be an historic vote, possibly the most historic in our nations history, and will decide whether we move forward to control our own affairs or let Westminster run Scotland! The choice, as it should, rests with the Scottish people and as far I'm concerned the campaign for the referendum has well and truly started!

HAPPY ST ANDREW'S DAY!!!

Homecoming Scotland launches TV ad

Hi all. I thought that with St Andrews Day tomorrow, being the start of the winter festival which runs right up until Burns day, I would post this video of the new Homecoming Scotland ad asking Scots from around the globe to back home to Scotland to celebrate the 250Th birthday of Burns with over 200 events throughout 2009! So here's the ad here, enjoy!

Darling's big gamble! What does it mean for you?

First of all, sorry I haven't been blogging for a while but I'll try and get into the habit again. As you all know, yesterday Alistair Darling unveiled his pre-budget report, something which usually doesn't make huge news but this time was different! This time, Darling made possibly the biggest gamble of his entire career! If it works (which is unlikely), it could possibly mean a fourth term for Labour at Westminster (God forbid!). If it fails, which looks as if it could be likely, it could result in a Tory government (again, God Forbid!). Either way, it's going to end up with every tax payer in the country having to pay 7 years of higher taxes! Why? Because the governments idea of getting us out of this crisis is to borrow billions of pounds! All of which, of course, has to be paid back! And it's us the taxpayer that's going to have to give the London government all this extra cash! So, basically, while it will mean a tax cut at the moment and a cut in VAT (all of which is to be welcomed), at the end of the day it's going to mean us paying seven years of higher taxes just for the government taking a penny of a Mars Bar! It's going to be the younger generation which is going to be hit hardest, as are many of small businesses which will result in thousands of people losing their jobs! It's also going to mean a cut in the next Scottish budget! Once again, it just goes to prove that Scotland is being short-changed by Westminster! All in all, I think this is just too big a gamble for the Chancellor, but, we shall just wait and see exactly what happens.

Even Alex does his bit for Children in Need!

Brown says no to giving Scotland more powers

When I picked up my Sunday newspaper this morning I already knew that there would be all the rubbish about so-called "SNP infighting" after losing Glenrothes (none of which is true) but I was admittedly shocked to read that Gordon Brown is to not give the Scottish Parliament ANY new powers!! He said that, due to Labour winning Glenrothes, he had no need to give the Scottish people any extra powers! This is just one of the consequences of when Labour win an election in Scotland, especially a by-election! They begin to believe that everything they are doing is right and continue to so. By not giving Scotland any new powers they are effectively halting Scotland moving forward! Then again, could we really expect anything better from Labour!

Glenrothes By-election update

Hi again, latest news is that it appears Labour may have just held on to the seat but with a much reduced majority! I will be gracious in defeat, I do congratulate them, but I believe that they have won by scaremongering and negativity about the local council. I still believe that Peter Grant was the best candidate and would have made the best MP. Let's also be blunt, the SNP vote is up and Labour's is down, but the swing just wasn't quite enough to win. Is this a victory for fear over hope? I sincerely hope not!

Glenrothes by-election update

Hi again, I can now reveal that the turnout is good- 52%! Sadly, while there has been a significant swing to the SNP there is talk that Labour might have pulled it off! But it's not confirmed yet and we shall still wait and see. By the way I'm not getting my news from the count itself but rather just from bbc scotland's coverage so I don't have all the gossip I'm afraid.

Glenrothes by-election update!

Hi again, talk going about that the Lib Dem vote has collapsed. Once again, still awaiting a turnout figure but certainly enjoying BBC Scotland's coverage where Jim Sillars is speaking as I write!

Glenrothes by-election update

Hi again, next update just to let you all know that the feeling in the count is that the SNP has won!

Still waiting on a turnout figure.

Glenrothes by-election update

Well, the polls are now closed and a declaration is expected between 12.30 and 1am.

Early indications show that the SNP might just snatch it! So things are looking good so far!

Can we win? Yes we can!!

First of all I would like to congratulate Barack Obama on becoming not only the next President of the USA but also the first black president! This truly is history! It presents a shift in American politics forever! This is a new era, not just for America, but for the world as well!! Only a few years ago, few would have even dreamed that a black man could become President! But now it has come true! It shows that anything is now possible! It also shows that the world is ready for change! Enough of the old! Enough of the same, old tired message!! Things, now, will change for the better!

And just as America has voted for change, so will Scotland! I am certain that, as the rest of the world moves forward, Scotland will too! This, I hope, will begin tomorrow as the people of Glenrothes go to the polls to elect their next MP! I am sure that the ruling Labour party is in for a shock! Already, Glasgow East delivered a message for change! Scotland, as a nation, is moving to a future of significant change! And what exactly that change will be is ours to decide! But tomorrow, as Glenrothes votes, I urge them to usher in that change! Follow what America has shown us can be done! Vote for change, vote for Peter Grant and the SNP! When we win, you win! And can we win? Yes we can!

I'm certain were in for another thrilling night!

Secret minutes reveal disarray in Labour

We already knew that the Labour campaign in Glenrothes was in complete disarray, but I don't think any of us could have believed just how badly they were doing! Indeed, it has been revealed in several of today's Sunday papers that secret minutes from the Labour Party show them in disarray as they planned the by-election in Glenrothes. The minutes showed that even Labour's own activists believed the photo of Gordon Brown with Margaret Thatcher was "a big mistake". They also admitted, what we've known all along, that the Labour party in Fife wasn't geared up for modern campaigning. The minutes, which were written by Gordon Brown's election agent Alex Rowley, also said that "across Fife there is a 5.5% swing to the Nationalists!" He also said "They (SNP) work hard to identify their support and get them out!" Labour activist Judy Hamilton claimed that Labour had lost touch, had no attraction for young people and the party ethos was that of the South of England stating "It does not resonate in Scotland"!! Councillor Ian Crichton admitted that the SNP has momentum! And as if that just wasn't enough, a senior Labour campaign organiser said that the party reckoned they were 3000 votes behind!!!

Well folks, with only a few days to go till Thursday and the Labour party acting like this, I think we can all guess which way it will go! Anyone wish to place a bet :)

Glenrothes - Last few days of campaigning

With only a few days left of campaigning in Glenrothes things are certainly hotting up! What I found out in Glasgow East is that the last week of the campaign is the most crucial as it's usually the last few days before the by-election when voters finally decide who they intend to vote for! Now, obviously we would like as many as possible to vote SNP, but I'm not going to pretend that it's not going to be a fight to win! However, I am pretty confident. So far I have campaigned in the constituency five times, and I'm making my next journey tomorrow, and the response which we have had has been incredibly encouraging! Even if we're just delivering leaflets through doors people have come out of their houses just to tell us that we can count on their vote! People, even in Cardenddon, have been coming up to us and asking for window posters! Cyclists whizzing past us are giving us thumbs up! And, as if that wasn't enough, a report in today's Scotsman newspaper said that both the "SNP and Labour agree on one thing - Glenrothes will go Nationalist"!! The report even went on to state that one Labour source conceded "If the SNP are predicting a win, they are being more realistic than hubristic"!!

So while I'm not taking anything for granted and I'm not saying that it's in the bag for the SNP, once you get your opponents conceding defeat this close to polling day you just can't help but feel good!

SNP - Moving Scotland Forward

Send a message on November 6th

If you ever needed any further proof that a message really does need to be sent on November 6th from Glenrothes then all you need to do is click on the link to watch this video:-

Glenrothes by-election - Wondering how to vote?

Canvassing returns point towards an SNP victory in Glenrothes!

It has been revealed that internal polling from ALL the parties has shown the SNP are on course to win the Glenrothes by-election! This news comes on the day Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said that the SNP are "still favourites" for Glenrothes! Despite the recent good press that the PM has been receiving lately the people of Fife have not been fooled, especially when their bills come thumping through their letter boxes!! Also revealed yesterday was that apparently Gordon Brown is backing the SNP and will be placing his vote for Peter Grant on November 6th!! That's right, Gordon Brown, a 21 year old skilled worker from Glenrothes!! Bet the PM didn't see that coming!!

Sarah Brown visits Glenrothes, stays for only 12 minutes, and refuses to even speak to the media!

You would have thought that the wife of the Prime Minister would have done much more than this. But, as usual, the Labour party spin machine decides that it is better to be seen on TV rather than actually hearing what the voters are saying! While her husband, Gordon Brown, may have been enjoying some good press recently for his bank bail-out plan, the people of Glenrothes, along with the rest of Scotland have not been fooled and know that while he may be doing all he can to save the banks he is doing very little, if anything, to save the tens of thousands of ordinary people who now risk losing their jobs!! It is disgraceful to see that, from a party which used to pride itself on being on the side of the working class, has now not only abandoned them but seems to be doing all it can to harm them and make their life's as hard as possible, as well as having the odd jibe on Scotland and Scottish self determination! If anything is clear now it is which party is on your side and that party is the Scottish National Party! The SNP is standing up for you and, as the Scottish Government, is doing all it can to protect people from the current financial crisis and putting money back in your pockets, such as freezing the hated council tax (which will soon be replaced with a much better Local Income Tax) and fazing out prescription charges! While the SNP Scottish Government is working hard for ordinary Scots, the Labour Westminster Government is doing all it can put down the Scottish People! It's not just that people have left labour, it's that Labour has left them and Glenrothes will send that message to London Labour and demand a cut in fuel prices and VAT!

If your from Glenrothes then please, don't vote for a party which has and will continue to leave you behind, vote for a party which is ON YOUR SIDE and stand up for you and for Scotland! Make sure you send Labour the message, put Glenrothes back on the map, VOTE FOR PETER GRANT! VOTE SNP ON NOVEMBER 6TH!!!!

"Now is the time for an Age of Responsibility"

"Scotland's destiny is Independence"! Just a small sample from what was, as always, a great speech by our First Minister and SNP leader Alex Salmond! He hit back brilliantly at the Prime Minister for saying that Scotland is too stupid to go towards Independence and also, rightly, said that it was wrong of him to bad mouth other countries! But not only that he also came forward with the facts and figures and proved that Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark (all small independent countries with similar populations to Scotland) are all forecast NOT to go into recession! Something which Gordon Brown failed to mention when attacking Independence. "Sub-Prime! More like Sub-Prime Minister" was the way Alex put it! He also called for an end to the age of irresponsibility of the past decade under Brown and called for the beginning of an Age of Responsibility! After all, it is the reckless borrowing and not saving up for a bad day by Gordon Brown that has in no dought caused this financial crisis! Alex also said that the millions of Scotland's money that is currently held by Westminster in an ofgem bank should be released back to the Scottish people where it rightly belongs! So, all in all, it marked an end to yet another fantastic conference which saw the SNP get its 15,000th member!! As Labour continues to lose and abandon its members, the SNP continues to gain and, as a recent study which was presented to conference has shown, all of that previous Labour support had gone directly to the SNP!!

And as for Gordon Brown questioning Scottish Independence, my message to him is this - It doesn't matter how big or small your country is! All that matters is how smart your people are and for the Prime Minister to be saying that Scotland is too stupid and too poor to run its own affairs is not only insulting, but depressing as well!!

Conference approaches

Well, just one week to go until national conference and what a good time to be having it! Just a couple of months since the Glasgow East By-election, opinion polls showing the SNP strong for both Holyrood & Westminster, and the possibility of yet another SNP victory - this time in Glenrothes! However, I wouldn't be too surprised if the conference was dominated by the current global financial crisis. It hasn't exactly been the best time for the Scottish economy, what with HBOS and all, but one thing that is certain is that while Gordon Brown & Alasdair Darling have dithered & dithered, Alex Salmond has been statesman like and has shown that him, along with John Swinney as Finance Secretary, are the best people we have to lead us through this current financial mess!

Also, a quick Glenrothes update. The Lib Dems have launched their campaign today and the funny thing is they actually believe they are the front runners! Plus, Labours campaign seems to have got off to a terrible start! Labour's headteacher candidate, Lindsay Roy, marched his troops straight into the bus station to start leafleting. Shortly after, suffering a rejection reaction, Labour troops marched off into Postgate to campaign there. Trouble is, as all of us know, party political campaigning isn't allowed in Postgate and security soon appeared and frogmarched Labour's campaign right off the premises.

It's just gaffe after gaffe with Labour these days! Finally, I won't be blogging until after the conference as I'm off on holiday for a while then it's off to conference!

So back soon!!

Remember, Remember the 6th of November

It's the by-election in the Prime Ministers own backyard and after weeks of waiting the date has finally been set - November 6th. According to recent bets the SNP are strong favourites to win the seat as SNP were placed on 1/3 to win compared to Labours 11/4! Also the SNP has been ahead in recent polls for the by-election with a commanding lead over Labour.

So will it be a night to remember? I think it just might well be!!

BREAKING NEWS :- DATE SET FOR GLENROTHES BY-ELECTION

Hi all, just a quick post to say that the Glenrothes by-election will be held on November 6th.

This was expected, not just because Labour activists have already been told about it but also because it is at the same time as the US election!

But all I can say is - BRING IT ON!!

John Mason MP arrives at Westminster

Today, almost 10 weeks since the famous Glasgow East by-election, Westminster has finally met again. And, of course, this meant the signing in of John Mason as the new MP for Glasgow East!

After years of neglect and being let down by a Labour government and ineffective Labour MP's, the East End now has an MP who is on their side and will make the people of the East End matter by taking action on rising food and fuel prices and by making a fresh start for the East End!

To watch the video of John Mason's arrival, click on the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7654971.stm

Bank of Scotland takeover

By now, I would think that every Scot would know about the HBOS merger with Lloyds TSB. To me personally, this is just the final straw! The takeover of Scotland's oldest and most respected bank is a loss of a national institution. As The Scotsman put it, it is "The darkest day in Scottish Banking"!! But the worst part of all this has to be the fact that so many people now risk losing their jobs! While the exact number of possible job losses has most likely been exaggerated, it doesn't disguise the fact that any job losses are terrible and should NOT be happening! First Minister Alex Salmond, today, at First Ministers questions, was doing exactly what any First Minister should be doing and that was standing up for the Scottish national interest by doing everything he can to secure the jobs of workers at the Bank of Scotland, ensuring that as few branches as possible, if not none, are closed and making sure that the Scottish bank notes are protected! All in all, his performance in FMQ's today was true statesman like and was miles better than either Iain Gray ( who had his first FMQ's today) or Gordon Brown could ever do! And things just got even worse for Labour today after a new poll put the Tories on 52%!! A massive 28 points ahead of Labour who were on 24% while the Lib Dems were on 12%. This, alone with the loss of the Bank of Scotland today, can only increase support for Independence for Scotland!!

David Cairns resigns

Hi again. Just a wee quick post this time, as I've just heard the news that David Cairns has resigned as a minister in the Scotland office. David Cairns, who also played a big role in Labour's failed Glasgow East by-election campaign, resigned in a protest against Brown (at least it looks that way) and has now made yet another major blow to the Prime Minister, esspescially after a weekend where a total of 12 Labour MP's and ministers rebeled against Gordon Brown by asking for a leadership contest!!

Now let's be honest, I dought anyone really expects there to be a leadership contest anytime soon, but what it has shown is that even his own MP's have lost faith with him!!

This will definitly not help his chances of avoiding defeat at Glenrothes!!

Iain Gray becomes new scot labour leader

On a very dull and dreach Saturday (no change there then), there was something unusal happening - the results of the contest to be Scottish Labour Leader! It was, as expected, a rather boring & lifeless contest, always failing to grab the attention of the people. And their hustings were much quiter than ever before! In the end, however the party chose to go with Iain Gray. The man who currently stands on just 3% in the opinion polls (to be best First Minister)! In his victory speech he attempted to make a comparison between his own background and that of Alex Salmond's. This has already proved to be too much of a gamble, as it has been revealed that while he had no trouble of mentioning his time of being a teacher & working for Oxfam, he failed to also mention his time at Inverness Academy and an elitist club in Edinburgh! Not a great start, I think! And, as if that wasn't enough, it's also been another bad day for Gordon Brown after 7 Labour MP's called for a leadership contest! It's a bit ironic, as the Scottish party finishes its leadership contest, there could be about to be one at Westminster - which would without a dought trigger a general election - one which the SNP could expect to do very well in!!

I look forward to watching this weeks FMQ's

What to expect at the weekend

So it's now Friday, it's the end of another busy week and we can now look forward to the weekend! But what can we expect? Well, first of all, we have the results of the contest to be leader of the Scottish Labour Party. Cathy Jamieson, Iain Gray and Andy Kerr are all contesting for what looks like a close race! Ian Gray is apparently the front runner to succeed Wendy Alexander, but to be fair I don't think any of them could stand up to and match First Minister Alex Salmond! He is certainly enjoying a prolonged honeymoon, and rightly so! The SNP Government is proving to be, possibly, the most popular government Scotland has ever had! Saving hospital A&E departments, abolishing prescription charges along with bridge tolls and student fees, freezing council tax, cutting business rates, axing government departments and quangos such as Scottish Enterprise, rejecting nuclear power, opposing Trident, replacing PFI, and ending private involvement in the NHS are all just a few of the achievements made so far and, trust me, there are a lot more still to come! Meanwhile, compare this to the record of the 3 Labour leadership contenders - Cathy has proved that she is unable to put on a strong performance at FMQ's (as shown just this week as she resorted to party politics rather than the real issues). Iain Gray showing in the opinion polls are not great as he polled just 3% in a poll for who would make the best First Minister (Salmond scored 41%). And, as for Andy Kerr, well as the Health Minister in the previous administration, he spearheaded the very unpopular closure of the Ayr & Monklands A&E departments!

So, all in all, it will be interesting to see who wins the highly poisonous gauntlet (or Scottish Labour leader), but, to be frank, none of them are up to the job of taking on Alex Salmond!!

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND!!!

New Scottish TV channel to be launched

I was delighted to hear the news yesterday that Scotland is to at long last get it's own TV channel. For far too long Scotland has been short changed by the BBC by having incredibly few programmed actually made in Scotland! But that now could be about to change with the new "Scottish Network" which has been recommended by the Scottish Broadcasting Commission (SBC). It will feature all the things which you would expect any decent channel to have such as news, drama, comedy etc. Blair Jenkins, who led the commission and is a former BBC executive, said that the new channel would have an annual cost of £50m - £75m, but did not say whether this would come from the television license fee.

As usual, Labour has given its objection to the proposal, which is just typical of them as anything which can remotely give Scotland its own voice is, for some reason, a bad thing. David Cairns seems to believe that this is the "breaking up of Britain" and that "Scottish broadcasting should remain as part of the UK"! This is ridiculous! For years Scotland has been looking for its own TV channel, and by opposing it, it only goes to show just how out of touch the Labour party is.

Bad news (again) for Labour

When I picked up my paper this morning I didn't really expect to read anything big, but, as if things coudn't get any worse for Labour, a new You Gov poll has put Labour a massive 16 points behind the SNP for the Scottish Parliament. And, as if that wasn't enough, the poll also gave the three contenders for the poisioned gauntlet (also known as the Scottish Labour leadership) very poor results. The question asked who would be the best First Minister. Cathy Jamieson had a dismal 8%, Andy Kerr on 5% and front runner Iain Gray on a completly useless 3%. Meanwhile, while Tory leader Annabell Goldie came second with 9%, Alex Salmond was put on an impressive 41%. That's SIX TIMES more than Cathy Jamieson!

It just goes to show who is winning the popularity battle and who is winning the hearts and minds of the Scottish People. As for Independence, the poll showed that, under a Conservative government at Westminster, support for Independence rises to 50%, while support against independence is put at 42%. This leaves me only one thing to say, 2010 - "BRING IT ON"

WELCOME

Hello and welcome to my new blog - Scottish Nationalist Voice

I'm a huge SNP supporter and supporter of Scottish Independence! So I decided to start up this blog to keep you all up to date with all the happenings of Scottish politics, events plus anything else which may be interesting from a Scottish Nationalists point of view.

Hope you'll enjoy!!