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CAMPAIGNING FOR SCOTLAND
(Owned, Edited and Printed in Scotland since November 1926)
Compiled by Jim Lynch
[26 January 2001]

WE STAND FOR SCOTLAND

Well, it is a good slogan, and the fact that it cannot be denied, even by our enemies, makes it difficult for them to attack. The last slogan, "Scotland’s Party" really got up Labour’s collective nose, and the one before that "Yes We Can" is now Top of the Pops , courtesy of Bob the Builder. We get good slogans; remember "It’s Scotland’s Oil " which was ditched on the urging of the trendy lefties of the time as too materialistic, aforesaid trendy lefties having now gone to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

John Swinney made a good job of the launch, and was careful not to make any extravagant promises, bearing in mind that New Labour made 5 promises, but only delivered on 2, or was it 3? Their spin has me confused at times. Education, Education, Education; well that has not been delivered; hospital waiting lists, not that either. They did promise to stick to Tory spending limits, and policies, so they kept that one! And I do not remember if a Scottish Executive was one of their pledges; whatever, they delivered that one , and are beginning to rue the day!

Every SNP MP will go to Westminster with three key aims;

1. Drive Scotland forward to Independence.
2. Deliver the best deal for Scotland.
3. Protect Scotland from the worst failings of Westminster rule.

For the full text of John’s pledges click here!

The Tories also launched their General Election campaign this week but saw no irony in using a highwayman, complete with horse (Not a hunter, we hope) in the mistaken belief that voters would identify that with New Labour, and not themselves; foolish, everyone knows that New Labour are footpads.

A NICE LITTLE FORETASTE

In a Falkirk District Council By election, the SNP took a further seat from Labour, making all four Falkirk Wards SNP. The votes were as follows:

The winning SNP Candidate was Andrew Graham; the by election was due to the death of Councillor J Milne.

When we first heard the result we were told it was Bo’ness; we remember the late Angus McGillveray used to say "Independence for Scotland - and a Parliament for Bo’ness".

WHO TELT?

The decision by Sir David Steel (Or Lord Steel, as he should be called) to stop the Finance Minister, Angus Mackay, making a statement on Quangos last week, appeared on the surface to be a reasonable one. After all, Ministers had been warned about leaking their statements to the press time and time again, and the Good Lord Steel had told them in November "I want to see reported what was said in this Chamber, not what will be said". It was intended to be a salutary reminder to Ministers that they report to the Parliament, and fellow MSPs.

Somewhere along the way, the lines got crossed; Lord Steel was supposed to inform Patricia Ferguson, the other Deputy Presiding Officer, but somehow omitted to do so, and he should also have informed the Minister concerned. As it was, he made the decision, left George Reid, Deputy Presiding Officer to suspend Parliamentary proceedings for the first time, and beetled off to another meeting, only coming in to the chamber after the damage had been done.

Oh yes, and someone had informed the press what was going to happen; maybe Lord Steel thought that as Labour informs the press of all that is going to happen, the press would reciprocate, but they didn’t. So, now there will also be an inquiry as to who telt the press.

Just an odd thought; amidst all the claim and counterclaim and general furore, the statement on Quangos was not made, and the government did not have to answer any awkward questions. Hmmm......!

WHICH FLAG FLIES?

There was a stushie in Moray last week, about which flag should be flown on the Nelson Tower in Forres;( that is as in Nelson, Horatio, not Nelson Mandela). The SNP group had wanted to fly the Saltire, but the ruling group decided that as it was the Nelson Tower, then it was appropriate for the Union Flag to be flown; we also think the Lord Lyon was involved.

One correspondent referred to Nelson’s famous signal at Trafalgar which said"England Expects Every Man To Do His Duty" so maybe they should have flown the George Cross (He is no longer a Saint). We passed a comment a week or two back that the Union Jack is no longer valid, as Ireland left the United Kingdom in 1921.

One other little verse that we had forgotten about also cropped up on the same subject:

Under Mr De Valera
Ireland changed its name to Eire.
Britain never changed its name
It’s called England just the same.

AND ENGLAND STILL EXPECTS...

Henry McLeish to do as he is told and not to pay for all nursing and personal care for the elderly; Sir Stewart Sutherland, in a letter to the press said that the additional cost will only be £25 million, and not £110 million as is being trumpeted. I watched Sir Stewart being interviewed on Holyrood Live, and he was most impressive, matter of fact and sensible. In answer to a question about an influx of English pensioners into Scotland if we paid all the costs he said he did not envisage container loads of elderly people being stopped at the Border! If this care was so vital, he would expect them to go to Sweden, which had the best record of looking after the elderly. He also pointed out that men spent £800 million per year on cosmetics, so let us put these figures into perspective.

It does not follow that every elderly person will require care; most elderly people will not want to go into a home, and whereas nowadays their families will not take them in to look after them, they would not want that either. What is being talked about is the people who have to go in to a nursing home because they can no longer look after themselves, and if people cannot look after themselves then the state should care for them. The sad part of the whole argument is that in England and Wales, there is no choice, as both New Labour and the Tories have the same policy.

Lord Lipsey, who was on the Sutherland Commission, disagreed with its findings, and wanted to produce a minority report, but as he is a New Labour New Lord, he was put on the Commission to make them come up with a different answer. Tough. Anyway, Henry has now given in to pressure from the MSPs and Sutherland will now be implemented in Scotland.

MR FIXIT UP

Many in the Labour Party were taken aback when Mr Blair brought Peter Mandelson back from disgrace, and put him in charge on the Northern Ireland Office. Mr Mandelson had borrowed £373000 from Geoffery Robinson, who was being investigated by his Department, and did not declare this to either the House of Commons, or to the Britannia Building Society, from whom he borrowed some more. In any event the outcry when this was made public cost him his post as Secretary of Trade and Industry, and Mr Robinson his as Paymaster General. Mr Robinson is still in the wilderness but Mo Mowlem was eased out of the Northern Ireland Office, and Mr Mandelson rehabilitated.

Since then there have been reports of a lavish birthday party given for him by Robert Bourne, the man who wants to buy the Dome, and now another ghost from the past; Srichand Hinduja, an Indian billionaire is facing charges of corruption in India over an arms contract from Bofors. Mr Hinduja had his application for a British passport turned down; he promised £1 million to the Faith project at the Dome, and lo his faith was rewarded - he got a British passport. It now transpires that Mr Manderson inquired about the passport on his behalf, and it came through in jig time. It may be some time before Mr Hinduja will be eligible for a seat in the House of Lords, as the Indian government have taken away his passport, which one we are not sure.

Mr Mandelson says he only asked, through his private secretary, then, having had his mind jogged, he admitted having spoken to a junior Minister, Mike O’ Brien. As we are told, he did not ask for a passport to be issued, but when a senior Minister asks a question, a junior Minister might think that a satisfactory answer would please the aforesaid senior Minister. Whatever, Mr Mandelson has now admitted that he misled the House, "unintentionally" and has resigned as the Northern Ireland Minister.

As Mr Mandelson is famous for his involvement with the Dome, borrowing money under false pretences and again misleading the House on the passport scandal, we shudder to think of what mischief he might get up to if he rose higher in the ranks! However, as the latest episode occurred some three years ago, there are obviously plenty of enemies within the Labour ranks to help keep him in the wrong kind of limelight; perhaps his avowed intention to quit politics is wise.

Is it not one of the one of the most delicious ironies that a politician has to resign because he told lies; well, sorry, because he was caught telling lies?

AND LYING IN STATE

Mr Blair seems to have a way with wayward Ministers. He has now appointed Dr John Reid, Secretary of State for Scotland, to be Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Mr Blair may be unaware, unlike the rest of us, that Dr Reid was found to have misused his Parliamentary allowance to pay for Labour workers during the Scottish Election in 1999. Well, the Parliamentary Commissioner, Ms Elizabeth Filkin, found the case against him proven, but his fellow New Labour MPs managed to bring in a Not Proven verdict, thus continuing the Old Pals act the same crowd had when Peter Mandelson’s loan came before them.

Maybe there is a hidden agenda here; if you can con the Standards and Privileges Committee, you become Northern Ireland Secretary. That’s a reward?

AND GRANNY COMES HOME

As to the other moves... we get Helen Liddell, better known as Stalin’s Granny, after her time as General Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, who also managed to survive being Personal Assistant to that well known crook, the late Robert Maxwell . The word seems to be that she does not have a good relationship with First Minister, Henry McLeish, but John Reid did not have a good relationship with Donald Dewar, Gordon Brown does not have a good relationship with Tony Blair, and everyone in the Labour Party hated Peter Mandelson, so what’s new. We recall the tale of the new MP at Westminster being shown around the Chamber. Looking across the Chamber, he said "So that’s the enemy", to be told by his mentor "No, son, that’s the Opposition. The enemy is behind you".

Brian Wilson, who does not have a good relationship with Brian Wilson, is going to the Foreign Office (We thought he was already there), and apparently will be directed to Africa, as if that unhappy continent did not have enough problems.

ROBERT BURNS

Under Features, Scots Language, you will find a Burns Supper, complete with an Immortal Memory by James Halliday, Address to the Haggis by Peter Wright, and Tam O Shanter by Marilyn Wright; as they say "Enjoy".

As we celebrate the birthday of our National Bard, Robert Burns this week, we wonder how he would view the politicians of today;

Lord Derry Irvine: " Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord" 
Peter Mandelson : " Oh wert thou in the cauld blast" 
Henry McLeish; "Wee, sleekit , coo’erin timrous beastie".
Jim Wallace: "Oh wad some po’er the giftie gie us, tae see oorselves as ithers see us"

FANSTATION - THE ULTIMATE IN FOOTBALL KIT

Paul Mes of London Branch has produced official interactive CD ROMs as the ultimate for football fans to keep tabs on their favourite teams. The easy to use software is suitable for fans of all ages, and is ideal to track and record their favourite club’s progress through the season, and includes multimedia history of the club, interviews with players etc. Their website gives full details, and can be seen at www.wawsports.com

The clubs listed so far are Rangers, Celtic and Hearts, and Aberdeen and Hibs will also be there shortly; to the regret of Scots Independent Chairman, Peter Wright, the records for East Fife may not be available for some time!

Each club specific CD-ROM costs £19.99, less than the price of a match ticket (Though not for East Fife) and is officially approved by the featured club.

FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES

There was a picture of Sir Tom Farmer in the Financial Scotsman with the caption " Kwik Fit , owned by Sir Tom Farmer, pictured above, has found itself threatened by increasing globalisation in business.

I thought I had missed something. When did Sir Tom Farmer buy Kwik Fit back from the Ford Motor Co? The Scotsman printed a retraction the next day, but then they published an article on John Menzies, with a picture of one of their shops. Maybe no one told them that Menzies sold their retail chain to WH Smith nearly two years ago, and there are no Menzies shops. Watch the retraction space; it’s becoming one of the best features.

The Herald put the Lake of Menteith in Stirlingshire, then BBC Reporting Scotland shifted it to Fife (It’s in Perthshire); the Scottish Executive put Dufftown in Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, when it is in fact in Moray. The latter gaffe was in a letter to Fergus Ewing,MSP for Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber, who passed it to his wife Margaret, who is MSP for Moray.

The letter was informing them that Rhona Brankin (who must look after whisky as well as fish) was paying a visit to the Scotch Whiskey Association Distillery, Dufftown. Geographical vagueness may be sometimes acceptable, but mis spelling Whisky!

A millionaire bookie has given £5 million to the Tory Party; it is also hinted that he will give them another £5 million.

Obviously thinking of an each way bet.

Last year Sarah Boyack ruled that the ferry routes to the Isles must be put out to competitive tender, and that Caledonian McBrayne had to be broken up.

It has now dawned on Ms Boyack that this is not a very clever idea, and she is approaching the European Commission to treat it as one operation; why did she not have her second thoughts first?

Ms Boyack is also under fire for allocating maintenance for trunk roads to private consortia, and putting 3500 jobs at risk.

Bruce Crawford, SNP MSP pointed out that Ms Boyack had by this one action, privatised more Scottish jobs than the Tories managed under Compulsory Competetive Tendering.

DATES IN HISTORY

28 January 1580
King James VI signed the Confession of Faith, "The King's or Negative Confession", later incorporated into the National Covenant of 1638.

31 January 1788
Prince Charles Edward Stewart, "The Young Pretender", died in Rome.

1 February 1865
The Highland Railway formed by the amalgamation of the Inverness and Perth Junction and the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railways.

THE REBELS CEILIDH SONG BOOK

THE BONNIE LASS O' FYVIE
(Traditional)

There was a troop o' Irish Dragoons cam marchin’ up through 
Fyvie O’.
And the Captain's fa’en in love wi a verra bonnie lass, 
And her name it is ca’d pretty Peggy O’.

Now there’s mony a bonnie lass in the Howe O’ Auchterlass,
There’s mony a bonnie lass in the Garrioch O.
There’s mony a bonnie Jean in the toon o’ Alberdeen,
Bit the floor o’ them a’ is in Fyvie O !

Come doon the stair, pretty Peggy my dear,
Come doon the stair, pretty Peggy O,
Come doon the stair, bind up yer yellow hair,
Tak a last fareweel o’ your Mammy O !

It’s braw, oh it’s braw, a Captain’s lady tae be,
It’s braw tie be a Captain’s lady O.
It’s braw tae rant and rove, and tie follow at his word,
And tae march when your Captain he is ready O !

Up cries the Colonel, "Mount boys, mount"
"Oh I tarry" says our Captain, "Oh tarry O". 
"Oh I tarry yet anither day or twa,
Till we see if this bonnie lass will marry O."

Now it was the early mornin’ we marched awa,
And oh! but our Captain was sorry O.
And the drums they did beat ower the bonnie Braes o’ Gight,
And the pipes played the Lawlands o’ Fyvie O !

Now long ore we wan tae Auld Meldrum toon,
Our Captain we had tie carry O !
But when we wan tie bonnie Aiberdeen,
Our Captain we had tae bury O !

Green grows the birch upon bonnie Ythan Side.
And low lies the Lawlands o’ Fyvie O !
Our Captain’s name was Ned, he died for a maid,
He died for the bonnie lass a’ Fyvle O !

Listen to the tune here

See the Songbook in our features section

A KIST O FERLIES
A Keek at the Guid Scots Tung
By Peter D Wright
(Note: All words underlined in this section are RealAudio links)

See Scots Language in our Features Section

THE MONTHLY PRIZE CROSSWORD

Each month the Scots Independent Newspaper offers a prize crossword and we're now offering this online in the Flag in the Wind as well.   Should you complete the crossword by the deadline you can fax it over to the SI and the first correct one opened on the closing date will win a £10.00 book token.

SI Prize Crossword No. 13
[Clicking on the picture will bring up a life size version which you can copy to your desktop or print out]