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The presence of "pockets" of resistance seems to be very widespread indeed, and judging by the reactions, very deep pockets; perhaps we were all fed too much about how eagerly the ordinary Iraqis were waiting for relief, but it seems as if they are wary of committing themselves to supporting the invasion. This should also have been expected, but again politicians who urged them to rise up last time, and then abandoned them to harsh reprisals from the Iraqi security services, often have very selective memories.

The situation is further complicated because the Iraqi Army is not playing by the coalition rules; they are not staying out in the open to be mowed down by the superior hardware of their opponents, but have changed into civilian clothes and moved into civilian areas. In this way they can inflict maximum damage, and because of the coalition desire to avoid civilian casualties, they can do this with a degree of impunity. It may also have been forgotten that Saddam ruled Iraq through thousands who shared and inflicted, his savagery, and his prosperity, and who will suffer accordingly when he loses, so they will fight for their very lives, and not care what means they use or who they sacrifice.

It is interesting to note that Scud missiles have been found, and used, although there were not supposed to be any, and that arms and ammunition from Russia have been found, also components supplied by "reputable" British companies; these suppliers have thrown up their hands in horror at any suggestion they have supplied Saddam’s regime after 12 years of sanctions. It seems as if "A big boy did it and ran away".

While one is inclined to wonder whether there can be any "reputable" companies in the arms trade, another little snippet that surfaced was that P & O Ferries had been unsuccessful in a bid to operate Iraq’s only deep-water container port at Umm Qsar; surprising indeed that tenders had been invited, considered and selected before the invasion had even begun, but then vultures can see a long way.

LABOUR FALL OUT

Labour at the time mocked the SNP, but their own actions at their Conference in Dundee last weekend were scandalous; they shortened the Conference, and tried to completely ignore the war in Iraq, and in fact used up one third of the Conference time arguing procedures to keep Iraq off the programme. It was utter chaos; Westminster had debated the Iraq issue three times, the Scottish Parliament twice- both initiated by the SNP and resisted by Labour, and it was dominating TV screens and newspapers, and the topic of conversation in every home, pub and club, so how New Labour thought it could avoid the subject was pathetic. Mr McConnell also cancelled the speech by Bill Speirs, STUC general secretary, who had been previously invited, as he is also anti-war. At the end of the day they were forced, by the unions, into having a debate of sorts, but barred the press from their deliberations, thus denying democracy; what their members thought of the war in Iraq was not to be communicated to the public! What hypocrites.

Mr McConnell had previously reacted angrily on the Parliament to John Swinney’s demands that the First Minister tell parliament what steps were being taken to avoid the humanitarian disaster that we all feared; the First Minister reply was "This is a serious situation, Mr Swinney. The time for cheap political points is over. Let’s move on to discuss the real issues." John Swinney said that he was raising the concerns of many hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland, and concluded "I think the first minister needs to raise his game and speak for Scotland."

The First Minister is now worried that Scotland is going to sleepwalk into Independence, a bit rich coming from one who has done his best to bore the electorate into submission, by doing less, but not better. He has now allocated the PFI money for schools, £750 million, but somehow money for Falkirk was not forthcoming; Falkirk is SNP controlled, and it has rejected PFI in favour of a not for profit trust, so no fat dividends for Labour’s cronies. According to reports, the civil servants said the Falkirk scheme was more accountable than the PFI model, but then that frustrates the Executive; they prefer that our grandchildren should pay for their profligacy.

There is a hint that tolls on the Skye Bridge will be cancelled, but this will be dumped on 2nd May if New Labour retain power, and the Barra air service has been saved; well it was probably just put under threat so that a magnanimous Executive could reprieve it just before the election.

Other wee bits that the corrupt coalition are up to; it seems that 75% of all quango members who have declared their political activity are members of the Labour and Liberal parties. Probably the other 25% just haven’t admitted it. Dr Richard Simpson, the fire brigade hater from Ochil, has just been forced to pay an alleged £3000 to the Scottish Parliament, as he used the Parliament’s free post system to put out Labour propaganda; he said that what he was doing was perfectly acceptable, and so it was - for the Labour Party! They are good at spending other people’s money and in the first 12 days of March announced £3.7 billion of funding for various projects; mere coincidence that a lot of the money was to be spent in marginal constituencies. New Labour claim that this was just part of the normal cycle of spending. On your bike.

For that is just what he did "Forsook his hame, the South to rule", and his legacy was not peace and prosperity for Scotland, but rebellion, civil war, more conflict between Church and State, one enduring to this day, the plantations in Northern Ireland, the blight of which is still generating hatred and dissension. Strange indeed that the establishment want us to celebrate, but then again, maybe not. In Scotland, the regal title was not King of Scotland, or Queen of Scotland, but King of Scots, and Queen of Scots, as in Mary, our last Queen.

The Declaration of Arbroath signed on 6th April 1320, praised Robert, the hero king, who had freed Scotland from the English, but also said "if he should abandon our cause, we should make every endeavour to expel him as our enemy and the subverter of his rights and ours, and choose another for our king." This, the earliest declaration of democracy, gives the lie to the hereditary principle, and defines the monarchy as dependent on popular will. Over the years, of course, kings were succeeded by their progeny, and James VI was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, and believed that the king was chosen by God; he allied himself with the Episcopal church and established the Divine Right of Kings, which cost his son Charles his head, and eventually the Stuarts the throne. He appointed himself as head of the Anglican church, not out of piety, but for political reasons.

Current scandals with today’s royalty are small beer compared with past kings, James VI was bisexual, and had affairs with young men, which make Prince Charles dalliance with Camilla mundane, but now, the greater public knowledge of the Royals is two-edged. It would seem that the electorate would not like Charles to become king, but prefer his eldest son, Prince William; with the hereditary principle still going strong, we can rest assured that when the Queen pops her clogs then Charles will become King, as democracy is still a long way off from where it was in 1320.

I see from emails that we are to be treated by the BBC (the Anglosaxophone of Oliver Brown) to lectures by Dr Adam Hart-Davis (No, I don’t know where he hails from) on innovations in the UK by Tudors, Stuarts and Victorians; the writer asks what the Tudors ever did for Scotland, apart from the Rough Wooing and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots? It is like the question asked "Who was the last English King?" and being marked "Correct" when the answer was given as "George VI", when in fact it was Henry VIII.

SNP Euro MP Ian Hudghton has today publicly launched his new web site.

At www.hudghtonmep.com a wealth of information is available about the MEP and his work in the European Parliament and around Scotland.

Commenting Mr. Hudghton said:

"I hope that my web site will be easy to use, informative and useful in explaining how the European Parliament works, how it relates to the other EU institutions and what I do as an MEP representing Scotland in Europe.

"The pages will be regularly updated and will include newsletter archives, press releases, a selection of parliamentary speeches and links to a range of Scottish and European information sources."

The site has been developed by Alastair McIntyre of Grangemouth based Electric Scotland Ltd.

Peterhead's SNP Branch celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding in style at the weekend with a formal dinner at the town's Palace Hotel.

Around 80 people attended the dinner which included guest speakers Alex Salmond MP, Stewart Stevenson MSP, Ian Hudghton MEP, former East Aberdeenshire MP Douglas Henderson and founder member Bob Ritchie.

Bob Ritchie regaled the company with tales from the early days of the branch and revealed details of the rigorous selection process which potential SNP candidates in East Aberdeenshire had to face in 1964. "Bruce Cockie lost the toss, " said Bob, "So I became election agent and Bruce was forced to be the candidate!"

Bob continued: "Elections then just as now required money and I remember having to make an appointment to see the manager at the Clydesdale Bank to obtain a loan of £200 to finance our campaign. I got the money, but the Branch had to come up with SIX guarantors!"

Former MP Douglas Henderson received a very warm welcome back to Peterhead, and to the ballroom of the Palace Hotel in particular, where he recalled speaking to a packed audience of over 500 on the eve of the February 1974 election. Stating that it would be remiss of him to speak in Peterhead and not comment on the current difficulties facing the fishing industry, Douglas said that the industry would only truly prosper once it had independent Scottish representation speaking up for it.

Ian Hudghton MEP paid tribute to the branch's role in the successful Euro Election of 1994 which saw the late Dr Allan Macartney elected in the North-east, and at the 1998 by-election where the SNP held the seat with a massive majority.

Alex Salmond and Stewart Stevenson brought matters right up to date with a rallying call for the Scottish Elections on May 1st which rounded off what everyone agreed had been one of the most memorable and enjoyable functions ever organised by Peterhead Branch.

FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES

Now there’s a prospect to chill Labour hearts.

Plans appear to be afoot to put a third bridge over the Forth; according to reports it will carry trams as well as cars, and will relieve the current severe congestion. No name has as yet been suggested for this proposed structure.

As traffic continues to increase, it will be interesting to see how soon we will be talking of a fourth Forth Bridge.

In the financial Question and Answer section of the Herald, someone asked if he/she would be considered a bad parent if instead of giving the bride and groom a toaster they gave them tax advice. (Must have been hard up for Questions.)

Not a bad parent, just a tightwad; advice should be given free to your children, in the sure and certain knowledge they will ignore it anyway.

The aforesaid correspondent’s letter was from Canterbury.

Edinburgh City Council issued 10680 residents’ parking permits at up to £160 each in January this year.

There are only 7004 residents’ parking spaces.

When the enraged preacher complained that he, a prince of the pulpit, was being checked out, while a mere bus driver got in right away, St Peter laconically replied "Because the bus driver put the fear of God into more people than you ever did."

SNP MSP Christine Grahame has learned this week that the Central Borders Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) may be forced to reduce its hours due to a massive hike in water charges. The Citizens Advice Bureau Service offers free, confidential, impartial and independent advice. From its origins in 1939 as an emergency service during World War II, it has evolved into a professional national agency that many people rely on for information and advice. The Galashiels service will have its water charges increased from £483.26 this year to £705.79 next year. Ms Grahame commented, "It is outrageous that the charges should be increased so dramatically, particularly when until recently they were exempt from paying because they are a charity. Both of the Peebles and Galashiels services will undoubtedly have to reduce their hours, which will be a huge blow to people living in the area. The Treasurer of the service in Galashiels has told me that the actual use of water is minimal, approximately two cubic metres a week, so these charges appear to me to be exceptionally high. Ms Grahame has written to Council Convener John Scott to find out whether additional funding will be provided for the Tweeddale branches after it was announced that the Berwickshire services would be receiving extra cash.

SNP Shadow First Minister, John Swinney MSP, today extended his condolences and those of his party to the family of the Black Watch soldier killed in the Gulf. Mr Swinney said, "My thoughts and prayers at this time are with the family of the soldier who has been killed - indeed with all those who have lost loved ones in this war. They have my deepest sympathies and the sincere condolences of my party. At a time like this, it becomes all the more important that the Ministry of Defence do everything they can to support the families of service personnel. I would urge them to do everything possible to ensure that anxious and bereaved families feel they have the support they need at this very difficult time."

Workforce stats reveal failure to attract young nurses
Mon 24 Mar 03

Official statistics released today reveal the NHS is failing to recruit young nurses with figures showing a fall of almost 1,500, or 16 percent, in the number of nurses under 30. This comes against a background of record levels of nurse vacancies at 1,869, up 46 per cent on 1999. Commenting, SNP Shadow Health Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, said, "The crisis in nurse recruitment is the single biggest factor holding back the NHS. Without the nursing staff we need, the Health Service cannot open the beds it needs if waiting lists are to be brought down and waiting times reduced. These figures show that far from improving the situation, the NHS has far fewer young nurses than when Labour took control of the Scottish Executive in 1999. To tackle this crisis, we need more than TV adverts and glossy government strategies. We need to give the Scottish NHS a competitive advantage in the market for nursing staff. An eleven percent pay rise will deliver that competitive advantage and give Scotland the edge it needs to turn our staffing crisis around."

Increase in secure accommodation places does not go far enough
Mon 24 Mar 03

Commenting on the statement today from Cathy Jamieson regarding secure accommodation places SNP Shadow Justice Minister, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, said that is a re-announcement of a pledge made by the Executive last September and is only a quarter of the number promised by the SNP. Ms Cunningham said, "It is very interesting that the Executive has failed to state how much money that they intend to put into this project and that the whole project will not be fully operational until 2007. What is needed is a significant expansion in secure accommodation places so that we can effectively tackle the problems of serial youth offenders in our communities. That is why as Justice Minister in an SNP Government I will deliver on my pledge to increase the number of places by 100 and I will ensure that all of these additional places, not just 29, are in place by 2007."

Wishart responds to humanitarian aid statement
Mon 24 Mar 03

Speaking following the statement today by the Secretary of State for International Development on the provision of humanitarian aid for Iraq, North Tayside MP Pete Wishart restated the SNP's position that such aid should remain an essential part of the Government's strategy for the country, especially following events over the weekend. Speaking from the House of Commons, he said, "The Red Cross and the United Nations both estimate that there will be at least 300,000 refugees created by the current conflict. It is essential that we put in place measures to ensure that these individuals and families are dealt with humanely and justly to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe of the scale last witnessed in 1991." Mr Wishart also said it was imperative that the resources to back up such aims were provided. "The Red Cross have currently only received around five percent of the funds that they need to carry out their vital role in aiding refugees. The Government must provide sufficient funds to allow all NGOs to carry out their roles in dealing with the appalling humanitarian consequences of war. We should be shocked and awed by the scale of humanitarian aid available to rebuild Iraq."

Robertson voices concern for Kurdish Community
Mon 24 Mar 03

Responding to the Prime Minister's first Commons statement since the start of the Iraq war, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Angus Robertson MP voiced his concerns for the Kurdish community saying, "It is believed that around 2000 Turkish troops are already operating in Kurdistan, against the wishes of the international community. I am deeply disappointed that following his statement today the Prime Minister failed to guarantee that the current freedoms of the Kurdish community are preserved, and that the real threat to the Kurds posed by Turkey are not realised following this conflict." Speaking in the House of Commons he continued, "The SNP is a long-standing supporter of Turkish moves to join the EU, and it would be a shame for that great country to put this future at risk by cracking down on Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. The SNP have maintained links with the Kurdish people for many years, and will continue to do so throughout this difficult time. The Kurdish controlled sector of Northern Iraq is the only place where Kurds have realised their right to self-determination and have the freedom to speak their own language or wear national dress. The main threat for the population here is not currently from Saddam Hussein, but from the Turkish military who have gathered on the border. In 1991 the Turks closed their border to Kurdish refugees and left thousands to die on the mountains in the region. Such actions should not be allowed to happen again."

Redundancies confirmed at Galloway MoD base
Mon 24 Mar 03

SNP MSP for Galloway & Upper Nithsdale, Alasdair Morgan, has condemned the Ministry of Defence, following today's confirmation of the expected redundancies at the West Freugh range. Mr Morgan, who opposed the privatisation of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) when he was an MP at Westminster, said that he was deeply saddened by the loss of such a large number of skilled jobs from West Wigtownshire. Commenting on the redundancies, Mr Morgan, said, " My thoughts are with the workforce at the Freugh, and their families, at this time. However, it is difficult to suppress ill-feeling towards the Ministry of Defence and QinetQ, the private-sector successor to the DERA. After all, they have treated the workforce at the Freugh pretty shabbily throughout this whole episode, despite the many years of loyal service that the staff have put in. There is a feeling that the writing was on the wall for West Freugh from the time that Labour privatised the DERA. Certainly, in its new incarnation as QinetiQ, the former agency must pay much more close attention to the profit motive, and I feel that we have seen this in action through the 'downsizing' at the Freugh.

MacAskill looks to Dundee’s maritime future
Mon 24 Mar 03

On a visit to the Port of Dundee today SNP Shadow Transport Minister, Kenny MacAskill MSP, looked to Dundee's maritime future stressing that the port was not just a historical tourist attraction, but a vibrant working asset with a bright future for the city. He said that an SNP Government would create a maritime strategy for Scotland in which Dundee would play a full part. Mr MacAskill was joined on his visit by the SNP Parliamentary Candidates for Dundee, Shona Robison MSP and Irene McGugan MSP. Commenting Mr MacAskill said " Many people believe that the days when the Port of Dundee was busy and vibrant are in the past. Today I want to stress that that is not the case – the Port of Dundee is vibrant and developing and has a bright future. There is a growing cruise liner market – with the liners' docking here bringing tourists to the city with money to spend in local shops, cafes and restaurants. There is also a significant oil and gas-related traffic plus some freight work. The SNP will develop a Maritime Strategy for Scotland in which Dundee will have a full part to play. We are an island nation with a rich maritime heritage and need to ensure we have a prosperous maritime future."

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