THE MONOLITH HAS
CRACKED
I am still
finding it difficult to take in that for the first time ever, the Scottish
National Party has won an election. It is not the first time in my lifetime,
nor the first time in my more than 40 years membership, nor any other firsts;
it is the FIRST TIME.
Let it be
recorded that the SNP came first three times:
Parliamentary
seats:
| SNP |
47 |
| Labour |
46 |
| Conservative |
17 |
| Liberal |
16 |
| Green |
2 |
| Other |
1 |
Votes cast -
parliament:
| SNP |
1297628 |
| Labour |
1243789 |
| Conservative |
618748 |
| Liberal |
556903 |
| Green |
85555 |
| Sol/SSP |
44322 |
| Other |
215113 |
| Spoiled papers |
142000 |
| Postal ballots adrift |
? |
Councillors elected:
| SNP |
363 |
| Labour |
348 |
| Conservative |
143 |
| Liberal |
166 |
| Other |
194 |
"THESE ARE THE EARLY
DAYS OF A BETTER NATION"
Speaking
following the SNP's victory in the Scottish Parliament elections, SNP Leader
Alex Salmond MSP said:
"After what was a momentous night in Scottish politics, and with all votes now
counted, it is I hope appropriate that I say a few words about where Scotland
now stands.
"First,
Scotland has moved forward - for good and forever. Scotland has chosen a new
path - one which echoes the hopes and aspirations of a new culture of politics.
Last night was a reminder that politicians exist to serve and not just to
survive.
"Second, I am proud that the SNP has won the highest number of votes of any
party in the election and the highest number of seats.
"That is a historic moment and let me give one more commitment on behalf of my
party. Now that we have been given the chance to lead, we will do so in the
national interest and not for party advantage. We will lead with humility but
also with passion. We will lead with verve and imagination but always mindful
that we serve the people - all the people - of this proud and ancient nation.
"There is an immense task ahead of a new Government and it is one which should
inspire and not deter.
"The Scottish writer Alasdair Gray put it well when he wrote - 'Work as though
you lived in the early days of a better nation'.
"My commitment to Scotland is this - we will work, and these are the early days
of a better nation."
Footnote:
Alasdair Gray is this year’s recipient of the Scots Independent Oliver Brown
Award; it will be presented to him at the Annual SI Lunch in the Terraces Hotel
Stirling on 9th June 2007.
CAMPAIGN ON THE
GROUND
It was certainly a
roller-coaster of an election as far as I was concerned; I spent my time
working in the Borders seat of Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale where Christine
Grahame was fighting against a Liberal majority of 538. Her vote went up 3399,
but the Liberal vote went up 3459; the Tory vote only dropped by 92, but
Labour’s vote went down by 1738; there was no SSP candidate this time around,
and the turnout was up. The result was galling, as Christine has worked
extremely hard in that seat for 8 years, but justice does not often get done in
politics; I suppose a kind of justice did happen in that while the Liberals had
poured resources into that seat, probably depleting the one next door which was
“safe”, they lost that one to the Tories, but that was no consolation.
In
any event, I spent polling day in Penicuik, supposedly a Labour stronghold, and
though I was only on 2 polling stations and knocking up, I never saw a Labour
rosette at all; where had they all gone? At the close of the poll I went
home, nursing a case of BHS – bald heid sunburn- after three weeks of lovely
sunny weather!
That result came in
at perhaps 5.30 am, and I went to bed depressed; we had not taken Cumbernauld
and Kilsyth, or Airdrie & Shotts, both target seats, so things were not looking
good for us. Alex Salmond had taken Gordon, Tricia Marwick had taken Central
Fife and Joe Fitzpatrick had taken Dundee West; I took particular pleasure in
these last two, as I had been the candidate in Central Fife in 1979, and Dundee
West in 1983. Bruce Crawford gaining Stirling was brilliant!
Donald Bain phoned
me about 10 am as he was doing the Flag, and he said that he had heard that
Kenny MacAskill had taken Edinburgh East & Musselburgh; Donald also pointed out
that while Labour was ahead at that stage, their heartland vote – Glasgow and
the West of Scotland was all in- so there were good times a-coming.
I left my house at
about 5 pm, and the score was 40 – 40; I was speaking to Tony Grahame just
outside the Hub in the Royal Mile when Richard Thomson came up and said “47 –
46”! Unbelievable!!! The saying is: “What a difference a day makes”, but this
was only 12 hours.
DISGRACEFUL PRESS
The Scottish press
have also behaved abominably, by parroting the Unionist scare stories about the
plague of frogs or locusts, or whatever Biblical forces of doom they could
conjure up; Tricia Marwick who won Central Fife for the SNP, has lodged an
official complaint about how certain newspapers were displayed within polling
stations, and I am displaying some of the papers involved throughout this Flag.
And yet, the
Unionist politicians had the power of the press in their pockets (or is it the
other way around?) yet the people defeated the press and the politicians.
DEMOCRACY – WHAT
IS THAT?
We have seen, and are seeing, some rather ignoble traits in our
fellow Scots since last Thursday; the erstwhile First Minister, Jack MacConnell,
has not phoned Alex Salmond to congratulate him on winning the election, but is
clinging to a hope that either he, or some of his cronies, will manage to
declare the election invalid. This is due to the fact that they lost, not that
the people have spoken. It is not very edifying to see how hard it is to prise
his fingers from the cookie jar.
The whole election was a shambles, and the result is the culmination of the
plotting of the Secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland in the late Nineties
when he so constructed the voting system to make it impossible for the SNP ever
to gain a majority. I cannot recall the exact timetable, but it would have been
not long before the man, Jack MacConnell was his name, had a job made for him by
Beattie Media, to allow him to quit the Secretary’s post and stand for the
Scottish Parliament. All this was documented publicly at meetings of the
Holyrood Standards Committee, when Mr MacConnell, by then Finance Minister was
cleared of any taint of corruption; my abiding memory of that episode is his
Constituency Secretary, a young lady, saying that she stopped her car to answer
her mobile phone. What paragons of virtue! And do I not recollect just the
other week Mr MacConnell saying that Alex Salmond was not fit to be First
Minister? Pluck first the beam from thine own eye, that thou may seest more
clearly to pluck the mote from thy brother’s.
The election itself was marred by the non delivery of postal votes, more spoilt
papers due to people misreading the ballot paper, and the failure of the
electronic machines to perform as well as human beings; according to the person
responsible, MacCavity of Alexander, the machines were tested robustly.
Scottish Office Minister David Cairns was due to appear on Newsnight Scotland
after the House of Commons debate on Tuesday 8th May, but declined
after it had been established that the actual number of spoiled papers was in
excess of 140,000; they played a clip of a previous interview where he quoted
the system as “robust”. One might wonder at how many actual voters took part in
the testing?
As to the
benefits of hindsight, I merely quote one letter in the Herald on 23rd
April, strangely enough St George’s Day, from Mr Fred McDermid in Stonehouse,
which read as follows: “As a prophet I am usually a dead loss but I forecast
there will be chaos at the forthcoming elections. To have introduced two
different methods of voting at one time will cause chaos at the polling
stations, particularly with the elderly and those having poor eyesight. The
likely winners of the election may be spoiled papers.” And so it came to pass.
See also Synopsis.
TWISTING IN THE
WIND
On the Monday after the Election I attended a meeting in the Grosvenor Hilton in
Edinburgh; on the way in I spotted Nicol Stephen, leader of the Scotish
Liberals in deep conversation with the Liberal MP for Tweeddale, Michael Moore,
and I wondered idly what that particular meeting would be about, since we are
continually assured that no orders are being issued from Westminster. The
Liberals are being
needlessly
inept; I am quite sure that Alex Salmond would be able to make some sort of a
deal with them, but their point blank refusal to even speak to the SNP unless
they dropped the referendum issue makes that impossible. Now refusing to talk
to your opponent unless he admits he is wrong is not always the best way to be
conciliatory; Alex Salmond will not be blackmailed, and his dry comment sums up
his attitude: “I am very disappointed at not getting into talks with the Liberal
Democrats, but they may feel – and it is perfectly honourable and understandable
– that a period in opposition may be their preference.” Perhaps the Liberals
should have checked if their shotgun was loaded? Or perhaps they have been told
not to talk?
It would seem to the
casual observer that they are working to a Westminster agenda, and that rumours
of a pact between Gordon Brown and Sir Menzies Campbell may well be true. It
now looks as if the SNP will have to form a minority government, unless the
Unionists gang up against them; this will have two benefits from my point of
view. In the first instance the SNP will be able to use their own talent,
without sacrificing any posts to the Liberals – Nicola for Deputy First Minister
rather than Nicol- and in the second, I will not be required to be nice to the
charlatans.
However in this
context I well remember a friend of mine, Gordon Boyd, at that time –1968-
Chairman of East Aberdeenshire SNP (now Banff & Buchan) saying after some
acrimonious dispute ; “We do not have to love one another – but we must be able
to work together”. I also thought of this when I saw Ian Paisley and Martin
McGuinness working together.
Mair unfriens nor ane
Kenneth Fraser
“Is
this a private fecht”, said the proverbial Irishman, “or can onybodie jyne in?”
Mony a time A hae thocht ti masel that, ti luik at the S.N.P.’s election
leeterature, ye wad jalouse it wes a private fecht atween us an Lawbour;
bit, unner the votan seestem we yaise fir the Scots Pairlament elections, it
isnae, an we suid tak this mair inti account than we hae duin. Lat us conseeder
the lesser pairties ane bi ane.
There
isnae ruim here ti say muckle aboot the independents; maist likely some o them
help us an some hinner us. As fir the S.S.P. an Solidarity, mebbe we dinnae hae
ti fash oorsels owre muckle aboot thaim, as this time their ettles micht be ti
fecht ilk ither. Bit dae aither, or baith, o them tak votes frae us? A daur say
we coud never expeck that rael Socialists wad gie them owre ti uphaud us insteid;
on the tither haun, voters that see aither pairty as the wey ti independence wad
shairly dae better ti chaise the S.N.P.
We aften see
the Greens as weel-meanan, hairmless fowk, bit we soud min that lest time they
did unco weel oot o the sleekit slogan: “Saicont vote Green.” Sleekit? Aye,
acause there is nae first an saicont vote; ye hae ae vote in twa
different seestems. Sae a voter that walit the S.N.P. i the consteetuency vote,
an Green i the leet vote, wad in maist cases hae seen his S.N.P. vote wastit,
while his Green vote helpit ti eleck a Green M.S.P. We need ti warn oor voters
agin this ploy.
It’s no the first time A hae threipit in this column that we soud tak mair tent
o the Leeberals, that are the rael threit ti us in mony saits. Hou lang wul we
lat them awaa wi their twa-facit gemme o contrairan Lawbour in Lunnon an
uphaudan them in Embro? There is guid news on this maitter. Sir Menzies Caumel,
in his speech ti his Pairty Collogue, hes gien his gemme awaa. He telt Gordon
Broun whit his price wad be ti uphaud him (an it soundit a gey chape ane); he
didnae set ony price ti uphaud Dauvit Cameron; an he lat it be kent that he
wantit ti be in Government efter the neist Westminster election. Sae nou we ken
– an we soud tell the voters – “Vote Leeberal, get Lawbour!”
Political Correctness 2
On a thug am
Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta airgead bho Brian Souter, am bitheadh e tuilleadh ‘s a’ chòir
a shùileachadh gun cuireadh iad cùl ri political correctness? Tha mi air
ràdh roimhe gum bu chòir dhuinn slaodadh às an European Convention on Human
Rights gus am bi ath-sgrìobhadh ann – agus sin mus do nochd am faoineas mu
dheireadh far an do bhuannaich prìosanach casaid gun robh e air a nàrachadh le
teachdaireachd fòin ag ràdh gun robh an gairm aige a’ tighinn bhon phrìosan.
Saoil an robh na boireannaich air an d’ rinn e ionnsaigh air an nàrachadh . . .dìreach
smuain.
Tha tè
òg sa Ghàidhealtachd a’ dol gu cùirt a chionn ‘s gu bheil i na Caitligeach (sic)
agus chuir a’ Chomhairle i gu dachaigh le Pròstanaich. Nis – ma bhios i fhathast
na Caitligeach a dh’aindeoin sin dè ‘n t-adhbhar-gearain a th’ aice? Am bu chòir
don Chomhairle ga fàgail far an robh i ged a bha feum aice air dìon? Is
cinnteach gum biodh sin an aghaidh a còraichean daonna. Chan eil teagamh ann nam
biodh i air cuideachadh iarraidh air sagart, no tidsear, no obraiche sòisealta,
- fiù ‘s ministear! - a creideamh a’ leantail gheibheadh i e. Mar sin, ciamar a
rinn na thachair cron oirre?
Ach a thaobh
political correctness bha sgeulachd ann an t-seachdain seo chaidh mu chuideigin
ann an Sasainn a thog casaid gun do thilgeadh “bloody foreigner” air. Tha na
faclan “Cinn suas” a’ tighinn do dh’inntinn, ach cha tàinig iad do dh’inntinn a’
bhritheimh. ‘S math nach eil gnothaichean cudtromach aig na cùirtean.
Bha sgeulachd eile
mu na poilis a’ feuchainn stad a chur air luchd-leantail ball-coise a’ seinn,
“We hate Jimmy Hill, he’s a p**f” . A rèir coltais, cuiridh na poilis an grèim
son Breach of the Peace neach sam bith a gheibh iad a’ gabhail seo. A bheil iad
an da-rìreadh? Chan eil an t-òran modhail no tlachdmhor ach aig a’ cheann thall
cha bhi e a’ moladh fòirneart no gràin an aghaidh buidhne, agus thuirt Hill
fhèin gun robh e coma. Chan e obair phoileas a th’ ann modh a dh’ionnsachadh
dhuinn.
Chan eil e fallain
don choimhearsnachd no don dùthaich a bhith a’ cruthachadh victims mar
seo. Nì e aimhreit agus fàsaidh a’ mhòr-shluagh sgìth dheth. Tha cunnart ann
nach stad iad aig briathran an uairsin. An e sin an Alba ùr a tha sin a’
sireadh?
Political
Correctness 2
Since the National
Party has taken money from Brian Souter, would it be too much to expect that
they would turn their backs on political correctness? I’ve said before that we
should pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights until there’s a
revision of it – and that was before the latest stupidity where a prisoner won a
claim that he was embarrassed by a phone recording saying that his call was
coming from prison. I wonder if the women he assaulted were embarrassed. . .just
a thought.
A young woman in
Highland is going to court because she is a Catholic (sic) and the Council
placed her with Protestants. Now – if she’s still a Catholic despite that what
cause for complaint does she have? Should the Council have left her where she
was although she was in need of protection? That really would be a breach of her
human rights. There’s no doubt that if she asked for help from a priest, or a
teacher, or a social worker – even a minister! - to follow her religion she
would get it. So, how did what happened cause her harm?
But regarding
political correctness there was a story last week about someone in England who
raised an action that the accusation of being a “bloody foreigner” was made. The
words “Grow up” spring to mind, but didn’t spring to the mind of the judge. It’s
good that the courts don’t have important matters with which to deal.
There was another
story about the police trying to stop football fans singing, “We hate Jimmy
Hill, he’s a p**f”. Apparently the police will arrest for Breach of the Peace
anyone they get singing this song. Are they serious? The song isn’t polite or
pleasant but at the end of the day it doesn’t incite violence or hatred against
a group of people, and Hill himself has said that he doesn’t care. It isn’t the
work of the police to teach us manners.
It’s not healthy
for the community or for the country to create victims in this way. It will
cause disturbance and the majority will grow tired of it. There’s the danger
then that they won’t stop at words. Is this the new Scotland we are seeking?
Mr
Robertson said: 