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Listed below are comments made by Dayvine between Monday, 24th August 2009 and Friday, 4th September 2009.

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PM prepares for the Afghanistan argument 10:38am on 04 Sep 2009 All democracies become war weary; it is in many ways a great benefit to the system.

However Brown has become such a bullet magnate and press black hole that we are teetering on the edge of pretty serious, and unhelpful, political change.

The majority of opinion washing around papers about the war, the economy and all other facets of UK policy is ill informed and full of bile. Few ideas about the war proposed on a daily basis have any merit whatsoever.

This is not to say that I support Brown, but disagreeing with him on particular points is very different from automatically believing everything he says or has ever thought about is toxic.

As the media continues to work itself up into a frenzy and opposition politicians increasingly fall into the trap of seedy populism, I wouldn't blame any number of ministers for leaving.

However, as a result, we are ever more in danger of the tail wagging the dog.
What the PM did and did not say 2:41pm on 02 Sep 2009 The BBC has made much of the so called admission, but I still think it is fair to point out that having no interest in seeing him die in jail and not wanting him to die in jail are too different things.

The second implies that the UK government actively sought to release him for whatever reasons, the first simply states that if due process is followed they will not seek to keep him in prison for ideological reasons.

It is pretty poor for the media to specifically ignore this distinction between the two positions.
Counting the 'workless households' 7:27pm on 26 Aug 2009 Very interesting stuff.

More of an examination should be made of this figure historically, however, as 'people' and 'households' are not comparable.

It would be useful, for example, to find out in a historical context the number of single occupancy properties included in this figure, the number of long term unemployed who live together and how these households are clustered geographically.
Can Brown stay silent? 4:16pm on 26 Aug 2009 "142. At 10:24pm on 25 Aug 2009, vere_scribo wrote:

If I were advocating succession for East Anglia, for example, you have a point. But it is part of a nation, England. It isn't joined on by an out of date political treaty. That would be breaking up your country."

Unfortunately if you go far back enough in time, there is always a point at which a section of land, or a particular people, indeed were a separate nation. As an extreme example: - does ETA have a point? Do those who want a separate Cornwall have a point? In each of these cases the people are not being oppressed, there is no genuine sectarian conflict.

Shared values are more important than shared borders, as is a shared history.

English and Scottish people share values on most if not all levels, as have our thinkers down the ages from John Donne to David Hume.

Given the need to stand up for the freedoms that we believe in, in current times, as well as looking to improve our country and the representation of the people in it in a democratic way, does a repetitive cry to divide not seem somewhat additional? Does it not create a larger problem from a set of solvable smaller ones?

Support for the SNP surged during disillusionment after the Iraq war, but this was not unique Scottish disquiet – it was a country wide.
Can Brown stay silent? 7:43pm on 25 Aug 2009 "138. At 5:13pm on 25 Aug 2009, vere_scribo wrote

in fact Kenny MacAskill is regarded generally, by the external media (go check), as having acted in respected and dignified manner"

Again, you are trying to make my point simplistic. I actually don't disagree with MacAskill's decision in the slightest - I think it was justified and I recognise its precedence in Scottish law.

Unfortunately it does not seem that enough groundwork was done, the SNP fluffed the rest of the show, not the main reveal.

As for your other points, sovereignty is a big issue - too big for this post. However, I recognise that work needs to be done on the interaction between devolved assemblies and Westminster (West Lothian not withstanding) - but ripping up the union is somewhat small minded in a world where nationality is becoming less important.

The SNP has seized on a single issue and run with it, parties which do this are always less well rounded than others. To force disagreements with Westminster about everything from Iraq to tuition fees into a campaign for separation fails to account for general disagreement on these issues in the nation as a whole, it also fails to take account for Scotland and Scottish law’s current status within the UK.

‘Nationalist sentiment’ is almost always a distraction from real solutions to help ‘the people’.
First thoughts 5:17pm on 25 Aug 2009 People in the press and opposition parties are so desperate for Brown to fail that they are apoplectic at the thought he may have a point when he says it was Scotland’s decision.

The American's having an opinion is actually rather poor form in terms of diplomacy, but it provides a welcome 'non-telling off' distraction for an administration consistently being compared to being close to the UK in terms of healthcare.

Even if it is politically convenient for him, you can not blame Brown for what he has said (although I am sure many will try).
Can Brown stay silent? 3:33pm on 25 Aug 2009 #136 vere_scribo

Sovereignty is an odd thing, and far too complex to debate as a concept on here, however the SNP’s brand of populism is a different matter.

That is simple and has garnered support on the basis of a national government losing popularity in its third term (as they are wont to do).

Scotland has a voice on the national stage, talk of inequality for Scots in the UK is, I’m afraid, clearly baseless.

As far as international affairs go, this first foray has evidently been poorly executed. Given the SNP’s general demeanour, the fallout is theirs and theirs alone.
Can Brown stay silent? 1:14pm on 25 Aug 2009 "127. At 10:05am on 25 Aug 2009, vere_scribo wrote:

Hubris? Scotland shouldn't be so big for its boots??"

I'm afraid your personal bias is showing through! I was talking about the SNP, which I think many people are quite thankful is not entirely synonymous with Scotland, as a country or otherwise.
The PM breaks his silence... 8:28pm on 24 Aug 2009 "31. At 8:00pm on 24 Aug 2009, oldnat wrote:

Unless Plaid are doing spectacularly well, then the decision doesn't seem to have hurt them domestically."

You are right, however I was actually talking on the international scene.
You may of course be right on a different level - they may only care about domestic opinion - however this would be quite immature politically.
The PM breaks his silence... 7:04pm on 24 Aug 2009 Being goaded into making a rash statement by the press and opposition parties now would be foolhardy (which doesn't mean that Brown won't do it).

The americans are acting absurdly in diplomatic terms, however I would not be surprised if this is not a welcome domestic distraction from the NHS debacle in which they acted equally absurdly, albeit with Hannan in tow.

This gives Obama an opportunity to distance himself from the UK in US 'media reports' (I use both loosly), which will in turn shield him from the fallout of his more progressive policies which are consistantly referred to as European and socialist on those same networks.

The SNP persistantly talk about themselves in terms associated with the world stage, and aspires to sovereignty.

Personally I don't disagree with the decision, but they have fluffed this diplomatically and they deserve the fallout.

The UK press baying for Brown comment simply highlights how desperate the press are to paint him as a failure and, if anything, represents more reason for him to stay quiet.

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