Question time
So how did the opposition leaders perform at FMQs? I think Tavish Scott of the Lib Dems will be pretty well satisfied with himself.
He exposed a simple disparity between SNP opinion in opposition and government. In opposition, they were urging ministers (including T. Scott) to host talks in an effort to prevent a rail strike.
In government, they say it's not their role to intervene.
Alex Salmond brushed aside the attack - and I don't suppose it will trouble him overmuch. But it was, nonetheless, an effective point.
As to Iain Gray of Labour, I think he will be generally happy with his showing - with one exception.
Mr Gray pursued Mr Salmond on the topic of alcohol off-sales. He did so with wit and vigour.
Substantive answers
But then he cited Mr Salmond's appearance in Private Eye's Colemanballs column. That enabled Mr Salmond to respond by quoting a less than flattering profile of Mr Gray in The Sun.
Mr Salmond, therefore, ended on an upnote in those exchanges - but still faces the issue of how to deal with the clear opposition in parliament to the off-sales restrictions.
One option for ministers could be to shelve plans for a blanket, nationwide ban on off-sales to under-21s - replacing that with discretionary powers for individual local authorities to introduce such measures, perhaps on police advice.
As to Annabel Goldie, she was reasonably sound on the serious topic of prison overcrowding.
However, the first minister had substantive answers with regard to government action, while noting that only reform of the penal system would offer long-term solutions.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~55~RS~)
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Wrong Brian, once more Wee Eck wiped the floor with the opposition leaders without really trying.
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Another uneventful playtime over at Holyrood Primary.
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Did cybernats get a mention, or did my ears deceive me?
:-P
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Interesting emphasis, Brian.
"The Sun" merits capital letters but "the first minister" doesn't....
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I dislike the whole nonsense of FMQs, and its provision of "easy" material for the journalists to comment on.
The system was imported from Westminster, which knew nothing other than PMQs. It enhances the cult of personality in party leaders, instead of focussing on the merits/demerits of individual ministers and the programme of government.
Just as the second half of the 20th century saw Labour and Tory imposing their centrally determined versions of "local" government on Scotland instead of communities determining what structures are best for them (northhighlander is absolutely right in his comments on this on previous threads), we need to have a Parliamentary process which reflects our multi-party system rather than continuing the "Fuhrer Prinzip" which seems to dominate the thinking among many of Nick Robinson's posters.
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#5 oldnat
Good point - Perhaps they should model Holyrood QT on the BBC's Question Time, with the Presiding Officer taking Dimbleby's role. That ought to make good TV and give the voters a realistic chance of seeing their options in action.
I dare you to post the last bit of your post on an NR thread!
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5. Every cabinet minister has their own QT session once a month in Westminster.
Next week, it's Culture and the FCO's turns as well as the usual PMQs.
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#7 Expat
Yes, I've seen some of these on BBC Parliament. However, they seem to have a pretty small audience, and don't get the Press coverage.
My concern with both FMQs and PMQs are that they are simply party point-scoring exercises, and little to do with good governance.
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Are you boring of us Brian?
Not a particularly thought provoking post.
As has been stated above PMQs and FMQs are generally about scoring political points and "Brown nosing" if you can excuse the pun.
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FMQs would be better if:
(a) the order of attack was randomised, instead of always Labour first, Tories second, followed by poor Tavish;
(b) the leaders didn't come with their pre-prepared questions (including scripted 'ad-libs'), and actually responded to what was said, not only by the FM but by the party leaders (if any) going before them.
Brownedov's (#6) suggestion that it more akin to Question Time (the programme) would have been worth trying if it was like the good old days with Sir Robin Day in the chair; Dimbleby seems to think that it is HIS show, and often deviates wildly from the question asked, rather than an opportunity for the 'public' to ask questions.
(Also, in the Day days, no secret was made of the fact that the audience was constituted on an 'unscientific' basis, but nowadays there are quotas which have to be filled; hence, the tokenism that any regular viewer will note.)
I'd rather see a US-style "Face The Press" (not the cosy chats which The Politics Show, etc. provide) where politicians are pursued re properly-researched cases.
"Weekend World" - will we ever see its like again?
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#10 The_Forfarian
I agree re Day vs Dimbleby and my #6 certainly did not intend to encourage the Presiding Officer to emulate the latter!
That said, I do think that kind of forum - repeated in the various areas of responsibility with ministers and their oppos - would give the public a much clearer picture of what their MSPs are about.
I certainly wish the TV interviewers would take a slighter harder line with their questioning along the lines of some of the better US interviewers. Heaven forbid them all turning into Paxman clones, though.
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You seemed very subdued today Brian. Hope you are doing alright!
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10. At 5:55pm on 02 Oct 2008, The_Forfarian wrote:
FMQs would be better if:
(a) the order of attack was randomised, instead of always Labour first, Tories second, followed by poor Tavish;
(b) the leaders didn't come with their pre-prepared questions (including scripted 'ad-libs'), and actually responded to what was said, not only by the FM but by the party leaders (if any) going before them.
Brownedov's (#6) suggestion that it more akin to Question Time (the programme) would have been worth trying if it was like the good old days with Sir Robin Day in the chair; Dimbleby seems to think that it is HIS show, and often deviates wildly from the question asked, rather than an opportunity for the 'public' to ask questions.
(Also, in the Day days, no secret was made of the fact that the audience was constituted on an 'unscientific' basis, but nowadays there are quotas which have to be filled; hence, the tokenism that any regular viewer will note.)
I'd rather see a US-style "Face The Press" (not the cosy chats which The Politics Show, etc. provide) where politicians are pursued re properly-researched cases.
"Weekend World" - will we ever see its like again?
----
I think you should actually be in the studio audience before commenting. I was last year in Glasgow and it is well worth applying for. The audience was a complete mix of professions, ages and political views. Dimbleby is an excellent master of ceremonies and allows the debate to go on without little interruption. None of the show was edited either. Questions and comments are allowed from the audience.
If you are lucky enough to attend, they have a warm up for about an hour where members of the audience play the part of the panel. I sat on the panel and it gives a real insight into the pressure some of the guests are into giving good answers.
I would recommend any of the regular posters on this blog to attend.
(and no I don't work for the BBC!)
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#13 Neil_Small147
We'll have to agree to disagree re Dimbleby D.
I've not attended a QT recording but I am old enough to have watched it avidly from the outset and Day really did show more balance, as does Dimbleby J. and most of his holiday reliefs on Radio 4's Any Questions.
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11 Brownedov
One of my recent observations has been the restraint shown by trade unions in England. Apart from a few flurries a few months ago they have gone quiet. Whilst in Scotland every man and his dog are rattling their chains for more dosh.
I know that the Labour Party in Scotland are just that, subservient to their bosses at westmidden and to the same extent so to are the Scottish trade unionists. They are all branches of a London/England centric organisation.
I wonder if the unions are assisting Duff Gordon with more than economic support.
After all He said he would do anything it takes to give the SNP a kicking and what better kicking than pitching the unions against the SNP government.
It could also quite easily go pear shaped because eventually the flood gates will open in England and we could easily be heading for another Winter of Discontent.
Have you given any thought to, or noticed, the differences of TU activity/inactivity north and south of Scotlands borders.
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I really can't understand the purpose of FMQ's. It seems to serve no obvious purpose, achieves nothing and, as entertainment, is banal in the extreme. Years ago one of my children asked me if politics was about shouting and being rude. I asked him where he got this impression from and he told me that it was from watching prime minister's questions on TV. Condemned from the mouths of babes.
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#15 Roll_On_2010
"I wonder if the unions are assisting Duff Gordon with more than economic support.
After all He said he would do anything it takes to give the SNP a kicking and what better kicking than pitching the unions against the SNP government.
It could also quite easily go pear shaped because eventually the flood gates will open in England and we could easily be heading for another Winter of Discontent.
Have you given any thought to, or noticed, the differences of TU activity/inactivity north and south of Scotlands borders."
I hadn't thought of it that way and others here are better placed to comment, but it's certainly an interesting theory and I must admit that I have no other plausible explanation of why the unions are still funding NuLab.
As you say, such a strategy could easily bite back in England, simply guaranteeing a Tory landslide. That makes me think that "Duff" Gordon would dither long and probably "bottle out" before implementing it. I also don't think he's bright enough to have come up with it although Campbell (A) or Mandelson might be.
OTOH, I haven't noticed any figures lately on what the unions are planning to dole out to NuLab post-Warwick, but they're certainly not getting much visible for their money nowadays, so maybe something slightly under the counter is happening.
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17# Brownedov
Good take, although I had not yet reached that conclusion, you put it well!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
#19 Iain_Gray
ROFL
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Roll on 2010 .... I to thought something along your lines about the unions striking in Scotland lately. Its funny that it is all council employees since the SNP is trying to make the councils work a little harder for the huge sums of loot they get as wages. Now im sure Expat will now say we're conpiracy archnats or whatever and it does sound a bit much ... but hey anything to stop the SNP eh.... cheers
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#21 Rabiehippo
My thought is that it is just that the councils no longer have their inbuilt Labour administrations and I suspect that little sweetners laid out to keep the Unions sweet in the past are perhaps no longer happening due to the rainbow hue of many of Scotlands council these days!
Oh there is always the fact that the SNP are doing an atriocious job - usually in coalition with the LDs - of running some local councils, and in Holyrood are doing nothing much of anything!
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#22 donstim
"Oh there is always the fact that the SNP are doing an atriocious job - usually in coalition with the LDs - of running some local councils, and in Holyrood are doing nothing much of anything!"
So that's why the SNP are doing so well in the polls!
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22 Now your being a bit unfair about the SNP at Holyrood now ........... just reading the Daily Mail as i do now and again and Cameron is going on about how he will do this and that .... and you know what ....he will actually do sweet fanny adams ..... its all rubbish .... for all my dislike of Labour i really dont believe the Torys will be any better .... I was really glad the SNP got a chance this time round ... not just because i had voted for them 3 or 4 times but mainly so they could show us what they can do ... i only hope that come the next Scottish election they havent messed up and are more popular ... ok the drinking bill was a bit silly but it bring the problem to the news for a wee while .... and if the other partys are grown up will work with the SNP maybe they will sort something out ... but i doubt it
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#17 Brownedov
A bit OTT, dont you think?
The Trade union movement will stand their ground, negotiate and fight with any political party to secure better rights for the workers.
Is that not a better response?
Do you agree that the public srevices are good for society in general?
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way hay .... dereks back ... fit like min .... canna read yer post yet .... but i'll bet its good !!!
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Derek ... just had a wee look to see what youve been up too ..... happy to report your still mad and attacking the tories at the same time..... nice doggy ... here boy fetch stick ... WOOF !
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Hewooo wabbie freewee the wabbit.
Its good having a go at this ramadams
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Derek
There was no need for you to take offense at Carrots on NR's blog
"Derek cant you go and blether with Brian
Im sure your fellow Scots are mising you".
We weren't missing you at all, and your Labour ideas were much more relevant there.
BTW Care to repeat your support for the Iraq war here?
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probably the easiest options for the public service unions is to take industrial action in scotland, and once they settle the dispute, then they have it easier in the rest of the UK to get the same deal.
it would work out cheaper for the unions to do it that way.
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RabbieH
The SNP are doing well at the polls mainly because there is not much choice - Labour is a busted flush, The LibDems are, hmmm I'm not sure, nothing really! The Tories are starting to make (a little) headway, but are too far back to be in any position to challenge for anything (up here anyway!), although it is notable that Annabel has been quite astute in getting some Tory policy/manifesto pledges out of the SNP in a show of bipartisanship.
Interestingly - the Tories who many people on this blog seem to despise - are doing more to promote bipartisanship and working well with the SNP on a policy by policy issue which is how I understand minority Government should work.
Yet sadly they do not seem to get much credit for so doing.
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#29 oldnat
No offence taken!!!!
I think I clearly stated my opposition to the war, however I did point out, that!I thought it was only a matter of time before the western world did something about rogue states....
I dont claim to be a pacifist (nothing wrong with that although) If I was about when Hitler threatened this Isles, I like many did would have stood up to the mark as well.
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21# rabbiehippo
Oh dear and here is me thinking that it was Westmidden that had taken the decision to reduce the living standards of public employees. The pay cut was imposed on them even though they had been recommended a better deal by an independent body. Something to do with inflation, or that’s what Flash Gordon said.
Believe it or not we have the same situation in England up until recently a fair head of steam had built up, for example the council workers were I live have had two strikes, one three days and the later four days.
Then the strikes stopped. You will have to forgive me, my first thoughts were, that they had achieved an improvement on their imposed pay settlement. But naw thats not it they havent got a bean extra.
Then why have the strikes fizzled out? Surely they cant all be happy bunnies and have accepted it as their lot in life.
By the way the strikes have now extended to the RMT TU at Railtrack in Scotland, so it is now not solely about public employees.
30# vote_nat
Now that makes sense and paints a plausible picture of events unfolding across Britain.
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Derek ... read the book Rogue States by Noam Chomsky and you will see why the world is in such a state . Watch mind ... its full of big words ... some of which i didnt really understand. The old man (my old man not Oldnat) reckons Bush had to invade Iraq in order to regain stability in the world but im nae gonna argue with him. Id lend him Rogue States but i know it would get thrown in the wood chipper in a rage lol.
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#33 Sorry ive not made that clear ... i dont mean the lower council workers ... i am of course referring to the high up staff who have no reason to strike...although a family member on the wifes side did jack in his job with the council because he couldnt handle the boredom of sitting in a van for hours at a time when they should have been working !!! So the road men etc dont get much sympathy from me there . I notice David has stated that he will end the bin collection madness by stopping the once a fortnight collection service ..... mmm i can see the lazy council workers liking that one .... more strikes anyone ?
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Rabbie......read Cassius Clays autobiography
and see what radical preaching islamic fundamentalist view the western world with.
By the way Rabbie......oil is a precious commodity......Bush was wrong......but the fact remains their are many that want to destroy western values....thats! true....Rabbie
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Och Derek i know theres a lot of nutters over there and i also understand that they hate us but i doubt the Iranians would make a nuclear bomb and blow the s**t out of Israel .. it would be suicide.... personally i think the real reason a lot of these people run around with guns and burn american flags etc is because they are lazy or dont have jobs... they should do my job ... i dont have time to stand in the street burning flags and shouting praise allah etc. Mind you invading their country doesnt really work as a lot of arab countries are feudal and as such dont like being told what to do by anybody ... not even their own countrymen...
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For once I agree with you Brian as Tavish did very well and it is becoming increasingly obvious that the nats are during u turns on their previous opinions as well as many of their manifesto commitments.
It is hard to believe that anyone, apart from a scot nat ,actually belives Salmond wiped the floor of the other leaders, unless this means he makes no attempt to answer their questions.
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#Rabbie -
The SNP have agreed to the building off a pub next to a primary school. I think this mightt take the shine of the SNP, especially in the local area! The community didn't want the pub there, they council didn't want the pub, but the SNP think it's all right to expose school children to it!
You seem to have enough time to contribute on here. Mind you this is a good form of relaxation, it's a nice break from the stress of reality!
Tavish did have a good shot yesterday and Iain seems to be settling in too. I believe Alex's time of an easy ride is over, about time too. I do like annabel, but pretty soon the sexual tension between her and AS are going to break watershed rules!
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#22 donstim -
"... the SNP ... in Holyrood are doing nothing much of anything!"
"If they can see us working, we aren't working hard enough!"
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15. And another anti-nationalist conspiracy is born. What's that? Seven now?
23. Weren't the SNP 9% behind Labour in the latest YouGov poll?
"Tectonic shift to the SNP", was it, Eck?
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#25 derekbarker
"A bit OTT, dont you think?"
No, I don't think my #17 was OTT at all.
"Do you agree that the public srevices are good for society in general?"
Yes I do, although they should be provided at the level the relevant community wants. For example, I would like every village to have a public Olympic swimming pool, but if the local people don't want the money spent then that's called democracy and I accept it.
I also think that employees must have the right to organise via voluntary Trade Union membership to pursue collective bargaining.
Where I think it goes OTT is if, as Roll_On_2010 suggests (and others such as rabbiehippo & donstim think may be correct), unions start to behave differently based not on collective bargaining but on the political parties in specific administrations.
If it can ever be proven that NuLab connived in such activities, it will most certainly come back to haunt both them and the unions, and may also provide some common ground between the SNP Scottish government and the Tory UK one after the general election.
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#30 vote_nat
Good reasoning. Especially after The SNP showed itself to be "centre-left with a human face" over the police pay issue, they may also think that Scotland is currently a "softer touch" than NuLab's crumbling, authoritarian monolith.
But that doesn't explain why they're still giving to NuLab while getting nothing in return.
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#15. Roll_On_2010
Nice attempt at finding a conspiracy but no - as I understand it, the Local Council workers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are not striking (save that time when they did strike earlier in the year, but ssshh, that ruins your argument) is because their pay dispute has gone into arbitration - something that has not happened in Scotland.
And if the Unions were so hell bent on industrial action why is Monday's strike called off?
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#42
Brownedov, I'm not to sure if you've planted a red-herring with your collective bargaining.....freelance...statement?
I hope your not suggesting the break up of trade unions.
Brownedov, you are very consistent with your democratic views...I think thats right.
Would you agree, that in response too your democratic views, that the majority vote is the better choice of democracy.
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Brownedov.
if you look at the big unions, they depend on public money to employ their membership.
and new labour to keep the unemployment figures down create more public service jobs, hence more membership for the unions.
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The news form South of the border is going to create a bit of a stir with Shifty Mandleson coming back to act as the rod for Brown's back. ouch!!
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#41 Reluctant-Expat
"Weren't the SNP 9% behind Labour in the latest YouGov poll?"
You're right that the survey they did for the Sun on 23-24 September shows the tiny Scottish sample of 138 with NuLab on 42% and SNP on 33% in Westmidden voting intention.
Frankly, the sample is so small it's hard to say it's representative, but more to the point is that the NuLab revival seems to come completely from a LibDem collapse to 5% with all their departees flocking to NuLab. As it was taken at the time of the LibDem conference where Clegg made a fairly controversial speech, it's certainly possible but my feeling is that it is unlikely.
We'll know a lot more after the conference season finishes with the SNP one, well in time for the Glenrothes by-election.
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#44 Blackivar
#46 vote_nat
Fair points, which possibly explain some of Roll_On_2010's questions. I still think it will backfire on them if it can be proven.
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deckchairs..........cabinet posts..........rearrange..........reshuffle............Titanic..........Labour Party..........sunk
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#50 InMyKip
You forgot Des Browne - his going could be a very small piece of good news for NuLab - until we find out who's to replace him, of course!
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With SNP in the ascendancy and Labour in seemingly terminal decline, who'd be Scottish Secretary (or Scotland Secretary) now?
Not Des Browne, it appears.
I just hope that someone of standing gets the job...
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Who can tell if there is an 'agenda' between Labour and the unions to destabilise the SNP, politics is a dirty game after all and there have been stranger bedfellows than Labour and the unions.Not that I'm one to believe in this particular hypothesis, but keep them coming lads, since they seem to give the Truculent.....sorry Reluctant Expat something to do with their 'life'. I shall now retire to think up another conspirecy theory so that Expat can take their count upto.....what is it eight?
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#51 you are correct Browndev, I should have mentioned flotsam and jetsam.
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Brownedov
new Guardian ICM poll - details not yet on ICM website.
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#39 Well it might be a nice family pub for all i know .... na yer probably right, but people do make mistakes .... as we have seen.
#42 'every village should have an olympic sized swimming pool' ... aye but only if its full of trout! Question... as im a bit vague about union membership ... do all unions contribute to the Labour Party or are they neutral ...as the way i see it if your in a union your gonna vote Labour and then that wee conspiracy might have some credence.
#53 Make up something involving 911, Elvis and UFO's and see how he reacts to that :o)}
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Mandelson coming back is hilarious.
Why has Browne been giving the boot. I can't belive 'family reasons' are being cited again.
What a great afternnon it will be if wee Duggie get the Scottish Sec job.
Freedom
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Any news on the new Scottish Secretary now that Browne has been pushed? Apparently he refused a "lesser" position on the grounds that it would have "insulted" the armed forces (but not Scotland I note!) to accept such a demotion.
Interesting to see Mandy back in the fold, albeit unelected to his position (cf. G. Brown PM). A case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer? On which basis perhaps John Reid will be the new Scottish Secretary?!
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I HAVE A CONSPIRACY THEORY.
that ex-pat becomes animated when talking about federalism and goes in the plum duff it you stop talking about it.
i could be wrong, but it would explain the fact that he is now counting up conspiracies again.
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I can't say that Jim Murphy has been on my radar, but at least we have a full-time Scottish Secretary (or so it would appear).
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#58 forfar- loon
Jim Murphy got the Scottish post
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#55 oldnat
Thanks for the link, and I'll certainly follow up to see when more details emerge. However, I think that today's reshuffle is bound to make some significant changes. I would expect Tory support up in England as Mandy arrives, but it's hard to say re Scotland until we know who replaces Browne and whether it becomes a single cabinet job again.
Very relevant to my #48 is the article's: "Support for nationalist parties, including the Scottish Nationalists, now stands at 7% - suggesting that Labour may be losing ground in Scotland ahead of next month's Glenrothes byelection. But the small proportion of Scottish voters included today's poll means that finding cannot be treated as conclusive."
I do hope they're right about Glenrothes happening in November, but I won't be holding my breath before the writ is called in the HoC.
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#58 forfar_loon
Jim Murphy
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Dear Diary,
What a day it was on Thursday.
There I was standing outside the pretendy wee parliament chanting away feebly in a demonstration of my support for selling booze to young people when I suddenly remembered that I'm supposed to be against the booze culture.
So I went inside and set about taking out my embarrassment on Eck at FMQs. Note to myself: never ever try to make fun of that man again. It's only asking for trouble. The Sun has got his hat on. Hip, hip, hip hooray. It was as if Eck had had a look at my script and knew the question I was going to ask before I asked it. It's not fair. Have I sprung a leak, or is he just smarter than I am? Answers on a post card. Everything I threw at Eck seemed to bounce off him. He just didn't seem to care. It was like a dominie laughing at a wee boy for being silly. What to do? What to do?
So I had another of my bright ideas. In a fit of genius I had a wee dig at "the midnight cybernats". Quite original, eh? At a stroke I succeeded in drawing attention to a previously little known phenomenon that most of the electorate were probably totally unaware of. Now they'll all be rushing to their computers to see for themselves what in the name of the wee man I can have been wittering on about. And so the cybernats' perfectly horrid message will be spread farther and wider. Aren't I the clever one?
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#58 forfar-loon
Unalloyed joy!
Just refreshed the BBC "live text" to find it's that wonderful Europe Minister, Jim Murphy, who did such a wonderful job of "selling" the Lisbon Treaty in the House of Cards.
He could not win an argument with himself, let alone the FM who must be laughing his socks off yet again.
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So Jim Murphy it is. To my eternal shame I must confess to never having heard of him, so I've looked him up on the very excellent theyworkforyou.com...
Voted for a transparent Parliament. Voted moderately for introducing a smoking ban.
Voted strongly for introducing ID cards.
Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly for replacing Trident.
Voted strongly for the hunting ban.
Voted moderately for equal gay rights.
I also looked him up on Wikipedia - can you believe he's already listed as Scottish Secretary there! Would you be so soon in Des Browne's grave Mr Murphy? ;o)
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#62 Brownedov
I think it's safe to assume 6 Nov for Glenrothes, as Labour have called the Forth Ward in Edinburgh for that date.
I also suspect that having Jim Murphy as a full-time Scottish Secretary (when there's insufficient work in the job) is simply using even more public money to fund Labour attacks against the SNP.
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Murphy wasn't on my original "Portillo" list, which I'll try to revise over the week-end, but he'll probably make the Top 5 and bring joy to Aunty Annabel's heart as in Renfrewshire East the Tories will need only a 7.02% swing to defeat him.
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#64 So am I to take it that Iain_Gray hasd outed himself as U13360550?
Dont let the brigadier catch you doing that, according to him it's only the Nationalists that have multiple identities...
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#19 and #64 U-boat
So you were the Labour diarist!
I presume that the Beeb has withdrawn your second user name, as some Labourite was concerned that people might think that the actual man was posting here!
Sad people!
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I see we've lost our amusing friend "Iain_Gray" (#19) and he's been replaced with the pithily named U13360550. Fair enough I suppose as the House Rules do state that member names or messages will be failed (even if it takes a while!) if they "appear to impersonate someone else". But for goodness sake mods, it was funny!
Perhaps this also explains the disappearance of Greetings_Earthlings, unless he really was a pimploid of course...
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#59 I have a conspiracy song for Expat, well more a nursery rhyme so it should tax him,....all together now........
"One conspiracy, two conspiracies, three conspiracies four
five conspiracies, six conspiracies, seven conspiracies more"
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66. How can he vote very strongly? Did he slam the paper into the division ballot box?
When voting moderately, did he perhaps shrug as he voted? Maybe he said "Whatever!" too?
Where does it say how he voted on the site? This I have to read for myself!
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#69 Fit_Like #70 oldnat #71 forfar-loon
I can confirm that the BBC has deprived me of the user name that I have been posting under. I quite understand and accept their decision without complaint.
I would like to take this opportunity to make it clear to anyone who may have been confused, bewildered or offended that I am in fact not Iain Gray. Any similarity has been entirely coincidental, and I apologize unreservedly to the gentleman himself, the Labour Party, the country at large and indeed the entire human race. What more can I say? I'm sorry.
Au revoir. I'll be back, but not as U-Boat thingy. It's just not me.
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#73 Recalcitrant_Export:
Go to theyworkforyou.com and search for Jim Murphy (or indeed any MP) and you'll see the voting record I copied into #66. The links are there to explain the voting "strength" that they assign.
PS I don't think they have ballot boxes in the division lobbies, do they? Nice image though - perhaps he stomped his feet and huffed and puffed on his way in? ;o)
#74 U13360550:
Please tell me your real name is James Murphy!!
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#75 forfar-loon
Sorry to disappoint you. I am not James Murphy. Now you are one step nearer to discovering my true identity by a process of elimination. This will infallibly be successful if you just stick at it for long enough. Alternatively, it might be easier just to call me U-Boat_thingy. So I've decided to stick with that after all. It grew on me.
If there is anybody out there whose name actually is U-Boat thingy, I'd be obliged if you would declare yourself now so that I don't have to fall out with the BBC again on account of impersonating you.
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#76 U-Boat
(Hope you don't mind being called by your first name Mr thingy)
I hope you continue to post diary extracts. Can I suggest you put them under the heading "Scottish Labour Leader's diary"?
Jim Murphy has confirmed that there ain't no such animal, so no one could complain.
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#77 oldnat
I take your point, but I doubt whether that would cut much ice with the moderators. Bless their little cotton socks.
However, you have inspired me to change from U-Boat_thingy, the novelty of which has worn off for me already, frankly, to Dear_Diary. I'll see if they'll allow me to carry on under that name.
I thought of changing to U-Boat, again under the influence of your good self, because I'm not really a thingy sort of person, but it's taken. So, if you see someone posting as U-Boat, it's not me. It's an imposter.
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Once again, I switch on with forboding beause it is from Scotland, thinking here we go again, Alex Salmon bigoted claptrap about devolution.... but hark ... no Alex Salmon... we are in with a chance of a political debate we can handle.... then what do we get ????? Which buffoon ALLOWED the question about Strickly Come Dancinmg and John Sergeant's resignation.
Please somebody in authority get real !!!!! this is political discussion !!!!!
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#79
"Got any salmon"???
(sorted.)
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An old scottish tune for 79.
a salmond for me
a salmond for me
if yir no a salmond yer nae yis te me
a sea trout is braw
the rainbow an awe
but if yir a brown trout yer nae yis aw tae
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