What's in a name?
Names matter. For example, nomenclature has long played a part in preventing the merger of the two football teams in the great and noble city of Dundee.
What could you call the new outfit? My suggestion would be to take one word from the Dens outfit: that would be "Dundee". And another word from the cup holders: that would be "United".
Perhaps the newly merged "Dundee United" could play at, say, Tannadice. In tangerine.
For some unaccountable reason, this proposal has failed to find favour.
At Holyrood question time, Labour's Iain Gray was also looking with disfavour on a name change. Sorry, make that a "visual identity transition".
Apparently, the title Skills Development Scotland is just so last year. Mr Gray told MSPs they were to become "Scotland: the Works" - backed up by that transition programme and a marketing exercise costing some £2m in total.
Mr Gray seemed to feel that this money might be better spent on finding jobs for young people. He reckoned it was "marketing mumbo jumbo".
First Minister Alex Salmond defended the organisation, noting that it had exceeded its target for generating employment opportunities. It had done well.
However, he declined to comment on the visual identity transition, relying instead on restating his admiration for the work done by Skills Development Scotland.
Perhaps, however, he will ask a few awkward questions once he returns to his office in the Scottish Government (formerly, Executive).
UPDATE AT 1547: And there's more. BBC questions to Skills Development Scotland re the points raised by Iain Gray elicit an intriguing answer.
Drawing upon their diplomatic skills to the full, they say that the Labour leader "has got the wrong end of the stick."
They have, they say, no plans to change their name. That option has been rejected.
Further, they say that the marketing budget is deployed to promote opportunities including apprenticeships and adult literacy.
They add that it would have been "impossible" to deliver the 20,000 new apprenticeships praised by the FM without marketing spend of this kind.
Which means? That they believe the leader of the largest opposition party at Holyrood has blundered.
As you can imagine, we are now trying to ask questions of the Labour Party.
UPDATE AT 1644: Still more. Labour at Holyrood has now produced documentary evidence to back up its claim.
It has published a document dated 27 April this year which appears to be a detailed plan by Skills Development Scotland to phase in the use of The Works in signage, letterheads and the like.
In an earlier statement, SDS says that an internal proposal to use The Works as a corporate brand was rejected by their directors on the 30th of March.
I'm 
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~52~RS~)
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And how much money, Brian, did Labour spend in renaming government agencies and departments when they were in power.
Inland Revenue became HMRC. Jobcentre became Jobcentre Plus (at the cost of millions).
That being the case, just why would Salmond be asking any awkward questions of his own office?
You bias is becoming pretty blatant again.
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I don't think many of us would lose a lot of sleep if this Quango was put to sleep. Its functions could quite easily be allocated to Councils and other exisitng public bodies.
John Swinney should put it on his list for a big Quango bonfire next year - maybe announce it on 5th November?
Most of the appointees are New Labour clones/drones - no great loss to man nor beast.
Slainte Mhor
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Brian when is the FMQ's programme going to be given the TV slot it deserves?
It is a woefully short programme proven by the fact you couldn't ask Angus McLeod questions about the performance of Goldie and Scott as you ran out of time.
The BBC in London devote 90 mins to PMQ's. Are we inferior in Holyrood?
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Poor stuff Brian.
Why no mention of Mr Salmond's rollicking dismissal of Labour inability to make their minds up if they were for or against cuts and if they were for the cuts, just when these cuts should take place.
PS Brian, it's a politics blog, if I want to hear about Dundee United, I'll visit a sports blog, thanks.
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Brian, perhaps you could publicise the £1,000,000,000 wasted by labour's penchant for renaming/reorganising things - next blog?
see here for details.
Also see here for the truth being out there! [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
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Iain Gray has just proved once again how incredibly small minded he and the Labour party in Scotland actually is.
The only reason I can come up with that caused him to pick this question is that he is now very frightened that Labour's catastrophic handling of the economy will lead to huge increases in unemployment in Scotland and any reduction in the funding Skills Development Scotland has to spend might make the situation worse.
Worse for Labour that is as people begin to realise what harm they've done!
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3. Colkitto
Need you ask?
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This is a disgrace. At a recent public meeting SDS, said that they have been rushing since Oct 2008 to get their branding right, which they hoped to do by Oct 2010. By their own admission they have 1800 staff who have been hanging around awaiting instruction - so how can they be given credit for creating new jobs when on their own admission they have not done any.
Please someone get rid of this quango.
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#3 Colkitto
"Brian when is the FMQ's programme going to be given the TV slot it deserves? ...
The BBC in London devote 90 mins to PMQ's."
Great post and seconded. I think we could do without the 30 min prequel predicting just how dour Iain is going to be today, but we really should get the full 30 mins of FMQs uncut followed by 15 to 30 minutes' analysis of how dour Iain actually was plus highlights or lowlights of the other questioners.
The BBC could also be a little swifter at making it available on DEMOCRACY LIVE. Plus, of course, Brian could include a link to it so that all can see it for themselves. Just watching it now.
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On a merged Dundee football team, I would propose taking the 'Dundee' part of Dundee FC and the 'FC' part of Dundee United FC. On FMQs, however Brian is spot on. Another good day for Gray and bad one for Salmond.
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Hi Brian,
Dundee United rules OK and it's a great name :) Hope that makes things more relevant!
It seems you don't really have much to say today, and as we have just suffered a GE defeat maybe it's time to make a few changes.
I am beginning to worry about your health. I think just now would be a good opportunity for you to challenge yourself and venture off in another direction, great things may happen. You could go out and buy yourself a pushbike or join a gym even.
If your body is fit and healthy then so also will be your mind. When your mind is healthy then you may also realise what is healthy for your country and you may also start to encourage your country down a healthier path.
C'mon set an example, be fit for life.
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"Scotland: the Works" a postivie and purposeful visual identity transition that's worth every penny of £2m spent on it. A name that inspires confidence for a public body charged with empowering people.
Much like the visual identity translation from "Scottish Executive" to "Scottish Government" has done for our parliament - transofrming a minor regional bureacracy into a national body that takes both its work and the people it serves seriously.
And it doesn't have to stop there...
...what about a visual image translation from "Brian Taylor's Blog" to "Brian Taylor's National Conversation" anyone?
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Just finished watching and reviewing today's FMQs from the link in my #10 ....
#6 Wee-Scamp
"Iain Gray has just proved once again how incredibly small minded he and the Labour party in Scotland actually is."
Quite so, and well put.
#12 Ross
"On FMQs, however Brian is spot on. Another good day for Gray and bad one for Salmond."
Brian does describe dour Iain's question reasonably well, albeit rather more colourfully than Mr Gray ever manages. If that was a "good day" for dour Iain then the UK Labour party are even more in need of a new leader for their Holyrood contingent than I had previously thought.
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not sure why this was moderated ho-hum.
Anyhoo, do not think Gray will last the pace until next May he's looking more agitated and tired each week, who will step up when he retires to the backbenches? Would love the Screacher, but she might be able to be in Holyrood and wastemonster but not FM as well? maybes aye maybes naw.
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Brian I will comment on the topic today so why no mention from you about Calman and how Pauline Mc.wants Salmond to adopt the whole of Calman when Murphy did not accept all the recommendations while in Government maybe I will get better explanation from some other source I watched the whole of the programme on the computer which gives you a far better insight than watching on BBC.I might be able to read my post this week.
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That's terrible, that's 40p a head for every man, woman and child in Scotland on changing a name: What is this SNP government playing at? Bring back Labour, they are MUCH BETTER at dealing with money.
Balls.
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I wish at FMQ that our first minister would respond by saying "when Ian Gray has something sensible to bring to this chamber I will answer him " and then sit down ,and do the same for each question that Ian asks.However when he is questioned by the other partys he will answer them as normal then eventualy Ian Gray would get the picture ..that he is irelevant.
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4. GeneralMalaise
Ahh get over it, Dundee Utd is his passion :)
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12. Ross
"Another good day for Gray and bad one for Salmond."
When was the first good day for Mr Gray?
Go on, I'm sure you are dying to tell us. I'd love to know. I'm sure others would too, so please point it out to us quickly.
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Names matter.
Indeed they do. Iain Gray running the North region group of Labour Party MSP's at the Scottish Parliament and enjoying as it's logo the red rose of England apparently thinks he leads something called "The Scottish Labour Party."
Revelation of the decade was surely that despite thousands of namechecks from the BBC and assorted meeja cronies, no such beastie currently exists.
I expect they'll become a party which truly puts Scotland first around the time the first bowl of roasted red pepper hummous is served up for tea on BBC Scotland's "The Scheme" and Bullet the dog (love him) leads the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party to victory.
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Oh dear.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10173613.stm
Looks like Iain Gray might have made yet another error of judgement. Will he resign?
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Iain Gray gets caught telling PORKIES.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10173613.stm
Pure invention and utter nonsense spouted by Iain Gray.
Explain that one away Brian Taylor if you can?
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Brian, I know you didn’t have much time to scribble this down but surely you could have made it a bit more substantial. It would appear you jotted down this effort just after Gray finished his usual Thursday ramblings and before the end of FMQ.
Your last comment on this unedifying spectacle, “Perhaps, however, he will ask a few awkward questions once he returns to his office in the Scottish Government (formerly, Executive)”, could have been written by Alan Cochrane in one of his sourer moments.
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What a pretty picture - Iain Gray BLUNDERS at FMQs and Brian Taylor BLUNDERS in this blog.
The whole story was made up. It is a figment of Iain Gray's imagination, a nonsense, an untruth, that was uttered at FMQs and blindly reported by Brian Taylor as being relevant.
Here we have the ugly sight of Labour lies and BBC Scotland bias laid bare.
Is this how politics is done and is reported in Scotland? Tell a bare faced lie and have it broadcast as being the truth.
Isn't it about time these lazy Scottish editors and journalists got off their behinds and started to quiz the nonsense that Labour politicians spout.
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As you can imagine, we are now trying to ask questions of the labour party.
Hahahahaha a pig just flew past ma windae.
But if this is the case what about some "hard" questions rather than just questions.
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20. At 3:16pm on 27 May 2010, martinscot wrote:
" Ahh get over it, Dundee Utd is his passion "
maybey he is in the wrong job .
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The Scottish Government is still legally the Scottish Executive. To quote a well-known source of info: It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive (or Administration) remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998. Following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the term Executive was rebranded and changed to Government by the new Scottish National Party administration.
Hence FM's reluctance to criticise another organisation for doing the same thing??
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Oddly, this "story" isn't yet covered on The Scottish [sic] Labour Party's News page, and yet more oddly, a Google news search only retrieves the now heavily revised BBC story Labour 'blunder' on Skills Development Scotland revamp originally titled Skills Development Scotland revamp 'costing £2m', with rather different text.
The plan has, however, been in the public domain for more than two weeks, and so could have been one of dour Iain's questions in a previous edition of FMQs. The SDS Operating Plan 2010-2011 of 11 May 2010 includes a link to the detailed PDF, which on P28 states:
A new business and delivery model
In seeking to deliver both the national and Skills Development Scotland outcomes,
we have been redesigning our organisation and our services, based on a number of
criteria. Fundamental to these is a user focus which requires better integration of
services, more local flexibility, delivering services that are relevant locally and
differentiated by customer group, requiring a clearer distinction between universal
and targeted services and between those services we provide directly, and those we
broker. Our different channels (web, contact centre and face to face delivery) are
being reshaped accordingly. By working with partners to better align, integrate and
in some instances co-locate services, we can achieve a more coherent system at
less cost.
Clearly we cannot yet judge whether SDS hopes will be realised, but equally clearly it's another "must do better" week for dour Iain. Pity the update took so long to research, Brian, and pity nobody at the BBC bothered to research the story before following the Labour line in the first place.
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[14. At 2:49pm on 27 May 2010, John_frae_Paisley wrote:
"Scotland: the Works" a postivie and purposeful visual identity transition that's worth every penny of £2m spent on it. A name that inspires confidence for a public body charged with empowering people.
Much like the visual identity translation from "Scottish Executive" to "Scottish Government" has done for our parliament - transofrming a minor regional bureacracy into a national body that takes both its work and the people it serves seriously.]
I know there are people who don't like to here this, but the majority of civil servants have always taken their work and the people of Scotland seriously. The name change had no effect on that. It did cost us money, mind you.
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Brian,
Is Mr Gray not trying to mislead parliament (as usual).
The cost is £550,000.
Surely the agency would be advertised anyway, so the £1.5 million extra that he's talking about would be spent anyway.
How may millions did Labour waste while they were in power (just think of the £600 million and counting on trams that we in Edinburgh did not ask for, and do not need).
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Talking of names :)
Is it true that the name of BBC Scotland's chief moderator is Kim Il-sung?
Whatever, I would be willing to bet that he/she is a foreigner or a member/ex-member of the falsely named "Scottish Labour party".
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Brian,
Please keep sport out of this blog. This is not the place for it.
Anyway, there's way too much sports news on the BBC (probably to keep the people off thinking about politics).
And another thing, I bet the Saviour of the World will be waiting in the wings to take over as leader of Labour in Scotland (but then again he probably thinks it would be beneath him to mix with Scots in public - he is British after all).
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Another blunder by Gray(Elmer Fudd), the Scottish Labour Party is bereft of policy and bereft of talent,the front three are like the 3 stooges.
If the Condem pact could push through Full Fiscal Autonomy they could oust Labour in Scotland, but they must show that they are more pro Devolution than Brown's Calman omission, and that they have some independence and are pro Scotland First.
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Dear Mr Taylor,
Not much meat on this bone. No Calman? Leaving that to the big hitters in the English papers to cover eh? For Example: Angus Macleod in today's Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article7137685.ece
Or Newsnet or the CalMerc?
Too much for you is it?
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20. martinscot
"
Ahh get over it, Dundee Utd is his passion :)"
Fair enough, but I don't get paid to indulge my passions at work, so why should Brian?
As it happens, I have a soft spot for Dundee United myself. First Celtic game I ever got taken to was a 1-1 draw against United in 1971. My father said I might as well start by seeing the two most creative teams in Scotland at the time and he wasn't wrong. End to end stuff and IIRC Lennox scored a stoater. If Brian has such a passion, maybe he'll tell us who scored for United. Let's face it, he's not much use at the in depth stuff on politics, can he make the grade on football?
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Do you think Iain Gray should be the first sign up for the BIG PLUS adult literacy and numeracy programme after his gaffe that Skills Development Scotland has approached the Scottish Government for a £500,00 'top up' to pay for a name change?
It turns out the £500,000 is to fund the BIG PLUS programme itself.
How can anyone take Iain Gray seriously after this. He BLUNDRED not once, not twice but three times at FMQs today.
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10. Barbazenzero
"Brian could include a link to it so that all can see it for themselves. Just watching it now."
Naw. Then we might make up our own minds and decide that he didn't do nearly as well as Brian tells us he did.
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#25 - "Looks like Iain Gray might have made yet another error of judgement. Will he resign? "
Ineptness in the Grayman is nothing new, we've all come to expect it. What's more worrying is the laziness and ineptness highlighted yet again at BBC Scotland. Even Brian was too lazy/biased to investigate the merit of the Grayman's attack, preferring to publish it as the top political story in Scotland. Turns out that yet again, that Labour are wrong.
If we're talking about value for money, how much value for money does BBC Scotland represent right now. Its political reporters simply regurgutate labour party press releases verbatim, without any sort of scrutiny. Yet we in Scotland are expected to pay top dollar for these reporters.
CMD may have reigned in the tories plans for the Beeb as a whole but something has to be done about the bias at BBC Scotland. It is now beyond a joke and Brian should take a good look at himself because yet again following the labour party line has blown up in his face and put another nail in the coffin of his integrity and reputation.
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31. Morrigan
"Hence FM's reluctance to criticise another organisation for doing the same thing??"
Well, it is hard to criticise another organisation for something they are NOT doing, isn't it?
Oops.
A spokesman for first minister said Mr Gray made "fundamental mistakes", adding: "The premise of all of his questions, which is an entirely false premise, his big blunder, was to say Skills Development Scotland was changing its name. It's not, it is not."
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I am so glad Ian gray is the leader of the North British Labour Party. Lets face it with such an incompetent dull ham fisted leader they will never be n election threat.
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#40 - "How can anyone take Iain Gray seriously after this. He BLUNDRED not once, not twice but three times at FMQs today. "
Yet Brian is pedalling furiously to try to defend him. Or is that because BT has realised that, through lazy reporting, his own reputation as a political editor is now linked to the Grayman's competency as labour leader?
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#31 Morrigan
"... the term Scottish Executive (or Administration) remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998. Following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the term Executive was rebranded and changed to Government by the new Scottish National Party administration."
Sorry to be pedantic, but Part II s44 (1) of the Scotland Act 1998 defines the Scottish Executive" as the First Minister, such Ministers as the First Minister may appoint under section 47, and the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland. Part II s44 (2) goes on helpfully to let us know that the members of the Scottish Executive are referred to collectively as the Scottish Ministers.
If anything, it was the previous coalition who were misusing the English language and the act by referring to the entire apparatus of Scottish governance in Scotland from websites to civil servants as the Scottish Executive. The term Scottish Government may well be flawed in other respects, but at least it has some de facto meaning.
Look at it from a UK perspective, and I think you'll agree that the term UK Government is not quite the same thing as the "payroll" vote of the new Westmidden coalition - or to use the terminology of the Scotland Act 1998 - the UK ministers.
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Stop Press: tomorrows revelations by the BBC on behalf of the hapless Mr Gray:
Mr Salmond along with his deputy intend to waste £31m in a scheme to paint the Forth Bridge tartan. The A9 is to be renamed independence road and all labour voters in Central Scotland are to be made to wear kilts and eat shortbread whilst reciting Burns
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Have to laugh. "Reporting Scotland" gave this story about 20 seconds coverage with no input from Mr Taylor.
Seems then that the BBC have decided this one's a lost cause.
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Why not take a leaf out of Rab's book, Brian, and think before you post?
Although even his Llama mince and retold porkies in the CalMerc admits that " The toll of hearing retold porkies, unabashed hypocrisy, and hateful claptrap has been heavy on my soul".
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"12. Ross
"Another good day for Gray and bad one for Salmond."
When was the first good day for Mr Gray?
Go on, I'm sure you are dying to tell us. I'd love to know. I'm sure others would too, so please point it out to us quickly."
Still waiting, Ross. When was that "good day for Gray"?
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# 38 cwh, I am surprised your comment was allowed mine last week asking why no blog on FMQ last week and mentioned Newsnet blocked maybe this one will go the same way.
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For people who follow politics it can be very easy to check out some of Labours statements at First ministers Questions, but for the vast majority it simply creates a headline ( watch tomorrows daily record for example), Alex Salmond was not aware that a quango was going to spend half a million on a name change instead of using the money to finance more jobs states Ian Gray. Is it true ? to the most people does it matter, the damage has been done!That is now the tone until the election in 2011
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Just caught the end of the report of the "Major Row" on the Skills Development rename on Reporting Scotland - after telling us that this was not taking place - Sally Magnusson insisted that they really really had intended to do this.... I expected her to stamp her foot and cry na nana nana na....
For goodness sake, can we please have a grown up news programme with proper unbiased reporting of the facts. I despair.
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47. patchbruce
"Stop Press: tomorrows revelations by the BBC on behalf of the hapless Mr Gray:
Mr Salmond along with his deputy intend to waste £31m in a scheme to paint the Forth Bridge tartan. The A9 is to be renamed independence road and all labour voters in Central Scotland are to be made to wear kilts and eat shortbread whilst reciting Burns
"
Be careful or we will hear that at the next FMQ with assurances that it was reported in the Beeb.
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Brians Big Blunder.
Blindly accepting the Labour line without some investigative journalism has tarnished your historically respected reputation again Brian. I'm very dissapointed.
Rather than floating around in your tangerine dream I would suggest that some effort applied to the positon of political editor would not go amiss. It would also be worth remembering while you are applying yourself to this task that we, the people who pay your wages, are owed a duty of care in the upholding of the BBC Scotlands impartiality.
As for our parliament, it really does beat, hands down, any Bugs Bunny cartoon. Since Elmer appeared on stage it has been one hoot after another.
As for Calman, it is just another delaying, obfuscating tactic by the unionists. It is not only unworkable, it would be disasterous for Scotland, but its imposition on us could well be the spark that starts the fire.
Scotland running Scotland would be my choice.
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It seems pretty clear to me that there was a plan to fritter away £2m on re-branding. Obviously someone somewhere in the SG sensibly put the stupid idea to bed.
However the posters on here need a reality check. This was a stupid idea to have even been considered. The range of responses is pathetic. "Labour did far worse" to some actually trying to say it would be a good idea.
When the government gets it wrong, or it appears may have got it wrong, don't dive in and fly in the face of logic. It makes the whole nationalist movement look extreme, petty and vindictive.
Not the image required to forward the debate. Frankly it is tedious.
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So have you actually seen this documentary evidence, Brian, or are you just accusing the SDS of lying on the say so of labour HQ?
Keep pedalling, Brian, I'm sure you'll convince somebody, somewhere, that the Grayman had a case today.
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#54 - "Be careful or we will hear that at the next FMQ with assurances that it was reported in the Beeb."
I can just see Brian holding a pot of tartan paint up to the camera as "proof" that the Grayman's claims are true.
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It's about time there was an independent inquiry into the workings of the BBC in Pacific Quay and how it relentlessly peddles the Labour party's line, disgusted.
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#56 - "It seems pretty clear to me that there was a plan to fritter away £2m on re-branding."
There was no plan to fritter away £2m. The SDS spend about £1.5m on advertising regardless of whether they advertise under SDS, Scotland the Works or the Mickey Mouse club. The Grayman got it wrong. End of story.
------------
" This was a stupid idea to have even been considered. The range of responses is pathetic. "Labour did far worse" to some actually trying to say it would be a good idea."
Sometimes a rebrand/relaunch is required. Labour did do it all the time when they were in power. Highlighting their hypocrisy is not pathetic but defending it is.
------------
"When the government gets it wrong, or it appears may have got it wrong, don't dive in and fly in the face of logic."
Eh, SDS is an non-departmental public body, not the government. Not a single board member of SDS is a government minister or MSP.
-------------
"Not the image required to forward the debate. Frankly it is tedious."
And what are your views on believing every attack from Labour on the Scottish government? Are they what's required to forward the debate or do you find those tedious too?
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56. NorthernSole
"56. At 7:41pm on 27 May 2010, NorthernSole wrote:
It seems pretty clear to me that there was a plan to fritter away £2m on re-branding. Obviously someone somewhere in the SG sensibly put the stupid idea to bed. "
NS If you'd been following it a bit more carefully, you'd have clocked that the putative re-branding was going to cost around £500,000 - I know, I know, even that is ridiculous. The remainder of the £2m was their advertising budget that an agency of this sort needs to spend anyway if it is to acheive any kind of success. Which it apparently has done. Yaay!!
Love the moniker BTW. So much so that I am considering re-branding myself. Following a short consultation exercise in the pub tonight I may re-appear as Wigtown's Chosen Few
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Well I think it is safe to say that this blundering excuse of an opposition will have NO EFFECT on the short-term status of Labour in Scotland as those who vote these eejits in are generally ignorant of what's going on. That's my own personal experience of them anyway, ha my family is mainly Labour voters and they are the ones who have no idea what Labour stands for if you ask them, just "workin men!". This is the problem we have in Scotland. Blissful ignorance of modern politics. People deserve the truth even if they are too lazy to find it out themselves. Sometime or another Labour will implode like a dieing star even here because the more false inflated support they are given by the media, the more corrupt they will become and eventually there will be overwhelming evidence which the media cannot cover up any more.
Why was my last post rejected?! Aye and it took you 2 days to publish my other post, 2 blogs ago, which was harmless.
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56. At 7:41pm on 27 May 2010, NorthernSole wrote:
Not the image required to forward the debate. Frankly it is tedious.
It has also been pretty tedious watching the labour party help suppress all inspiration and progressive thinking in Scotland for the whole thirty years of my adult life!
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Well, another editorial rebranding of the story seems to have appeared.
"Labour 'blunder'" has been deleted out of the headline and rebranded as "Major row over Skills Development Scotland 'revamp'."
The revamp has gone from no quotations - ie. a fact - to being 'revamp' - ie. in quotations as opinion.
Labour 'blunder' - opinion - has vanished.
Mention of 'Labour' in the headline has vanished.
This story started out as "Skills Developmment Scotland Revamp 'costing £2m'" - See #32.
The original headline asserted that the revamp was a fact and that the cost was opinion.
The revamp is now opinion and the cost claim vanished.
At the momment it is described as a 'Major Row'. A further headline change may be required.
The 'row' certainly wont be in Alex Salmond's office.
Checking the facts behind a story before putting it to press - especially, Especially, one sourced from POLITICIANS - should be 'Journalism 101'.
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56. NorthernSole
"However the posters on here need a reality check. This was a stupid idea to have even been considered. "
Indeed, some posters need a reality check. Try looking in the mirror.
The idea was stupid and therefore: It was rejected.
Stupid ideas are proposed in all governments. The point is to see that they do not go into effect.
There it is in pretty simple mostly one-syllable words so maybe it will sink in.
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52 the voice of reason
Yes, we will keep seeing this kind of story as long as the jobs of the Labour mafia are under threat. I mean think about it, you didn't have to do much to be elected for Labour in the Central Belt for generations, and all of a sudden, wham, ALERT: : JOB IN DANGER: : ALERT: : JOB IN DANGER : : this was NOT in their life plan.
They will stop at nothing until the Labour vote has returned to its "rightful" position as controller of Scotland.
The newspapers want us to cede to Labour; it's disturbing. It sometimes feels like such a third world country with their simple level yet opinionated biased media style, and it is a boring argument to have to repeat that our media is failing us but it is overwhelmingly apparent. It has been going on relentlessly for some time now, it is not just 1 or 2 stories. It is a barrage.
I despair. This is very, very wrong. This is very disturbing.
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#56 NorthernSole
"It seems pretty clear to me that there was a plan to fritter away £2m on re-branding."
So we must assume that you haven't bothered to watch FMQs then, and simply believe hook, line and sinker anything the BBC choose to report.
If you had, you would know that dour Iain was complaining about £2.235m in total, having presumably been the victim of his own propaganda department. He complained first [in his 2nd question] about "more than half a million pounds" on "visual transition strategy" and then [in his 3rd question] about "1.68 million pounds" on their "marketing and brand migration plan". Odd, is it not, that none of these details are in the SDS Operating Plan 2010-2011 of 11 May 2010 [see my #32]?
"However the posters on here need a reality check. This was a stupid idea to have even been considered."
I suggest you could do with one yourself. Branding ideas are discussed every day in marketing departments and any that make connecting providers with trainees more effective should at least be considered. Whose word would you take about the 30th of March directors' meeting? Bearing in mind that many documents created on computers have the date of printing included automatically, is it not quite probable that dour Iain obtained a copy of a much older document actually printed on 27 April? If the Labour party obtained the document electronically, then they could clear or perhaps permanently darken their name by placing it "as is" on their website to allow forensic examination of it.
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28 Minuend wrote : "Is this how politics is done and is reported in Scotland? Tell a bare faced lie and have it broadcast as being the truth. "
Of course it is. Thanks BBC.
Gray must resign. This is simply a lie too many.
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"#51. At 7:25pm on 27 May 2010, wildjackamo wrote:
# 38 cwh, I am surprised your comment was allowed mine last week asking why no blog on FMQ last week and mentioned Newsnet blocked maybe this one will go the same way."
You and me both. I have had posts removed which were pretty bland but no explanation was ever given when I asked for one.
-------------
On the subject of re-branding, was there not a case a few years ago, pre-devolution I think, when a major re-branding exercise was carried out at the Scottish Office which ended up costing six figures and ended with 'the' being incorporated into the title so that the new brand/logo was 'The Scottish Office'?
As to BBC Reporting Scotland - not its finest hour but Newsnight Scotland on Tuesday discussing Calman without any SNP representative present just edges it for the wooden spoon.
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evening all , I think you are all being very tough on Mr Gray! he has obviously been poorly briefed or maybe the labour party made a wee mistake it's not as if it's the first one now is it! remember now, removing the 10 p tax rate was a wee mistake as well according to Mr Gray
hang on ....... OK, now that I have removed my tongue from my cheek,
rearrange this well known phrase or saying:
again untruth telling caught labour(Scotland) an
brian you could save yourself some time and set up the above sentence for the start of each blog (once you have re arranged it of course)
Sid
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"[Labour] has published a document dated 27 April this year which appears to be a detailed plan by Skills Development Scotland to phase in the use of The Works in signage, letterheads and the like."
In other words, a decision to use a new 'name' when new materials - including stationery - are ordered, whilst using existing stocks until that time.
Entirely sensible.
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68. Astonished
"28 Minuend wrote : "Is this how politics is done and is reported in Scotland? Tell a bare faced lie and have it broadcast as being the truth. "
Of course it is. Thanks BBC.
Gray must resign. This is simply a lie too many."
What? You expect someone from Labour to resign because he was caught in a lie?
Oh, come now. That is like expecting a BBC editor to resign because he reported that lie as the truth.
Never happen.
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Marcellus
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Another shameful account of First Ministers Questions, no mention of Gray's inept performance as per usual, the usual Labour says blah blah blah. Brian you seem to not realise that we can see or listen to the session ourselves so when you report it as you do then you only serve to show either your own bias toward Labour or the fact that your journalistic talents would be put to better use in the Dundee United match programme.
And on FMQ's I am now totally fed up with Labours negativity on all subjects, not a positive idea or initiative, opposing for opposition sake, I actually find it depressing that they look at life in this manner, they make the Rev I.M Jolly seem just that.
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I have decided to keep all my moderated posts and wait until a "rearrangement" of the BBC complaints procedure occurs. Then I will complain about them all.
P.S. Did the labour candidate who headed up complaints at the BBC win his council seat? I think we should be told.
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#73 - "Oh, come now. That is like expecting a BBC editor to resign because he reported that lie as the truth."
It's becoming more and more noticable that BT is increasingly being held up to ridicule as much as the Grayman. That probably makes his position more untenable than the fact he rejurgates Labour party propaganda as gosbel.
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Fortunately the SNP are starting to fight back against this propaganda, Michael Russell being particularly combative in recent interviews. The gloves are off. I would like to see the SNP clearly putting the BBC on one side of the debate and no longer accepting that they are an impartial observer.
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martinscot wrote:
"eventually there will be overwhelming evidence which the media cannot cover up any more"
You mean like..
Steven Purcell - Leader GCC
Jim Devine - Labour MP
Bob Wylie - SPT
Ron Culley - SPT
Alastair Watson - SPT
David McLachlan - SPT
Jim Hood - Labour MP
Michael Martin - Speaker HC (Labour)
They seem to be managing to cover it up quite well. Being British they think a week is a long time in politics.
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Och it's a shame that the party that has gone through a rebrand don't think it is a good idea for someone else to try it and thought it a waste of money. Does the same apply to Nu/New/Really New/Absolutely brand spanking new/Labour. Was that a waste of money as well?
Mmmmm.
Could he have maybe asked something on policy? if any?
Is there not a recommendation being made by a certain 'left wing workers party' that drinks with a high caffeine content per alcohol content should be outlawed. I assume if you sell or drink said liquids you could end up criminalised?
Would this be a 6 month sentence at her mages pleasure I wonder.
Could I be locked up with a knife weilding carpet fitter / fisherman / chef / ... (delete as applicable) just for drinking an Irish coffee.
And then I assume be struck off the teaching council for having a criminal record?
A bit harsh maybe?
On second thoughts Ian, stick to name changes - they are rather less harmful for the general population than your other wee ideas and can humiliate yourself just the same amount. And to think that this shambles of a party used to have such wonderful orators and thinkers as Michael Foot, Tony Benn, and all the others of their ilk with a care for the working classes in the past. How sad the demise. How far the drop from greatness.
By the way Brian - fair enough anout the name and the strip - but do you no' fancy a new stadium down by the den o' mains or even along the riverside drive holding about 25-30000 - and adequate parking?
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Wow! I can see Question Time and I have to ask why is the ousted and very loud labour party member Susan Kramer allowed to appear and dominate this show?
This woman does not represent anyone, she was removed by the people, and replaced by someone else, this means that someone else should be given that voice, this is what democracy is supposed to be about. Given that, I am struggling to understand what she is doing here and being given such a prominent position on such a prominent political broadcast.
Even though Labour has lost and is out, their opinion is constantly sought and repeatedly force broadcast to my nation.
I feel I am being ripped off in terms of my imposed license fee.
What happened to choice;
Are there any Scottish Lawyers/QC's/Parliamentarians out there prepared to change Scottish law to make either the forced funding of this fiasco or the broadcast of such in my opinion bigoted junk illegal?
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What is going on?
Let's have some fun.
There are a lot of conspiracies in some posts which imply that BBC Scotland takes orders from 'Scottish' Labour. THEY DO NOT.
Let's face it, who would take orders from the oh so impressive Messrs Gray and Murphy.
So you can all sleep easy now.
Oh, but wait. Look who 'may' have moved into the heart of Scotland's media village at Pacific Quay...
http://news.scotsman.com/secretservices/MI5-plans-Scottish-base-to.2596555.jp
Margo MacDonald is a wise old owl. She said this a few months after the SNP win in 2007:
"Scotland is strategically important and energy rich, and I think it would be extraordinary if the security services weren't taking a close interest in recent developments in Scotland.
http://news.scotsman.com/secretservices/MI5-targeting-the-wrong-people.2600624.jp
Now, there is absolutely NO WAY the BBC...No. It just isn't possible...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1522875/Revealed-how-the-BBC-used-MI5-to-vet-thousands-of-staff.html
Print journalists...they just make up stories you know.
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The costs of the Scotland Office (Danny Alexander's lot) are top sliced from the Scottish Block Grant - that includes Special Advisers (Spads).
However Alexander has two jobs - SoS for Scotland (a non-job with virtually no actual powers) and he has Willie Rennie as a Spad at our expense - presumably to advise him on his minimal powers in Scotland. He also has Alison Suttie as another Spad - previously Deputy (to Danny Alexander) Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg. This is presumably a continuation of her role as Alexander's gopher in his continuing position as Clegg's gopher. But to which budget will Suttie's salary be charged? Will she be yet another drain on the Scottish budget, while filling a wholly political role at UK level?
Brian? Do Scottish political journalists bother to look at these things?
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81. highlandarab
"Is there not a recommendation being made by a certain 'left wing workers party' that drinks with a high caffeine content per alcohol content should be outlawed. I assume if you sell or drink said liquids you could end up criminalised?
Would this be a 6 month sentence at her mages pleasure I wonder.
Could I be locked up with a knife weilding carpet fitter / fisherman / chef / ... (delete as applicable) just for drinking an Irish coffee."
If you order an extra shot of brandy in that Irish coffee, then your caffeine content per alcohol content should be fine by raising the alcohol content. Problem solved and then you won't have to share a cell with those neddy knife-wielding carpet fitters / fishermen/ chefs.
See how helpful I am. ;)
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Firstly has the moderator for this blog gone to sleep.
Secondly if Iain Gray can't tell the truth about subjects that either are or will be in the public domain what hope do we have with Labour.
I'm not saying the rest are angels but you usually get it from the hip and in plain english with Alex.
P.S Hi GrannieAnne my favourite sweet is Sherbert Lemon!!
LOL
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Just before I pop off to my basket for a nap who cares what the football teams in Dundee are called.
There are more interesting things to discuss on BWB.
Night Night GrannieAnne
LOL
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83. Robin Ruisseaux
"Print journalists...they just make up stories you know."
Newsnicht had an item on a new Institute for Public Policy Research report on the likelihood that the Calman proposals would eventually lead to fiscal autonomy. It doesn't seem to be online yet, but when I checked the IPPR website, I found this paper from Douglas Fraser in May 2008.
Access via http://www.ippr.org/ipprnorth/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=607
A good analysis and well worth a read.
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84. oldnat
"The costs of the Scotland Office (Danny Alexander's lot) are top sliced from the Scottish Block Grant - that includes Special Advisers (Spads)."
Oldnat, where is this information available? I was not aware that payment for the raj came out of OUR money!
Do I need to tell you this makes me less than happy?
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84. oldnat
"he has Willie Rennie as a Spad at our expense - presumably to advise him on his minimal powers in Scotland. He also has Alison Suttie as another Spad "
And why would he need TWO Spads??!
This is a non-job that the man actually campaigned to end and he has TWO Spads?
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your question Brian,what's in a name ?
Brian,while I realise you were writing about the events at FMQs today,there is another point to be made regarding your question "what's in a name ?".Mr Gray aspires to be OUR First Minister next year,following the Scottish elections. While it may be old fashioned ,I tend to feel the role of the First Minister is not only to lead our Government at Holyrood,to negotiate on our behalf but to represent us the people of Scotland and theres the rub. Based on his disdainful manner (truculent teenager springs to mind ) is this how he would represent me when dealing with foreign investors if they did'nt agree with him ? His negativity and even more worrying his lack of vision makes me wonder would he be First Minister in name only ? I would welcome people from all walks of life to represent the voters at Holyrood but come on Brian for somebody who obviously loves words and language even you must cringe at that debacle every week ? As I said old fashioned a view it maybe but for someone to be in charge of a fantastic amount of money,the direction of their country and the well being of the people living in it ,when you vote you put a huge amount of faith that the person who becomes First Minister can live up to the title - do you really think he can ?
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82 rog rocks
Susan Kramer is Lib Dem not Labour according to wikipedia and co.
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Iain Gray under pressure as name change row escalates
Newsnet Scotland
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New recruit for SNP (that's Scottish Nappy Party).
Can I add my congratulations to John Swinney and his wife Elizabeth’s happy news?
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Brian,
Saw on the BBC news last night about the £240 million scheme for prisoners that Labour introduced, which hasn't helped any of the 240 prisoners that went through the scheme.
Surely £1 million per prisoner is far too much money, and could have been better spent on jobs for young people.
Will Gray complain about his pals spending at FMQs next week.
If he's complaining about a small sum of £2 million that he's just made up, then surely a figure of £240 million, at £1 million per prisoner, should demand massive outrage, and a massive row between Labour in Scotland and Labour in Westminster, don't you think.
Time for some awkward questions about this £240 million (£1 million per prisoner) to Ian Gray don't you think?
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Labour caught in another naming gaffe
The truth is out there!
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# 92 Martinscot,
Sorry I got that one wrong, oh well still removed by the people and in a prominent position in a political broadcast, although her party is obviously not out of power. Sorry to Suzan Kramer for the error in my comment and to a certain degree to the BBC as I did have to suffer the mundane offerings of Ian Gray for the best part of the Scottish news on radio and TV.
It seems that Ian Gray got his comments mostly wrong too, I wonder if he will apologise.
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It is obviously not just scottish labour with its fingers in the bbc pie on last nights question time unelected Alistair Campbell was the labour mouthpiece hence the goverment refused to have a representitive on the panel it was funny to here the bbc crow about how they will not be dictated to by a political party and will always be unbiased, someone from bbc london should inform their scottish collegues of these rules
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Tut tut tut Brian no wonder people go off politics,i also feel like leaving the country to. I`m really getting fed up with the media especially the BBc with there selective stories they just seem to be willing to be stuck in there own ways with no vision of how Scotland could be , its getting to the stage that labour could put forward a sheep for a candidate and the media would influence the voters to vote for it and whats more worrying alot of voters would.
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Brian,
Here's the story, but can't find it on your website now:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/may/26/dangerous-killers-200m-plan-waste
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Brian,
Are we going to get an update from you on this story or is it going the same way as Purcel,Glasgow Transport,Balmoral name but a few come on Brian live up to your name of BBC political reporter and start digging a bit more into Gray and his crowd,or do we have to relay on Newsnet and CM to get our news this will probably not get passed the moderators again.
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The ConDems wouldn't allow one of their front benchers to appear with Alistair Campbell.
They wouldn't allow Alex Salmond to appear with Dumb and Dumber either when we were supposed to be discussing the future of this country on the pre-election debates.
Go Scotland Go!!
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It doesn't seem to be online yet,
Last night's Newsnicht is titled as "Newsnight" without the Scotland, if you do a search for Newsnight you'll get two programmes with the same blurb, bar the presenter's name.
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Like quite a few on these posts I believe the BBC to be un naturally close to Labour and thogh I'm not a Nationalist I believe this is counter productive and a threat to the Union.
I understand the Treasury being reluctant to give Fiscal Autonomy byut this bias has prevented honest discussion on a true way to keep the Union while giving the Scots the ability to manage Scotland the Business.
Hopefully the Coalition will drive this through adn prove they really do fight for Scotland (and the UK)
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“People didn’t need Paul McKenna when they have got Iain Gray to send an entire parliament to sleep”
Great line from Alex Salmond during FM questions although Iain Gray did do well with what material he had however suspect that material may be.
Gray should at least tip his script writer a fiver for that!
--
A couple moments thought for Dunkirk today and for all forces veterans (and surviving families) involved with the BEF and also the 51st Highland Division who held the line well along the river Somme before being captured and forced to surrender on June 12.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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Dare I mention the name "Calman"?
Before this is imposed on us surely there should be a referendum for the people with the Calman proposals pitted against full independence for Scotland?
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Hi Brian,
I have just finished listening to your big debate and I have to say that I was heartened to hear Sandra Osborne, the Labour MP for Ayr admit that she was a capitalist (Tory) and hadn't been a socialist for some 20 to 30 years.
This is probably the most honest Labour MP I have ever heard!
It just goes to show that Labour = Libdem = Tory = Condem.
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Does anyone remember SPT-Gate, well that saga has still got legs:
Ex-SPT head claimed £44,000 expenses in former quango job.
But more interestingly, and relevant, the article contained this:
A spokesman for Scottish Enterprise said: “These expenses occurred before our major restructure in 2008, and since that time we have focused on running the organisation as efficiently as possible. Over the past year, we’ve been able to strip out £17m of management expenditure.
Prior to the SNP reorganisation in 2008 the functions currently carried out by SDS were carried out by four separate quango’s, learndirect Scotland, the skills arms of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and of course Careers Scotland.
Brian, given that another journalist has started the work and found this £17M savings, perhaps, using your investigative skills you can look into the other three former Labour quango’s to see if there are similar savings. I feel sure that the taxpayers would be very interested even if the ‘Gray Man’ isn’t.
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what, there are 2 teams in dundee?. oh yeah, dundee united and dundee united reserves. why not just rename scotland salmonland. that should satisfy him.
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#105 ziggyboy
Not that I'm trying to give you a hard time but should that not be Dumb and Dumber and Dumbest :)
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Anyone who thinks the ConDems will fight for Scotland is in my opinion living in cloud cuckoo land.
When did the Tories do anything worthwhile for Scotland? So seen by their lone MP and he isn't up to much - proved by his removal from the Scottish Secretary's job.
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As was made clear in FMQs, the SDS has in fact reached its target of 20,000 apprenticeships and did so BEFORE undertaking any restocking of paper clips and rationalisation of premises. This begs the question: what about jobs for the apprentices when they are finished? Would it not be more apropriate for Mr Gray and his ilk to be making constructive suggestions about job creation for the time served apprentices?
On the subject of BBC balance. I notice that 'This Week' on a Thursday evening now invites a LibDem along to take part in discussions with the resident Lab and Tory regulars. What about BBC Scotland following suit and making sure there is always an SNP representative in attendance at any studio discussions e.g Newsnight Scotland and recent discussion about Calman was an SNP - free zone apart from a 30 second sound bite from Angus Robertson.
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ziggyboy,
I'm not sure it was because the Tories reckoned Mundel wasn't up to the non job of SoS but they wanted to make sure the LibDems only got cabinet posts which didn't matter.
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Mr. Taylor, when an update admitting that the supposed documents do not exist or do not show what was claimed?
And when an apology to the people of Scotland for misleading them on your television coverage?
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115. ziggyboy
"proved by his removal from the Scottish Secretary's job."
That makes the assumption that the "Scottish Secretary" does anything for Scotland which I dispute, especially in view of the fact that until about two weeks ago the present Scottish Secretary was campaigning for an end to the Scotland Office!
One might begin to ask the same question of the LibDems that one asks about the Tories, I'm sorry to say. And that's a party I've voted for once.
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113. kenstor
"what, there are 2 teams in dundee?. oh yeah, dundee united and dundee united reserves. why not just rename scotland salmonland. that should satisfy him. "
I would take it before I would take LABOURLAND!
Thank you very much. This nation, in spite of some people's delusions, does not belong to the Labour party.
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Tried to post this last night but registrations were being blocked
#95 & 102 HughEdinburgh
Of course if there were Barnett consequentials from this $240m, if this program is reviewed out of existence, there will necessarily be a hit to the block grant. If this money is currently being spent on effective, non-wasteful programs in Scotland we suffer again for being part of this glorious union. Yet another reason for full fiscal autonomy, or dare I say independence.
Brian,
Given our fair city's bolshy past the only possible name would be Red Star Dundee.
moderators on a tea break again?
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Just a wee clarification.
Came to post something last night but couldn't because of block on registrations. After reading HughEdinburgh's posts I changed my post. When I previewed my comment it came up as #3 so I added the bit a the start about trying to make a post last night (thinking we were onto a new blog) - of course I couldn't have made my reply to HughEdinburgh's posts last night as he only made them today.
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First question : Why would an organisation with such a strong brand as Careers Scotland want to rename itself after a remainder bookshop?
Second question: Is there any evidence that the Scottish public/ the organisation's customers have a problem with the name "Skills Development Scotland" which has after all only been in use for 2 years?
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@105 & 114
surly: dumb dumber and dumberer
anyhoo this is all an example of Llabourama
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Ah love a guid auld LAB bash,funny hoo we come tae the BBCScotland political editor tae partake.Surely mr Taylor is exempt fae criticism considering he is impartial?
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113. kenstor
I'd raither trust Alex Salmond to choose the name of this country than the Brits to do so, which when they get away with it is North Britain, a region of Britain, or a region of England, sometimes just England/Britain. And to most foreigners we are simply English. Why are you opposing someone so pettily who after 300 years of our waiting is pushing for our country to own itself again?! Isn't your bum sore from the bending over you are doing? It's pathetic behaviour. Come on straighten yourself up, tell them to F OFF and take a bit of pride in yourself and this country. Or else explain to me how I could live with myself and answer to my descendants that I did not support the independence movement when it presented itself? We know it makes economic sense. We know it makes cultural sense. If everyone just pushed, we'd get there.
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Brian,When are you going to publish the documents that Gray purports to have,do you actually read any of these comments on your blog if so you must start backing up facts to let your readers know what you are up to.
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I would take it before I would take LABOURLAND!
Thank you very much. This nation, in spite of some people's delusions, does not belong to the Labour party.
more SCOTS vote labour than snp tho.
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# 124
Heh, Dumberer must rank the highest :)
I wonder what Dumbererer has to say about all this?
Are you sure that isn't a Double Dumbedarty you have a pikkie of there :)
All in a name eh!
I wonder how Danny Alexander is getting along in his new position?
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Somehow I had thought that this topic may have a short life, and not remain up for comment over the holiday weekend. Perhaps the accuracy of Dour Iain's allegations is still being checked.
Anyway here's a new one Brian - McConnell to be a working peer in the House of Lords! What chance a working MSP in Murrwell & Wishae?
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Given their same names and their same abilities to sell their own country down the river, I wonder if Danny is related to Wendy and Douglas.
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#128 kenstor
"more SCOTS vote labour than snp tho."
Only in an English general in a futile attempt to keep out Tories, cheers Danny and Douglas and Co.
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Has anyone read this story in the scotsman today??
I just went online and can't find it on the website, they must be running with this story, maybe I just can't find it its been a long day!!
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133. loveme2times
http://news.scotsman.com/politics/Quango-spends-500000-of-taxpayers39.6326115.jp
Looks like Iain Gray was a little confused. There is some "rebranding" - but An SDS spokeswoman said: "We are in the process of changing our name to Skills Development Scotland from the names of the predecessor organisations. An internal proposal to use 'Scotland the Works' as a corporate brand was rejected by our directors on 30 March and therefore was not put to ministers.
"The old organisation identities are being phased out – Careers Scotland, Learndirect Scotland and the skills arms of Scottish Enterprise and HIE – and we will ensure all our materials reflect our new name, Skills Development Scotland."
Not surprisingly the new name means that new letter headings are also being phased in!
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133. loveme2times
"I just went online and can't find it on the website, they must be running with this story, maybe I just can't find it its been a long day!!"
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Quango-spends-500000-of-taxpayers39.6326115.jp
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can i just suggest that you all read Douglas fraser's blog on Scottish tourism. Tourism is central to Scotland's future and we should all be suggesting ways that tourism in Scotland can be improved to help the economy in general.
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Jack McConnell to become a peer, what a joke.
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137. InMyKip
Presumably Motherwell and Wishaw will now have a real MSP after May 2011?
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I thought Jack had become a pear.
Must get to specsvrs!
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And I thought of melons :/
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LoL What a ... great guy :)
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#139
lol
and that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said about him
off to the trough
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#1, ForteanJo wrote:
"Inland Revenue became HMRC. Jobcentre became Jobcentre Plus (at the cost of millions)."
No.
Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise merged to become HMRC; the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency merged to become Jobcentre Plus (saving on signage and senior management, in the medium term at least).
#12, Ross wrote:
"On a merged Dundee football team, I would propose taking the 'Dundee' part of Dundee FC and the 'FC' part of Dundee United FC. "
Better to have said "Dundee" from United and "FC" from the dark blues, methinks...
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BBC reports that Jack McConnell was made a peer in the dissolution honours.
Not so.
The No.10 announcement makes clear that he is on the 'Working Peers List' (an act of the NEW Government, albeit nominated by Labour) and not the 'Dissolution List' (act of the FORMER Government).
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#136
Yeah I'll look at it when I've finished knitting for the night and I'm cosied up with my slippers. I'll be ready for a right good read about tourism at that point.
Here's a few suggestions without having to read that:
Get a slimmer more aesthetically pleasing population
Have less violent drunks about the place. They cause havoc and the Japanese tourists especially just don't get it
Have open air concerts (under canopy of course) in the main city centres during the summer months. Maybe not Dundee though eh! Nobody could want to go there, there's just no point unless you have to
Stop the rain (especially during the summer) and get some decent heat in the place
Paint the houses in the coastal towns all a different colour and maybe even the residents of places like Kirkcaldy will forget they live there
Make a statue of Mel Gibson as William Wallace (already done that one eh!)
Make it mandatory for all Aberdonians to smile at least once a day. Extend the smile zone to Buchan after 3 years. And make them cross the road whenever they like without waiting for the lights
Make people in Edinburgh swap their homes with people in Glasgow. The weegies will get on better with the tourists and liven the place up a bit (even witout drink) and the people from Edinburgh well who cares really..
Stop all the Bonnie Prince Charlie mince. Celebrating and romaticising a well fed Frenchie who just had to be king has seen its day
Stop selling tourists the general idea that we are all a bunch of nutters who wear the kilt, are bothered with our 'clan' and know about 'whisky'. Just tell them we can't be bothered with it anymore and want to do something else.
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Man, one thing I sure do hate is the SNP.
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145. Rob04
"Have less violent drunks about the place. They cause havoc and the Japanese tourists especially just don't get it"
Interesting comment from my son today (back in Ayrshire/Glasgow for the first visit in two years - emigrated 10 years ago).
"One thing I've noticed since I came back is the big reduction in neds on the streets causing problems. Has there been some initiative to cull them?"
Sometimes the occasional visitor sees changes the are too gradual for the residents to notice. (Mind you, I thought the idea of a cull was an interesting idea! :-) )
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Magnus over at the Times seems to have a fuller take on this story, the link does not have its usual high profile but is near the bottom of the Scotland News page titled "Brand new idea was sensibly dropped"
http://tinyurl.com/356xhm3
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As a matter of interest, can anyone name a single major media organisation left in Scotland that supports its own peoples struggle to regain their freedom from Westminster/English Rule?
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149. At 10:19pm on 28 May 2010, rog_rocks wrote:
"As a matter of interest, can anyone name a single major media organisation left in Scotland that supports its own peoples struggle to regain their freedom from Westminster/English Rule?"
No.
They are all owned or run by the establishment.
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MPs' Expenses: Treasury chief David Laws, his secret lover and a £40,000 claim
Oop's!
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Well, the whiter than white new sort of politics is also rotten to the core as Laws is caught out by his expenses claims, £40,000 he payed to his partner? for rented rooms.
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#148 soosider
After skipping through the article earlier, I thought the only part with a foothold in reality was the last line:
Pass the sick bag, Alice.
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Instead of wasting time looking for things to use against the SNP (or making them up when all else fails) would it not be better if Mr Gray spent his time looking for jobs for the 20,000 apprentices? During the election Mr Murphy, SOS, said Labour would create 100,000 jobs in Scotland so how about sharing the information as to how they would have done that and get these young people into work rather than play politics with their futures.
Labour's nominees for the Lords....!!
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#153 Roll_on_2011
I thought the last paragraph summed the whole thing up, now I would hope that Mr Gray will apologise to parliament for misleading it, or will it take a referral to the standards committee?
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Here’s an article I noticed earlier in the Guardian:
Labour's back-to-work scheme was 'poor value', says National Audit Office
Watchdog issues verdict on £798m Pathways to Work programme as coalition reveals plan to fast-track similar model.
Appears the ConDems cant wait to introduce a similar scheme!
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151. cynicalHighlander
look in telegraph moderators under david law and expenses and then explain why a direct link is not allowed.
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David Laws referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
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Mr McConnell is to be a a working peer. "Life peers are not obliged to turn up to the lords frequently, while their WORKING counterparts are expected to take part in MOST debates and VOTES." From the Daily Telegraph article about the new peers - the capitalised words are my emphasis.
So how is he going to do that AND his Holyrood job? Just how many 'two job' MSPs does Labour now have at Holyrood? I know they said during the General Election that they were going to create jobs but it seems they are 'creating' them for themselves first.
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#150 X_Sticks
that’s shocking! I wanted to buy one.
Can anyone name the reason that there is not a single major media organisation left in Scotland that supports its own peoples struggle to regain their freedom from Westminster/English Rule?
When I look on the internet I see hundreds of minor media organisations mainly run by the real people of Scotland which do. They seem to be mainly free too, much better value for money and more honest than the major junk.
I have a funny feeling that these major media organisations have an insidious purpose other than to relate news.
Perhaps?
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#160 rog_rocks
I have a funny feeling that these major media organisations have an insidious purpose other than to relate news.
Yep it’s called the ‘British Establishment’. It is also worthwhile noting that it does not matter which constituent country of the UK you come from or who you vote for ‘they’ always get back in.
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The information on the Expenses Scandal is available on the Daily Telegraphs website which I bookmarked on my computer fur just such an eventuallity as this. Sad I know!!
David Laws gets 'mention' for claiming 40K for Second Home Allowance and in addition Council Tax and Utilities. The question is why this was not picked up last year or indeed why he did not see fit at that time to refer himself to the Parliamentary Standards Committee. As to protecting his private life he obviously hasn't grasped the fact that if you have a high profile public life in most cases your privacy goes out of the window. In any case I couldn't care two hoots about his sexuality as it's not the issue.
It really hasn't taken long for the shine to fade has it?
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162. At 11:50pm on 28 May 2010, ziggyboy wrote:
"It really hasn't taken long for the shine to fade has it?"
I really must get to spexsvrs, I missed that completely!
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160. At 11:07pm on 28 May 2010, rog_rocks wrote:
"I have a funny feeling that these major media organisations have an insidious purpose other than to relate news."
And not just the major media organisations. If there was a god I'd thank him for the internet. Its the only place those of us who don't agree with the establishment can have a voice, and "they" can't stop it.
Independence.
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#143 - " the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency merged to become Jobcentre Plus (saving on signage and senior management, in the medium term at least)."
Eh, no. You're forgetting about all the other parts of the DWP that were under the Benefit's Agency badge (the pensions agency, for example). There was zero savings on signage and senior management (in fact, costs went up).
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Brian you need to post a new blog today.
Let me see - could the subject be the newly revealed scandal regarding David Laws and his lack of understanding of the allowable expenses he could claim.
LOL
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Lord Joke!
Lordy lordy Lordy, surely this is the JOKE to consign the whole risible establishment to the dustbin of cringeworthy history!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Regarding my comment at 162 I meant the shine to fade on the new ConDems!!
Sorry X-Sticks if I confused you!!
LOL
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The best-laid brand migration plans o' grays an 'men :)
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Scotland the Works
That rhymes with...
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I have just ‘googled’ two sites:
■ Labour Party
■ Scottish Labour Party
The first site has the Labour Party 2010 Leadership splashed over its front page, whilst the later site does not even mention nor have a link to that event.
Maybe some kind Labour Party poster can provide the answer - WHY!
I find it strange that the Northern Contingency of the Labour Party do not want to inform their voters about this event. But there again their site contents mainly consists of ‘Nat Bashing’, possibly they do not have enough bandwidth to include it.
By the way the former site provides a current list of candidates and MP’s, so far, that support them. Maybe your MP is included.
Note: I have not included direct links to these sites for obvious reasons.
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170. rog_rocks
What have the Turks got to do with this? :-)
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Lord Foulks :)
He asked him and asked him again.
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Anger as Jack McConnell is granted a peerage.
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Pressure mounts on Gray as SDS confirm no name change.
Newsnet Scotland
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#175 Online Ed
Congratulations OE on your follow up to SDS.
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175. Online Ed
Good work Ed!
"Responding to Newsnet Scotland questions a Skills Development Scotland spokesman said:
“The document prepared on April 27 2010 was discussed by the Senior Management Team on April 29 2010.
“The decision taken, in line with the decision on the 30 March 2010, was to consolidate all existing brands under the Skills Development Scotland corporate brand.”
The document is key to the Labour leader’s claims. Newsnet Scotland emailed Mr Gray’s Holyrood office at 12:00 Friday and requested help in locating a copy of the document, said by the BBC’s Brian Taylor to have been published – however, to date, we have received no reply.
We also asked the Labour leader the following questions:
"Can you confirm that you are standing by your claim that SDS, as of yesterday [Thursday] at mid-day, were actively planning to change their name to Scotland the Works?"
"Can you confirm whether anyone from the Labour party has contacted SDS in order to confirm the veracity and authenticity of the 27th April documents?"
Thus far we have yet to receive an acknowledgment of, or an answer to, our questions."
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147. oldnat
"Stop all the Bonnie Prince Charlie mince. Celebrating and romaticising a well fed Frenchie who just had to be king has seen its day
Stop selling tourists the general idea that we are all a bunch of nutters who wear the kilt, are bothered with our 'clan' and know about 'whisky'. Just tell them we can't be bothered with it anymore and want to do something else.
"
Nonsense. The "let's be ashamed we're Scots" mince is just that--mince.
The Stewarts were a Scottish royal house and one heck of a lot fought and died for them. I will NOT forget that is so to make you or tourists happy.
For your information as far back as the Picts Scots were weaving what is now called tartan. Even the Romans recognised it as typically Caledonian. It is a practical way to weave allowing the weaver to die small amounts of yarn rather than needing large vats. Although other cultured did it, very early on it was particularly associated with ours.
We need to celebrate and BUILD ON our history, not deny it. That is the way of the people who hate being Scots and I'm disappointed in you.
Try to convince Americans to disparage George Washington and spit on Valley Forge, why don't you? You won't succeed and the scorn that is shown by Scots to our own history is shameful.
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178. GrannieAnne
To put in some thoughts on the Stewarts, I have little truck for them because too many of my family were amongst those who died. But I will not stand by and see disparaged the sacrifices our people made.
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178. GrannieAnne
Oldnat the script I use for referring to posts messed up somehow. I didn't mean to attribute that quote to you. I apologise for that.
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Brian,
I have a further suggestion you might care to mull over.
Take "Dundee" form both teams. Take the "United" out of the respective Dens and Tannadice "Kingdom" of our lilelong dreams and more often nightmares. Replace it with "Union", not an incorporating one either mind, but a non-incorporating one in which all identiies and allegiances can thrive.
Such a "Union Dundee" or "Union Kingdom" would then be a marriage of equal status and help replace the monopoly of overleveraged power hitherto exercised by Celtic & Rangers and the LabLibServatives.
What is the point of watching a premiership game in Scotland if the league is already decided? It's much akin to voting in the General Election only for the LabLibServatives to be returned to political power.
And then they tell you there's no money 'cos we've spent it watching the wrong team!
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PS What's in a name when their is no work?
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182. At 06:25am on 29 May 2010, Keith McBurney wrote:
PS What's in a name when their is no work?
There is work out there. you just have to swallow your pride some times. Since my last business went under in the crunch, I have been working my way towards my next project by doing any job that came up so far I've
delivered laundry,
drove recovery trucks
sold insurance in a call center & cut grass for the council.
no job should be too big or too small.
I look around and see scores of eastern Europeans doing work that people in this country were to ready to turn up their noses at, now the eastern Eouropeans have the jobs while such high minded people complain about being out of work.
Looking around there are still jobs out their, you have to just go knocking on doors and set your sights a bit lower to start with. its much easier to get a job when you have a job, even if its just cutting grass!
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More power to your elbow patchbruce!
Arise Sir Jack!or is it Lord Jack?
Peerages seem awfully easy to come by do they not?
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Thanks patchbruce @ 7.18 am. When I can't spell out 'there is' as 'their's is' - the latter meaning Labour's inability to manage an increase in population without a commensurate relative increase in jobs, decrease in unemployment and the able disabled who take from what the real disabled need - you are right to put me right on what is around when folk are financially better off in not go getting it.
But, given the human condition, perhaps that is to be expected of those who all to readily take their example from the top helping themselves to obscene amounts rather than help the rest of us help each other.
See also here if you wish: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/camilla_cavendish/article7138520.ece
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Any news on Labour's fabled report Brian?
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#184
Peerages seem awfully easy to come by do they not?
A bit like GCSEs and Degrees perhaps. It was all part of Labour's determination to drive down standards. Nowadays any old former first minister can become a Lord.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Brian are you still checking the accuracy of Iain Gray's statement at FMQs?
It can't be that difficult to verify the authenticity of the SDS document in Labour's hands. After all you said you had seen it.
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What would we do without "NEWSNET SCOTLAND" ?
Keep up the good work online Ed.
"Any news on labour's fabled report, Brian ?" asked Tartan seer @187.
Is Brian Taylor's quote "Hard Questions must be asked" the most risible statement ever made ? I think so.
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191 Astonished
I asked the same questions maybe in a different way and mentioned Lab and Newsnet but it has been reffered I ask the same again so will see what happens.
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Business is slow on this blog can we have a new topic please.
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#82 rog_rocks
Just for your info. Susan Kramer was a Liberal Democrat MP, and never in the Labour Party.
That is all
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afternoon, just a thought , could it be that Mr Gray is being given such poorly investigated questions to go with at FMQ's and indeed every where else is an attempt to remove him from post and replace him with someone else ? or is it just that Labour (Scotland ) are so poor ,so thick and so filled with hatred of another political party that they don't bother checking anything?
Sid
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194. onebatman
Yes we cleared that up already and he apologised.
188. Wee-scamp
In fact it's Standard Grades we have in Scotland not GCSEs which are the English, Welsh, N.Irish thing. There is widespread concensus among teachers that Standard Grades have been getting dumbed down since their introduction in conjunction with GCSEs. I left school 5 years ago and everyone knew that there was a general trend in the exams getting easier the more recent a past-paper you looked at.
------
PS Yeah more,more, we want more! I don't know if the so-called "cyber nats" (for want of a better term as I feel that is a derogatory, nasty term) go over the top in their anti-bias campaign. Is it possible that the websites NEWSNET SCOTLAND and CALEDONIAN MERCURY are just as biased in favour of independence as the mainstream is against it? Is this favourable to those wanting a fair hearing on Independence? Or will it just cause ostracisation of the Independence movement?
Just a thought and I don't necessarily know anything about politics as I'm new to this.
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#194 onebatman
No probs, I know, but people didn't want her so they voted her out and there she was, cheers.
However; Liberal democrats are so squeaky clean aren't they, what’s the names used;
Integrity, Entitled, Outstanding, Exceptional, Chief Secretary of the Treasury...
I think not.
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You don't know what it's like, you don't have a clue
If you did you'd find yourselves, doing the same thing too
Breaking the Laws, breaking the laws
Breaking the Laws, breaking the laws
Breaking the Laws, breaking the laws
Breaking the Laws, breaking the law...
:) Name that song;
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So is David "breaking the" Laws going to be helping to prosecute benefit cheats?
Coz it seems to me that he has benefited and he has cheated.
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Perhaps Mr Cameron would be willing to rent him B&B at No 10?
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Go on Dave, your a wild one :)
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197. rog_rocks
They have seperate Laws.
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196. At 2:50pm on 29 May 2010, martinscot wrote:
Is it possible that the websites NEWSNET SCOTLAND and CALEDONIAN MERCURY are just as biased in favour of independence as the mainstream is against it?
Yes, it is possible.
However, you will find an open policy at Newsnet Scotland that allows comment and contribution from all - Unionists/Undecideds included. This is in stark contrast to traditional news outlets where comment is either prevented or heavily censored.
We hope to be in a position to increase our resources soon and also improve the site.
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I thought that Rumpole's oft-cited "Guardsman's Defence" was a thing of the past, but Chief Secretary Laws' statement that he was scared to admit his orientation suggests that the LiberalDemocrats aren't quite as liberal as they are painted...
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196. martinscot
"Or will it just cause ostracisation of the Independence movement?"
Since more ostracism of the independence movement by the MSM would be impossible to achieve--they literally could not possibly be more biased in favor of the establishment--then I don't see that it matters.
I disagree about the Caledonia Mercury which carries articles by a journalist very well-known for his bias PRO-union and one who is pretty rabidly pro-Green. Fair enough though because they ALSO have at least somewhat pro-independence articles. So you end up with a mix and that seems all right to me.
Newsnet Scotland is pro-Independence. Well, they say that right up front. Good for them! It's known as nailing your colours to the mast. I think no one would complain to much if SOME newspapers were pro-Union. It is the fact that ALL of them are that makes the thing look like a stitch-up.
BBC is a different situation because of the license fee. It has been subverted to a pro-Labour institution by the appointment of Labour supporters at ALL levels and that includes down south. They can't seem to see (or don't care) the damage they are doing to a once respected institution and to democracy itself.
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Pity poor Mr Lundie.
Letting David Laws share his home - albeit at the taxpayers' expense - but not considered important enough (by Laws) to be considered as part of a couple.
Whatever Laws now does regarding repayment of £40,000 - much easier with a Ministerial salary rather than that of a backbench MP, n'est-ce pas?; is that the reason he voted in favour of the coalition deal? - what is Mr Lundie's legal position, having received funds improperly claimed?
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203. Online Ed
OE, most MSM have a political slat that is acknowledged by all. Does anyone NOT know what brand of politics is preferred and supported at The Times or The Telegraph?
As long as it is done honestly, that is: stories are covered honestly without lying or covering it up with someone on your side does something wrong, there is NOTHING to apologise for.
And I know that if the SNP was in the wrong you would not WANT it covered up because in the long-run, it would hurt the independence movement more than it would help.
I'm thrilled for all of us that Newsnet is doing so well. It does provide MUCH needed balance.
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What's in a name?
"Scotland: the Works"
Miss out ": the" and the exercise might have been worthwhile - using differing colours for the two words.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
And so, this evening, rolls around the annual event which most points up the need for independence.
The Eurovision Song Contest.
Maybe le Royaume-Uni will continue to do better than 'usual' (things definitely picked up after Bliar left No.10), but no other country feels affection for a UK entry (particularly not after having sent 1982's competitors to Harrogate and 1998's to Birmingham).
People LIKE Scotland, and the Scots have friends throughout Europe...
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If that is the case, is it ok if David "breaking the" Laws joins in?
...and what do the wives do in this situation?
yoohoo ;)
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184. Diabloandco
"Peerages seem awfully easy to come by do they not?"
Well, if they will give a peerage to MAETIN, they will give one to anyone. You would think in the present state of affairs a decent person would be too embarrassed to accept such a thing. But money speaks, does it not?
Would you want to be in the same organisation as this man? I would blush at the very idea.
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211. rog_rocks
I don't think in this day anyone cares about who Laws happens to choose to sleep with.
The fact is that the man appears to be a trougher. THAT people do care about. People care a lot and the gloss just came off the nice shiny new government--if it had one in the first place.
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Well it's ok for them to say it?
I just wondered if they were serious?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2010/05/friday_14_may_2010.html?page=9
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#147
Well as long as your son thinks so, I for one am prepared to accept this as a representive view!!
Next you will try and tell me that levels of problem drinking (and the violence and early mortality associated with it) in Scotland don't outstrip every other EU nation, and by some way!
#178
Nonsense. The "let's be ashamed we're Scots" mince is just that--mince.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't do the cultural cringe either but neither do I assume that Scotland is dominated by the artefacts of 'Highland' culture. Don't assume there is just one version of Scottish history!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Stewarts were a Scottish royal house and one heck of a lot fought and died for them. I will NOT forget that is so to make you or tourists happy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh don't be such a drama queen! And mine probably did their fair share of fighting for causes they might have believed in, or just had to anyway because choice was largely a luxury. They would have also fought the British (including the Scots!) as well!
But I really don't feel I have to carry the torch for some failed Royal drunk who wanted to be king and lost! We are all more than a 'name'!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
For your information as far back as the Picts Scots were weaving what is now called tartan. Even the Romans recognised it as typically Caledonian. It is a practical way to weave allowing the weaver to die small amounts of yarn rather than needing large vats. Although other cultured did it, very early on it was particularly associated with ours.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time has moved on and cultures change and never stay the same. Get over it.
Wasn't the modern kilt associated with Walter Scott's vision of the 'noble Highlander'? Wasn't the idea to help make some of the 'Scots' feel more British?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
We need to celebrate and BUILD ON our history, not deny it. That is the way of the people who hate being Scots and I'm disappointed in you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Your line is similar to Chomsky's satirical description of himself as a 'self-hater' after he was pilloried for his criticism of Zionism. And you don't have to be disappointed in me! I recognise that all nations need their historical myths and 'distortions' to keep the beat going.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Try to convince Americans to disparage George Washington and spit on Valley Forge, why don't you? You won't succeed and the scorn that is shown by Scots to our own history is shameful.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Why would I ask anyone to 'spit' in Valley Forge? Its a public health hazard! Neither would I ask them to just accept what you are told.
There are plenty of aspects of Scots history to be scornful about don't you think? Unless you think that Scots history is unlike the history of any other nation and 'uncontested'. Every nation has its dark sides and if you think otherwise then you are truely blinded by the light!
Here's a few examples of the dark side: association with the 'slave trade', the 'Taliban' of the Kirk, sectarianism.
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#213
Of course GranniAnne, its such a shame that in these modern days that the PCness and freedom and support of minority groups is not extended back to us the Scots, by the like of Cameron, Clegg or Law or anyone else.
None have ever, to the best of my knowledge, recommended a referendum or displayed any other form of support whatsoever of our peoples struggle to regain our freedom from Westminster/English Rule.
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The gravy train just keeps on Rollin:
Fury at councillor’s £14k travel bill
By the way the article fails to state that the Councillor represents Garscadden/Scotstounhill, and is a member of the Scottish Labour Party. Must be a slip of the pen.
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216. rog_rocks
"Of course GranniAnne, its such a shame that in these modern days that the PCness and freedom and support of minority groups is not extended back to us the Scots, by the like of Cameron, Clegg or Law or anyone else.
None have ever, to the best of my knowledge, recommended a referendum or displayed any other form of support whatsoever of our peoples struggle to regain our freedom from Westminster/English Rule.
"
So does that mean that because we have not been given the respect we are due, you want to treat others the same?
I hope not. I still don't care who he sleeps with. I don't care if he has a taste for sex with ... well, bunny rabbits would probably be illegal but short of that, it is NONE of my business.
His having his hand in the till IS.
So is the fact that the political party he is a member of has sold out every belief they ever SAID they stood for, but that's something that we should take to the next election.
I pity any LibDem who makes the mistake of knocking on my door.
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Who gives a toss who David Laws is living with.
What I want to know is when will he be removed from office before he pontificates further on you and me and our financial status or lack of it after the ConDems have done their worst.
Most people get the sack for being untruthful and claiming expenses eroneously.
The wheels havn't taken long to fall of the shiny new coalition have they? I just wonder how many wheels are on it. Lots I bet because they will think they are above they law and answerable to no-one.
Mr Cameron did say he will deal with anyone caught up in this sort of thing very severely. Lets hope Mr Clegg has the bottle to do the same!!
Or was that just a large lolipop for us plebs to suck on?
I have chosen my words carefully as a often have my comments removed for being a wee bit up front and interesting.
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215. Rob04
"#178
Nonsense. The "let's be ashamed we're Scots" mince is just that--mince.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't do the cultural cringe either but neither do I assume that Scotland is dominated by the artefacts of 'Highland' culture. Don't assume there is just one version of Scottish history!
--------------------
Nevertheless, you just did a darn good Scottish cringe... like it or not.
You have bought every one of the "do down Scotland" points sold by Labour.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Stewarts were a Scottish royal house and one heck of a lot fought and died for them. I will NOT forget that is so to make you or tourists happy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh don't be such a drama queen! And mine probably did their fair share of fighting for causes they might have believed in, or just had to anyway because choice was largely a luxury. They would have also fought the British (including the Scots!) as well!
But I really don't feel I have to carry the torch for some failed Royal drunk who wanted to be king and lost! We are all more than a 'name'!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrying the torch for Prince Charles (who was certainly not French by the way so your history needs a good deal of work) has nothing to do with showing respect for our ancestors who fought for the right to have their own king.
----------------------------------------
For your information as far back as the Picts Scots were weaving what is now called tartan. Even the Romans recognised it as typically Caledonian. It is a practical way to weave allowing the weaver to die small amounts of yarn rather than needing large vats. Although other cultured did it, very early on it was particularly associated with ours.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time has moved on and cultures change and never stay the same. Get over it.
-----------------------
Why? Why should I give up a historic culture because you think it isn't good enough?
----------------------------------------------
Wasn't the modern kilt associated with Walter Scott's vision of the 'noble Highlander'? Wasn't the idea to help make some of the 'Scots' feel more British?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
No. The modern kilt far Scott and the belted plaid (or great kilt as it is sometimes called) far predates that although how far, it is extremely difficult to tell because descriptions of Scottish dress are rather few and far between.
The first absolutely clear description of a belted plaid is an Irish source written by Lughaidh O’Clery in 1594.
Translated from the original Gaelic:
"These were recognized among the Irish by the difference of their arms and clothing, their habits and language, for their exterior dress was mottled cloaks to the calf of the leg with ties and fastenings. Their girdles were over the loins outside the cloaks."
----
We need to celebrate and BUILD ON our history, not deny it. That is the way of the people who hate being Scots and I'm disappointed in you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Your line is similar to Chomsky's satirical description of himself as a 'self-hater' after he was pilloried for his criticism of Zionism. And you don't have to be disappointed in me! I recognise that all nations need their historical myths and 'distortions' to keep the beat going.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Try to convince Americans to disparage George Washington and spit on Valley Forge, why don't you? You won't succeed and the scorn that is shown by Scots to our own history is shameful.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Why would I ask anyone to 'spit' in Valley Forge? Its a public health hazard! Neither would I ask them to just accept what you are told.
There are plenty of aspects of Scots history to be scornful about don't you think? Unless you think that Scots history is unlike the history of any other nation and 'uncontested'. Every nation has its dark sides and if you think otherwise then you are truely blinded by the light!
Here's a few examples of the dark side: association with the 'slave trade', the 'Taliban' of the Kirk, sectarianism."
---------------------------------
Why should I have scorn for the dark sides of our history? They exist JUST AS THE GOOD SIDES EXIST.
There are dark sides to all countries cultures but we are told ours is so shameful that we should denigrate it, hide it, AND say it didn't even exist and (as you just falsely claimed).
There is one h*ll of a lot to be PROUD of in Scottish hsitory, including the courage and the loyalty of those men who fought and died for Prince Charles Stewart as well as the Scottish nation that earlier Scots built.
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145. Rob04
"Celebrating and romaticising a well fed Frenchie who just had to be king has seen its day"
This comment in itself shows your ignorance. At least learn our history before you declare it "mince".
Prince Charles Edward Stewart was the son of James Francis Edward Stewart who was born at St. James's Palace, to the reigning king, James Scotland and of England.
His mother was Maria Clementina Sobieska a Polish noblewoman.
Charles Edward Stwart was born in Rome, Italy and spent almost all his childhood in Rome and Bologna.
Would you care to tell me how that makes him a "Frenchie"?
Learn something about your nation besides Unionist propaganda and then you will have a better understanding of the issues.
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215. At 5:46pm on 29 May 2010, Rob04 wrote:
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Your arguments that we should just forget and dismiss our heritage is wrong.
I agree sometimes the reported history is swayed towards the events in the highlands between 1700 and 1880 and this sometimes overpowers the rest.
HOWEVER there is much to be learned from our history. The mistakes, the triumphs. Its easy to say "oh that was 150 years ago, get over it." But the ramifications, say of the clearances for instance, still reverberate today. Take Glen Quaich in Perthshire. one Small glen five miles long one mile wide.
One hundred and fifty years ago there were 600 people living in this glen. They fished in the loch, they grazed their cattle on the high slopes, Grew grain on the lower slopes stored the grain in underground silos and drove their cattle to Crieff to sell to the English Cattle Traders to make money to keep them through the winter.
Then they were cleared off the land. Today no more than 20 people live in the glen. The whole glen is owned by two landlords. The ground that once produced food & provided for 600 now produces some lambs but its main purpose is to provide grouse shooting for rich bank share holders who's lust for power and control extends to shooting defenseless wee birdies with a 12 bore. Today there will be no more than 10 people employed in the whole glen.
This is history yes but as you see has big impact on today. That land should be producing and supporting and not used as a playground. I appreciate if you live in the central belt how you might feel removed from this however, I plead with you to take a look at the devastation reeked by the clearances and how events 150 years ago still impact on us today.
As a small aside, pick up a O.S. map of Perthshire from the 1970's or 80's. Then look at one from 2000. You will quicly see that all the ruins of the cleared villages were not included in the earlier maps. There very existence was erased from the maps until recently. In Glen Almond the whole 22 house village of Craignavar, vanishes off the OS map of the seventies.
Hitler took to burning books to remove or change history. This was done in this country to, but much more subtlety.
You may have come from a generation like me, where Scottish history was actually suppressed in Schools, and as a result you may have no interest in it. (that was the idea) but I urge you to go do some research. it WILL change your views.
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Hey Ho Laws has resigned. How many will follow him?
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Treasury MinisterDavid Laws resigns over expenses.
Liberal Democrat David Laws has resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury after admitting he claimed expenses to pay rent to his partner.
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Prescott is getting ennobled:
Correct me if I am wrong but didn’t he describe the Lords as ‘vermin with ermine’.
If so, then he is now truly were he belongs.
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#223 ziggyboy
"Hey Ho Laws has resigned. How many will follow him?"
Of possibly more interest to Scotland is the fact that the Skeletor is now the last viceroy but one, with Michael Moore MP (Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk) the new one. Wonder how happy Mundell is about that?
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222. patchbruce
"Then they were cleared off the land. Today no more than 20 people live in the glen. The whole glen is owned by two landlords. The ground that once produced food & provided for 600 now produces some lambs but its main purpose is to provide grouse shooting for rich bank share holders who's lust for power and control extends to shooting defenseless wee birdies with a 12 bore. Today there will be no more than 10 people employed in the whole glen. "
There is a crying need for land reform in Scotland at least partially due to what happened after the Uprisings. But will we ever see that under the Union?
You know we won't. I worry that we might not even independent but at least there would be a chance.
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223. ziggyboy
'He said: "I can't escape the conclusion that what I did was somehow wrong." '
SOMEHOW?
I "somehow" think this man STILL does not get it. The public purse does not belong to politicians to do with as they please--including if that exposes facts they prefer to "keep private".
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#224 Roll_On_2011
Call-me-Dave, Go on, go on, go on!
Mundell for the Secretary 8-) or abolish it ?
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Looking at the politics of Danny Alexander moving to the Treasury, is potentially interesting.
It'll now be a Scots LD MP who will be the public face of the inevitable cuts. How will that go down with LD voters here?
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#229 handclapping
I prefer the later.
Just think how far the £10M+ would go, in getting rid of that expensive none job, If for example the money is spent on getting youngsters into apprenticeships.
Yep resign the ancient relic of the ‘British Raj’ to the history books.
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Appears that Aunt Bella has done some late spring cleaning:
Scottish Tory frontbench reshuffle announced.
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#230 oldnat
One consolation is that if he is given the same get-out card as Laws… i.e Abstaining when the bill is voted on at Westmidden, he can use the previous government tactics…. it wasnae me it was them other bad guys.
I agree with you that it is potentially interesting, not only in Scotland, but in Engerland as well?
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Building jobs boost as £300m SFT 'hub' agreed
Construction projects worth £300 million were given the green light yesterday in a move that will give a jobs boost to south-east Scotland over the next ten years.
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The Scotland Office he was quick enough in getting his pic up here will it it disappear as fast. 5 Live on about Laws now.
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#232 - "Scottish Tory frontbench reshuffle announced."
Eh, doesn't that mean that the likes of Mary Scanlon has been sacked? Or is it only a sacking if it's an SNP reshuffle? Typical Beeb bias yet again.
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232. Roll_On_2011
"Derek Brownlee ...writing the manifesto."
That shouldn't be too hard! "When David Cameron lets us know what we Tories in Scotland are allowed to say, then that's our manifesto."
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#222
I agree sometimes the reported history is swayed towards the events in the highlands between 1700 and 1880 and this sometimes overpowers the rest.
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My point exactly! And 'heritages' not 'heritage'! And why would anyone defend clearances?
#221
So I'm a Unionist if I don't accept your one history vision! Oh Lord! You are 'Tartan Taliban'!
Glad to see you agreed that he was a 'failed drunk who just wanted to be king'!
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222. patchbruce:
Your attempt to compare a village being cleared out with Hitler burning books is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, the land laws are/were flawed, but there is a considerable difference between the two.
grannie
Can I ask if you are a royalist, or only if it is a Scottish royal.
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According to Guido " Michael Moore is the new Scottish Secretary." Who?
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217. Roll_On_2011:
Erm, one wee point. If she is not allowed in her role to promote Scotland, then should the same not apply to all politicians?
I think this one has been taken right out of context. After all, it's not as if she's getting 2 miles of shelving fitted.....
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126. martinscot:
Here we go again. History lessons and culture will get us independence. Think again and try considering economics as the argument to use.
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145. Rob04:
lmao!! No doubt I'll reach a comment from grannie later on!
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164. X_Sticks:
The only problem with the Internet are the idiots who make stupid comments which do harm to the SNP, and especially when they are fully paid up members as well.
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178. GrannieAnne:
You don't get it at all, do you? While Scotland's culture is something to be proud of, it will not win independence. If it did, the SNP would have romped home 30 years ago. Those who wish to remain inside their shortbread tins wearing tartan breeks and baffies are doing nothing for the independence movement. Those who use economic arguments are.
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205 grannieanne:
The MSM papers are PRIVATELY owned, not state-owned. So where is the big stitch up? Newsnet Scotland is privately run, but I don't hear you accusing Online Ed of some stitch up. If you are so concerned why not go and start your own journal.
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208. The Forfarian:
I know Gray was on his usual form, but I for one am pleased the Scottish Government rejected the name. And "Scotland Works" is even worse, and would open the Government to accusations of indoctrination by some. And before I get pounced upon, what would be the reaction to many on here if there was an agency called "UK Works"?
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210. The Forfarian:
Noooooooooooooooooo!! You've just come up with an argument against independence - a Scottish entry in Eurovision!
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In Every post the running theme is ...
argue with the nationalists , but every time
the nationalists win hands down .
I don't know about anyone else but I cant help but thinking
that stages like " blether with Brian " are platforms
where the unionist can find the answers to the Independence cause .
Something more substantial needs to rise out of Scotland
we need to outsmart our counterparts in true Scottish fashion .
Unite internally we need to up the tempo !
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I like a minister with deep rooted principles and conviction:
15 May 2010:
Nuclear will not get atom of help from this Government, says Chris Huhne.
30 May 2010:
Energy minister dims his nuclear doubts
Well they say that a week is a long time in polotics, two weeks must be a lifetime.
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241. At 11:07pm on 29 May 2010, enneffess wrote:
"The only problem with the Internet are the idiots who make stupid comments which do harm to the SNP, and especially when they are fully paid up members as well."
Neil, I hope you're not suggesting I make stupid comments that ham the SNP!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
241. enneffess
PS Economy or not, so much of Scotland's culture is gone anyway and we should protect the small things we have left.....obviously that won't lead to independence. But they remind us we are different. Night night
Oidhche mhath
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238. Rob04
"So I'm a Unionist if I don't accept your one history vision! Oh Lord! You are 'Tartan Taliban'!
Glad to see you agreed that he was a 'failed drunk who just wanted to be king'!"
First, I didn't call you a Unionist. I said you had swallowed their anti-Scottish lies -- hook, line and sinker.
You're now a fish flopping around telling other Scots how much we should despise our won history except when someone resists at which point it is a lie made up by Walter Scott.
As for Prince Charles wanting to be king, does the fact that he was referred to as PRINCE give you a hint? He and many thought he was the rightful king. He had a strong argument that he was.
Was a supposed "Frenchie (who wasn't French) drunk" worse than a German "who wanted to be king" who was a heck of a lot more interested in Hanover than he ever was in England or Scotland?
The Hanovers with a king who either couldn't or refused to speak English, one who dragged us into the War of the Austrian Succession and then war after war in Europe, devastated the Highlands to the point that they have yet to recover, and THEN lost us the American colonies.
Oh, GOOD choice. I am sure I am just struck with admiration.
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241. enneffess
"The MSM papers are PRIVATELY owned, not state-owned. So where is the big stitch up? Newsnet Scotland is privately run, but I don't hear you accusing Online Ed of some stitch up. If you are so concerned why not go and start your own journal."
No need to start my own journal. They did it for me at Newsnet Scotland. And I thank them sincerelyl.
Yes, the MSM papers are PRIVATELY owned--and EVERY single one of them owned OUTWITH Scotland--every single one and could not care less about the good of Scotland.
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241. enneffess
"You don't get it at all, do you? While Scotland's culture is something to be proud of, it will not win independence. If it did, the SNP would have romped home 30 years ago. Those who wish to remain inside their shortbread tins wearing tartan breeks and baffies are doing nothing for the independence movement. Those who use economic arguments are."
Neither will beating our breasts about how inferior we and our culture win independence.
So get over yourself.
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241. enneffess
"Here we go again. History lessons and culture will get us independence. Think again and try considering economics as the argument to use.
"
Oh, jinks, we are allowed to discuss NOTHING but economics on this blog... because enneffess says so.
Dearie me, I may discuss other topics and if I do the independence movement will sink like a rock.
My creditials for discussing economics -- well, actually I don't have any so I have no intention of discussing economics at all. But I do wonder what your credentials are for discussing that topic?
An economist perhaps? Do tell.
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239. enneffess
"Can I ask if you are a royalist, or only if it is a Scottish royal."
I am not a royalist at all. That is a rather silly assumption, frankly. I'm a republican. I just loathe the Hanovers even more than I do the Stewarts.
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245. X_Sticks
"Neil, I hope you're not suggesting I make stupid comments that ham the SNP!
"
Of course, he is. If we make any comment that contains the word England or relates to anything except economics according to our resident thought censor, we have harmed the SNP.
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Lib Dems seek SNP deal
The fight to hand more powers to the Scottish Parliament is to take a dramatic step forward with a move by the Lib Dems to include the SNP in the Calman Commission group examining greater home rule.
Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, reveals that he wants Scotland to move on to "Calman Plus" - a constitutional settlement that would involve far greater control over raising taxes than so far envisaged. And he argues that SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond should be part of that process.
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#240 cynicalHighlander
"According to Guido " Michael Moore is the new Scottish Secretary." Who?"
When I posted my #226 it was so stated on the rolling LATEST on this website's News Front Page, so it must be true.
Scotland is clearly too wee and pretendy to rate a story on the new viceroy - perhaps Brian is also asking Who? - and seem not to mention the story elsewhere, but the SoS acknowledge the new SoS with their David Laws scandal has meant a step up the career ladder for MPs Moore and Alexander.
Mundell must be absolutely chuffed that his neighbour is now also his boss!
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Revealed: SPT shredded expense row receipts.
Receipts detailing £32,749 of spending – more than half the total corporate credit card bill over a two-year period – were shredded at the scandal-hit agency. Auditors at KPMG were parachuted in earlier this year after SPT executives were called to account over questionable business trips and lavish outgoings of up to £100 per day to cover subsistence meals.
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PS to my #255
STV are quicker off the mark with the story of the new viceroy than the North British branch of the BBC. See their Michael Moore is new Scottish Secretary of 20:19 GMT yesterday.
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Scotland plugs into Forth coal
Company spokesman Alan Borrowm said: "This is the best coal in Europe in terms of quality and where it lies. There is a huge amount of coal down there which you can't get at by opencasting or deep mining.
Underground Coal Gasification is the best way to get at it and we know the technology works, it is already in use in other countries. There is enough coal under the Firth of Forth to provide the energy needs of Scotland for the next 150 years."
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David Laws resignation hits Scottish Secretary of State role
Newsnet Scotland
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239. At 10:36pm on 29 May 2010, enneffess wrote:
222. patchbruce:
Your attempt to compare a village being cleared out with Hitler burning books is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, the land laws are/were flawed, but there is a considerable difference between the two.
Dear Enneffess please read the post again. I did not compare the clearances with Hitler burning books. I described the actions of Hitler burning books as an attempt (as has been done by many dictators) to alter the written record to reflect their own preferred vision. This was done to reflect the fact that for the last 100 years Scottish History was suppressed in Schools and on official maps in an attempt to dispatch our history to the waste bin. If people don't know about it the can't get angry about it.
And anyway, like the blogger i was replying to i urge you to actually pick up a couple of history books there you might see that after the 1745 rebellion units of the BRITISH army (both English and Lowland Scots) scoured every glen in an an attempt to ethnically cleanse the highlands, Just like Hitler attempted to do with the Jews and Gypsies Just it was done much more quietly and there were few witnesses to the atrocities.
All that the highlands needed (like now) was investment in infrastructure and education, but it was cheaper and more "lucrative" for the greedy traitorous clan chiefs and corrupt nobles to steal the land from the people and clear the lands to create the baron unproductive wasteland we are left with today. A history from 150 years ago that is still impacting on the economy of Scotland to this day.
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grannie, try READING my posts. I said our culture is something to be PROUD OF. But there is this romantic notion that culture will free us. It's not happened and won't happen using culture. That is why the SNP uses ECONOMIC arguments - ie oil, remember that?.
As to your royalist views, you appear to be arguing with yourself, and very well I must add. Perhaps you could appear at the Festival.
245. X_Sticks:
Nope! :) Apologies for grannie pretending to be my offical spokesperson. I ain't the Labour Party, I don't need a spin doctor.
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259. Online Ed:
Good point. But why isn't the media making a fuss? (Oops, silly me).
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Staying with Laws, he should have resigned immediately. But he is typical of the Lib Dems, who somehow have the biggest scandals despite being a small party. Remember Mark Oaten? If you do a little research into exactly what was alleged, it ranks amongst the worst. Paddy himself wasn't exactly faithful either. But at least they aren't threatening the canines this time!
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