Matt's Mic

Cash In Hand

2008-11-25T00:22:00.003Z

In some tribes a boy, when becoming a man, is sent into the woods. He is afraid because he fears he is alone, but unknown to him, his father watches over him the whole night.

The report today is set to help those most in need, and is I feel another example of the strength and reassuring increasing self confidence in Labour and Gordon Brown once again.

It has struck me over the past few weeks how much more confident the PM is looking. No one would say he's been politically capitalising on the economic situation, but one could argue that in these times of need his steady hand guides us in a safe but bold direction.

Supporting pensioners, small businesses and working families.

I don't understand half the stuff he talks about, but I trust him, and it seems to be working.

George Launches Campaign

2008-11-21T22:38:00.002Z

George started his campaign at Edinburgh Uni yesterday by chatting to students and asking them what issues were of concern.

The evening news picked it up well, and it can be found here.

I'm really pleased the campaign got off to a positive start, and I hope it can continue for our campaign for George and others'.

By George I hope he gets it!! (Yeh- that's right... I used it again... It was just that good...)

George for Rector of Edinburgh University

2008-11-20T12:02:00.003Z

George has spent his life supporting Edinburgh and its great University

I am pleased to announce that today George Foulkes will declare his candidacy for Rector of Edinburgh University.

George will be kicking off his campaign in the Union's Teviot Library Bar at 3pm today. He hopes that it will give him an opportunity to talk to students and allow them to make a 'wish for Christmas', where students and staff they can write on a decoration and hang it on a Christmas tree.

Since 1963 George has served Edinburgh University.

It was that year he was elected Senior President of the Student's Representative Council, and he later went to become President of the Scottish Union of Students (now NUS Scotland).

Throughout his career he has been a big supporter of the university and all that it does to be one of the finest educational institutions of the world, and he hopes that as of February 2009, he will become the highest representative for all students and staff, and serve the university once more.

By George I hope he gets it!!! (Please laugh at the line- it took me ages thinking it up...)

For details of the Edinburgh University Rectorial Elections, including a timeline and rules, click here with this trendy link thing I've got...

A call for peace to the BNP

2008-11-19T12:34:00.003Z

I found out yesterday about the full list and addresses of BNP members being published, but decided against blogging about it as I didn't want to spread knowledge of the situation, and wanted to wait and see how the press picked it up.

However, I noticed it's on the front page of The Times today, so it's kinda out there...

I searched all the Edinburgh ones, and one the members actually backs onto my house!

I beg everybody, however much we all resent the BNP, to not lower themselves down to their level, and engage with them at the ballot box; not the front door with an egg... Although I admit the latter sounds more fun...

On facebook, many Labour students who I'm friends with have put out very public statements and links to this list, encouraging people to give the people featured on the list much more than just grief.

I am completely opposed to violent action against any of them.

If nothing else, the list may be wrong.

Peace

John Swinney is a lovely man

2008-11-18T00:28:00.002Z

I'd heard a fair bit about John Swinney from people who knew him or had met him a number of times.

He'd always struck me as someone I wish I got to know, after having heard that in recent years his wife Elizabeth was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and that much of his time (and more than he would admit to) is spent caring for her. That kind of strength and grace within an individual is something which I have always greatly admired.

I, however, had the privilege of seeing one of his modest gestures for myself.

While in the Member's Restaurant this week with other Labour people we noticed that John was sat at the table next to us. He shared a laugh with a colleague as he over heard his name, and the best of luck was passed to him from our table to his in regards to the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards that were on that night.

During the meal, newly elected Glenrothes MP Lindsay Roy walked in. As heads turned, I looked straight over to John, expecting to see a roll of the eyes or an obvious blank [please insert *bothered* here] look. But instead, once he'd given Lindsay a chance to talk to the people he was clearly meeting, John politely excused himself without fuss from the table and approached Lindsay, shaking his hand and congratulating him on his recent success.

Our table of "we will literally die Labour" people started talking about it, and all of us reluctantly agreed that he seemed like a fairly decent guy. But we seemed embarrassed, and we shouldn't have been.

They spoke for a while, and while I couldn't hear every word, I took a great deal from that conversation.

Put that in my big bag of bothered. (If it'd fit...)

2008-11-16T01:55:00.003Z

He'll not be as pretty once I've finished with him...

I was concerned to hear, while out for a pint with new Councillor Cammy Day of Edinburgh Forth, that John Loughton had been on the war path following my blog about his candidacy for Councillor of the same ward last week.

He apparently made frantic phone calls, following the discovery of my horrific blog which highlighted the fact he'd been to Labour and the Liberals for a seat before being forced to stand as an independent, asking who I was and what I had to do with anything.

He also said he wanted to "kick my f**king head in", and that he'd "batter" me the next time he saw me. So at least we can't criticise him for being a bad loser...

Cammy managed to secure almost 10 times as many votes as he did, and although none of us will be able to beat his ego, there are many people from many other parties who will be able to beat him on character, credibility and judgement.

I await my beating with great anticipation.

What a pleasant surprise

2008-11-08T18:22:00.002Z

It's strange how quickly you become used to things, not necessarily because they're the way they should be, but just because they're the way they sometimes are.

I felt back in Glasgow East that Labour could really do with a win, not just for political or social reasons, but for our sense of self, and self esteem. I think Glenrothes delivered that for the party, and that is invaluable.

Who does Lindsay Roy remind me of again?- oh yeh, Barack Obama. Anyway, I was pretty pleased with his win too. I believe the opinion people have of America will fundamentally change in the months to come.

There was another thing. I remember being given the 'two-fingered salute' on my way back from Glasgow East by a car load of SNP campaigners. I don't think they speak for everyone, but I reflected on how no such incident in my knowledge had occurred with Labour supporters. (And then there was John Prescott...) Anyway... I heard there was a line between confidence and arrogance, and I believe in Glenrothes it was confidence that overcame an arrogant SNP, and I hope that it is that which is the future face of Scotland.

It's WORST WEEK EVER.

2008-11-03T00:06:00.003Z

OK, so some reasons for not blogging this week...

1) Gran died

2) Uni emailed saying I owe them £1775

3) Work over paid me (I now owe them £1000)

4) Victim of credit card fraud- I now own a business in Australia

4 ii) Account suspended

4 iii) No access to cash

5) SAAS still haven't given me my loan.

6) Bumped in to ex. It did NOT go well...

7) Bumped in to other ex. It did NOT go well...

8) Had a car crash

8 ii) My neck hurts

9) Essay due in 2 days time. Haven't started it yet...

So... this week hasn't been great to be honest... Apologies for lack of input into the blogosphere. I am only too aware of how constructive our 'chat' is...

Stay cool, people, and pass the paracetamol...

All For One and One for... Emmm... Me...

2008-10-26T01:16:00.006+01:00

I learnt today that staff at a JCB factory, one of the companies suffering most as a result of the housing bust, voted to cut their hours rather than face large redundancies.

It's very seldom you hear people display such comradeship as those workers did when they voted just hours ago. We saw it after 7/7 and when a whale got lost in the Thames, but solidarity has become much less a central structure of our society, and much more a one- off event.

During the war bread wasn't rationed. You could have as much bread as you liked. You probably couldn't have butter with it, but you could have the bread.

But at the end of the war, once fathers, brothers and friends came back from the beaches of France, the sands of Africa and the islands of the Pacific, we rationed it.

To everyone I tell this to nobody knows why. It seems to make no sense.

But we rationed it so we could feed the German people who were now starving. We fed our enemy when they were most in need.

In this world, never mind our society, there is so much more that unites us than divides us. Not as nations or groups, but as human beings. Now we talk about carbon credits: this strange idea where the rich can buy the right to pollute the earth while the poor can't.

I hope these times of crisis, like many others, will bring us closer together as Scots, as Brits and as people.

At least we now know where his values lie

2008-10-19T22:14:00.003+01:00

Politician? Em... Not so much...

It was with great suspicion that I heard John Loughton, the self proclaimed 'activist' and 'advocate' for young people in Scotland, had announced to be standing in the upcoming Forth by-election in Edinburgh as an independent.

It was always known that John was closely linked to the Lib Dems, and he made no secret of that.

In the Herald in 2007 he said, "I take account of the party as well as the candidate, and the Liberal Democrats are the key party for young people in Scotland".

Within a year, he approached the Labour Party and stated that he was going to stand at the Westminster election for either the Lib Dems or Labour. "Whichever one gives me the better offer," he stated. I know because I was there.

He, on this particular occasion, had his eye on Gavin Strang's seat in Edinburgh East, as at the time it was thought Gavin was standing down.

I wouldn't go for selection for Edinburgh East, and if I did, I wouldn't get it, but I would get behind the candidate that did. I'm sure most would, and it's evident that the vast majority do.

They do it because they believe in the values the party stands for.

They do it for the cause, not the career, and so should he.

John Loughton, after being rejected by both Labour and the Lib Dems, shows that it's not a set of values he believes in. In return, the two parties have shown him that respect, judgement and the ideology of equality and justice can't just be bought by being on a celebrity show.

I heard the other day that MP really stands for 'Man of Principal'. And I like that, because no one can ask more of a man than that, and in politics, we shouldn't expect any less.

Identifying Identity

2008-10-18T13:43:00.004+01:00

If this child's name was James, and he lived in a council house in Sighthill, there would be public outcry across our nation. But he's not. I don't know his name, but he's from Darfur, and suddenly his image and situation become less important to our society. As quick as we are to talk about the moral worth of every child, we are just as quick to turn that vision inward, onto our own dreams, ambitions and idealised identity.

I have had to become used to sometimes having a minority opinion.

My frustration with the increasing celebrity and values of our western culture often angers me, as it looses sight of values which are so terribly important: not just to my socialist values, but to human kind's very existence.

It was reported today that a mother's child is in the care of social services in England after she left him alone in her flat while she went to the shops. (The full story can be found here). She left the hob on, and the fire brigade were called. After breaking in to the house they found the boy alone.

The mother has been arrested for child neglect, and released on bail.

Allow me to clarify that there is no doubt that the mother made a terrible mistake, and put a 2 year old's life on the line, and that this counts as child neglect.

But what makes me angry, and what I feel is a huge injustice, is that the parents of Madeleine McCann were never seriously blamed or held responsible for leaving their 3 children alone in that apartment in Portugal while they dined else where.

Now it pains me to say it, and I have no personal vendetta against the McCanns, nor do I want to put down or discredit any of the work they have done in highlighting abduction and child exploitation around the world. But it is here where a much more serious point is highlighted.

It is our shared identities, and our expectations of others which led the press and the UK to fall into a black hole of sympathy for the McCanns. Had that family been black, who knows whether that sympathy would have been as great.

But what I do know, is that 100 000 missing children are reported every year in the UK, 9000 of which are from Scotland. Looking through the names and pictures of the 27 children listed on the UK Missing Children site who have gone missing in the last year, there's one striking feature: the vast majority are not white.

The slow and dating website seems to be fitting to the names of these children, none of which I had heard of. Maddy McCann was not featured on the list.

Why did the world fall for Maddy?

Because she managed to perfectly encapture our ideal and perfect vision of what we think being British is. I don't think the other children did.

I don't imagine Bashir Ahmed from Peterborough, or Irene Kattah from London managed to raise millions for their campaign. And I know the press didn't give them as much coverage.

But I do believe that their moral worth is no lesser than that of Maddy McCann.

No one needs to say that Maddy McCann is valued more than these other children's names. No one has to. And it makes me very sad, that our shared identity of 'being British', creates a looking glass through which all of our individualism and moral worth are distorted.

...And Tiscali Said, "Let There Be Light", and There Was Light.

2008-10-15T17:23:00.005+01:00

Well Helloooooo.....!!!!

I am delighted to announce that the good people of Tiscali broadband have finally accepted that after a £30 'installation fee', and a £15 line rental charge, it is appropriate that maybe they should stick to their end of the deal, and actually provide my flat mates and I with broadband.

Over the past few weeks, there have been many moments when I craved for this time. This moment where I could share some of my thought with you, and hopefully hear some of yours.

Not blogging for a while has left me with some unwanted free time, which walks hand in hand with really dull activities. On Thursday, I spent 12 mins taking off a pair of washing up gloves. I have come to learn that we as humans are above all else thinkers. We need to be mentally stimulated. So whether you're ruling the world or doing the washing up, great care goes into each detail, and the thought processes of whether you're doing it right or wrong, efficiently or not, are similar, whatever the activity.

I thought it would be a really fun game if we played a bit of catch up, so here are just a couple of things I would have blogged about had my flat, as great as it is, not been stuck in the mid 80s.

1) I have a new radio alarm clock. (It's amazing- it's got an ipod dock and everything...), and on I think it was Wednesday (it's hard to tell what day it is now sometimes...) I woke up to this guy Alex Salmond, who I think is First Minister or something...?? Anyway, he was complaining that the UK Government hadn't given him the £1 billion he'd asked for, which I thought was rather ironic considering the fact that all the SNP have done in the last year is reduce taxes, and Alex has more money than any First Minister of Scotland has had before to spend on whatever he wants.

I think he's just picking fights...

2) Unemployment. The absolute horror of our nation.

What more can a nation be denied of than the hearts and dreams of its own people?

I was also woken up by my radio alarm clock to women's hour on Radio 4 this morning. Apparently the unemployment statistics show a sharp rise in the women in unemployment. It is still not known whether women, who tend to be more flexible, part time workers, will suffer more in the long run than men. One of the healthier trends, not just in our country but globally, has been the rise of women in the work place. To see that progress slip away in these times of difficulty will be very hard.

3) Fred Goodwin.

He resigned.

Excellent news.

I met him once. Wanker.

(Not such great news- he has an estimated pension of around £540 000.)

We are all taking the weight of the economic circumstances, but as usual, the rich are left with choice and opportunity, and pay a disproportionately low price for the loss.

4) I passed a charity shop on my way to uni yesterday. I thought there was a Santa costume in the window. As the windrow parallel to me drew nearer I got more and more excited. But then when the moment came and I passed it, I realised it wasn't. It was just a red coat with a white furry scarf wrapped around it. What a disappointment.

That story had no point what so ever.

5) Nobody knows anything about the church. It was the first organisation to build schools, hospitals, and raise awareness (never mind try to combat) global poverty and disease. People make fun of it an awful lot, and are completely ignorant to the work that it does, despite the fact that it built the foundation for most of the fundamental freedoms we enjoy in society today.

Hurricane Katrina? Christian Aid was there before the US Government (who cares- they were poor black people, right?)

Make Poverty History? It was a Christian Aid campaign, which was quickly adopted by the media and celebrity, and as a result the church and anything to do with Bible- bashing Jesus lovers was firmly aside.

I will certainly blog more about this is the weeks ahead, as it's one of the issues that's rather close to my heart.

Anyway people, I'm off. A quick club session before the presidential debates awaits.

Thanks for your patience. I look forward to hearing from you all again and getting back into reading your blogs (apart from of course Professional's, because he doesn't have one... *haha...!*)

$&(£$(£$"!$*(&?!

2008-10-02T13:05:00.002+01:00

Margaret Thatcher, unfortunately very much alive with power in Scotland and the UK today

One week Salmond says he "didn't mind" Thatcher economics, and a fortnight later Cameron says "Thank God we elected Margaret Thatcher".

I was really really really surprised Cameron said that yesterday, I think it was a politically foolish move... And if I had more than 3 minutes of internet time to comment on it then I would.

Don't say I didn't tell you though...

(Still no internet... May have to start using semaphore. Or Indian smoke signals.)

Home from Home

2008-09-27T18:07:00.003+01:00

Obama, despite remaining refreshingly ambitious and new, has matured as a politician over the duration of the campaign.

I am currently at my mother's house. trying to capitalise on the free food, dish washing, laundry and internet services which are on offer.

It has all been a bit strange leaving work and becoming a student again. Trekking around Tesco and having to buy really dull stuff like Fairy Liquid is I suppose one of the truly hash realities of life, which I once tried to embrace in Dundee studying Social Work but which made me deeply unhappy. I do however feel that this is slightly different. The air of my flat and even that of Tesco's graces me with a slightly warmer prescence. A sense of freedom from the restraints of the narrow corridors of Holyrood and into the ocean of opportunity that is Edinburgh University.

Last night I stayed up until 5 am watching the Presidential debate live from "the best political team on television", through the semi-legal median of my friend Emma's internet.

My fellow viewers and I (one of which was a political researcher to an ex- Minister in the UK Cabinet) failed to come to a definitive agreement on who came off better last night.

I was delighted to hear this morning that Obama polled (just) slightly better than his Republican rival McCain. This was fantastic news for one very good reason: the economy and foreign affairs were at the beginning of this campaign McCain's home turf. He should have owned Obama, but he didn't. Obama presided over questions with an exciting presidential quality, and showed depth of knowledge and presence unseen before.

After the last couple of wins, Scottish football fans may be disappointed with only a draw from a game with France, but we shouldn't be. In this case, as with football, a draw is a fantastic result for Obama.

McCain's insular 'Americanised' answers were lifted out of the debate by Obama's openness and sense of humanity, not just as an American veteran, but as a human being.

Yes we can.

Yes he did.

I think he will.

I HATE TISCALI

2008-09-24T14:43:00.003+01:00

Gordilocks back in the day

Well I should have listened and taken advice... Tiscali suck. I was impressed at the speed and efficiency with which they took all my money and account details off me. I hoped this was evidence of what more there was to come. At this rate my router should have flown through my bedroom door and set itself up before making me a cup of Earl Grey and a sandwich, but as much as it pains me to say it, nothing has happened.

Of course this has made blogging difficult, and I want to sincerely apologise to all you good people out there (and Professional...) who read it regularly and contribute to the debates views which I throw into the cockpit that is blogging chaos.

Well, well done Gordon.

I know I haven't blogged too much on Gordon Brown. If you remember I wrote an article in support of him after our Scottish Labour's Aviemore conference, and since then I haven't really been very sure what to make of him. But yesterday he reminded me why we as a party loved him so much.

He was in a difficult situation yesterday (and I'm not saying that wasn't his fault), and as a result he had to take risks. For those of us hoping for a big policy announcement, disappointment was shared, but it was never going to be an election- esque speech. Something people always loved about Brown was the way in which he never spoke negatively of others. I remember his first speech as party leader only made one reference to the Tories, in a line about opportunity being for all not just for some. But yesterday was different.

He had a few things he needed to do. He had to;

Draw a line between Labour and the Conservatives

Acknowledge that mistakes had been made

Be open and transparent as a person

Reinforce that the action the Government was taking was right

Remind the party and the public why they loved him so much

He achieved all of these things.

He achieved all of these things.

The most important of these the top one. There is a choice at the next election. A clear choice between right and wrong.

He reminded me why I joined the party, and why I am so sick of Scottish political debate. A debate so far withdrawn and disengaged with the actual issues facing society, our great country and our world.

This is about the big boys now.

Uh... Excuses excuses...

2008-09-17T13:47:00.002+01:00

Well I've just started at Edinburgh Uni this week, and unfortunately the internet has not graced our flat yet, so blogging is a bit behind to say the least...

I have phoned the good people of Tiscali who have informed me that my router and cables are on their way, so I should be online in no time.

I was really disappointed about David Cairns resigning from the Government yesterday. I spent a fair bit of time with him in a by election a couple of years ago. Except at the time I had no idea who he was. We spent the day together leafleting and having lunch, then at the end of the day he gave me and my good friend money for fish suppers. Later on that evening people asked us if we knew who he was, and we were like, "Yeh, that's David. You'd like him, he's really cool."

Then they broke the news to me that he was Minister of State for the Scotland Office.

"Ahh... Right..."

A little embarrassing, but encouraging and refreshing too. A really good guy.

Tonsil Tennis

2008-09-08T16:22:00.003+01:00

One of the less visually offensive tonsil tennis moments

There are often phrases used to describe things which become almost cult; usual every day language between us young people, and physical repulsion for our parents. Of course Granny doesn't get it, so it's all good. For me, the worst and most cringe-worthy of these is 'tonsil-tennis', which is used to describe the situation in which two (or I suppose more) people are engaging in an activity which involves tongues and lips and stuff... okokok.... SNOGGING. Yes, snogging.

Now, sad to say, I have not been participating in any such activities, but I have however managed to contract tonsillitis. And it sucks.

It does however beautifully compliment the fact that I got chucked at the weekend, which was hardly surprising considering the fact that she disclosed to me that she was a Tory to me on Friday night. Well, ok, that wasn't the reason, but I guess it's better than none, which was the reason given to me...

I don't think I have any political rants for the day, other than the fact that every time I got a comment on my Salmond's Carbon Footprint story, I felt more right than I did when I wrote it.

Although I would like to thank President Salmond, because my antibiotics only cost £5 rather than the usual £6.75. Cheers, penicillin never tasted so good.

STOP THE PRESS!!! More Gas Comes Out of Salmond Than I Thought!

2008-09-04T16:29:00.005+01:00

Salmond's carbon footprint is almost 6 times the national average

I have always found the First Minister to be a bit of a hypocrite. He speaks of social justice, then slashes taxes and cuts services. He speaks of ability to pay, but his career is based upon a cause which would put all of Scotland's fantastic jobs at risk. And, and arguably most importantly, he speaks of the need to address climate change, but actually has one of the biggest carbon footprints in Scotland.

It didn't take long to go through a few PQs and find some intersting facts...

- From May 2007, to January 2008, the FM took 542 trips in Ministerial car and 0 by train

- One of the only two times the FM has taken the train since being FM was in the USA.

- From just May to November 2007, he racked up 0.93 tonnes of CO2 emissions in his ministerial car alone

- On 24th May 2007, Salmond took a ministerial car from the Parliament to Holyrood Palace

His 98 flying hours which was disclosed was worth, I thought, banging into a wonderous carbon calculator, and it made me a pretty graph...

It told me that even excluding all of Salmond's household or other personal energy, he managed to rack up over 32 tonnes of CO2 emissions, coming in at almost 6 times the national average of 5.5 tonnes, and over 7 times the UK government target of 4.2 tonnes by 2020.

Salmond continues to lead from the top, without his toes ever touching the ground, carrying the message to the people across our great nation, "Do as I say, not as I do".

Glenrothes- a Definition of Attitude

2008-09-02T11:30:00.003+01:00

"Zanna, Don't", is a musical set in a society where being gay is the norm, and heterosexuals are a persecuted minority. It climaxes into a fantastic moment where a boy and girl fall in love and kiss, and the audience feels awkward because they desperately want something gay to happen again. It struck me that if our attitude can be changed in 40 mins, surely it can change in the next 6 weeks.

You know those summer jobs that you hate? You get paid terribly and have to work your arse off day after day, whether hungover or not. I also feel that the Edinburgh festival is slightly responsible as the clubs don't shut until 5 and that as a result some days involved me coming home, having a bath, getting changed and watching tv until work without so much as a wink.

Anyway... my point is... in order to motivate myself and the other dedicated students of Aitken and Niven, the private school uniform shop in Morningside, a poster existed in the staff room which attempted to serve the purpose of motivating us in times of woes and sorrow...

It read something along the lines of...

"For many years athletes had tried to run the four minute mile. Many came close, but none succeeded. John Landy, an Australian runner had come so close, but never made it within that magic four minute mark. He tried and he tried, but lost by tiny seconds which in his heart felt like hours.

But on an Oxford morning in 1954, a young medical student at Oxford University called Roger Bannister, cheered on by thousands, ran the four minute mile.

Just two months later, John Landy succeeded and broke the magic mark.

What changed? His trainers? His track? His running technique? His fitness?

No. His attitude."

Now I don't think my attitude made much of a difference to pricing shorts, or trying to communicate to an Edinburgh Academy mother that if she's had a blazer for a year, broken the zip and kept biscuits in the pockets then it couldn't get replaced, but nevertheless I always remembered what that poster said.

It is our attitude which this upcoming by election is pinned upon.

I don't think the candidate was too much of an issue. The Labour candidate has been of much greater interest and scrutiny than any candidate the SNP have put up, but I don't think that's too important. All 3 candidates in the short list were perfectly qualified, but I fear that whichever one is chosen is being forced to walk a set path in this election. Not a path set by London, but a path created by London. A path created by the attitude which our government has allowed to happen, without making enough of a stand to justify why it was or was not doing what it did.

The attitude we hold of ourselves is what is killing us. It happened in Glasgow and it will happen here unless we change. We need to believe in ourselves again. We need to know that we can do it.

I believe we can, and I think we will.

But then again I'm a little bias... Maybe it's my attitude, right...?

GlasGAY 2008

2008-08-29T16:45:00.004+01:00

A rainbow over the streets of Glasgow

I am pretty gutted that due to a rehearsal tomorrow I am missing this year's gay pride rally and march. I am sure it will be to the mutual relief and forgiveness of the gay community to know that I am in fact missing it because of a rehearsal for a musical. Seriously. And if we can't trigger social, cultural and political change through the median of musical dramatics then how can can we?

I did find it mildly amusing to learn that this year Glasgow and Edinburgh are holding their rallies seperately, due to a feud between the two coasts' organisers... (Now I'm not saying anything, but I bet the popular Republican fundraising annual Texas beard and moustache competition doesn't have to put up with that kind of shit...)

*I jest I jest*

But I do think it's a shame they're not doing it together. Seriously!

So for all you wanting to stand up and speak out with pride and with I am sure a few laughs and good music, they will be meeting...

BLYSTHWOOD SQUARE

Glasgow

11.30 am

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be a guest speaker

Have a great time everybody!

And the winner is...

2008-08-28T13:42:00.003+01:00

YES!

The good people of the blogosphere have spoken, and by a knife- edge win have sent the message that it is healthy that Scotland's political debate is of nothing other than independence.

I love polls. Thank you to all 22 people who took part. 54% of you voted yes, with 45% voting no.

I of course win either way.

- Either people vote 'no' and then I write about how unhealthy it is and how the people don't want it

- Or you, as you did, vote 'yes' and I write an article about how biased this proves the blogosphere to be.

This is obviously means I have to write the second one, but I'll not waste your time...

***Insert rant here***

Are you a man of God, Mr Salmond?

2008-08-26T15:23:00.002+01:00

It seems strange that despite his increasing popularity and his infinite praise for not only his party but himself, we know very little about our First Minister.

While we know that he likes curry, enjoys racing and playing golf, we are yet to find out what his substantial political opinions are. The USA (always good for examples on how NOT to run a country) has issues such as abortion, the death penalty and same sex marriage make up a crucial part of its political debate.

The politics of its society balances out with the sociology of its politics.

But anyway, Mr Salmond has kept his mouth very shut over these crucial issues. I pray that our political arena doesn't become about the above issues (but then again I would never have believed it would become just about independence). However, we know very little about a man who claims to understand us as Scots so much.

Tony Blair, David Cameron, along with half the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet have been expected to answer to calls of if they've smoked marijuana, if they believe it's OK that some kids have two mummies or two daddies and have had to answer to calls for killers and if those who stole Maddie should be hanged.

But it is not only his views which have been unquestioned by the public- his policies have as well.

Following an FOI request, 5 out of 23 local authorities have made direct cuts to services dedicated to reducing suicide, despite the fact that 800 Scots took their own lives last year, and that that figure is on the increase.

From 2001-2007, investment into support services managed to steadily reduce the suicide rate year on year, in contrast to the SNP, who have cut funding for suicide prevention by a third to NHS Highland, who has one of the highest suicide rates in the UK.

Are you a man of God, Mr Salmond? Because this political game you're playing has a real effect on other people's lives.

I couldn't tell you one thing about the person 'Alex Salmond', but I think there are parts of him I am getting to know too well.

Birthday Boy

2008-08-20T15:16:00.008+01:00

This is me enjoying my birthday surprise

Well, that's it, I'm no longer a teenager. It's official. 20 years old today. I do however wish to thank Jacq, who phoned me to wish me a happy birthday this morning, and mentioned that according to the EU I still have 6 more years of being considered a 'young person', which was to my private relief.

I remember consoling a friend whose boyfriend had dumped her over msn (classy, eh...?) the previous evening, when she said to me, "I just never would have believed a 19 year old could regret so much". She was talking about herself that night, but I never forgot what she said, because however people see the youth of today, some of the problems young people face, and the emotions of which they have to deal with, are just as bitter and harsh as anyone else's.

As young as I know I am inside, I can't help but feel that I've learnt a fair bit in my time on this earth, and so I thought I would share some of it with you.

20 Things I've Learnt in the Last 20 Years

1) Your mother is always right

2) Anything goes with vodka

3) Except milk

4) Going out 9 nights in a row makes you feel dodgy

5) If it's how you feel, then it can't be wrong

6) If you're in love with your stunning girlfriend, don't chuck her for someone who resembles a horse

7) If you're really tired and hungover in the morning, still try your best to remember to put on your pants

8) Don't get too involved with politics

9) If you ever go to an organ recital, bring a book

10) If you've gone through life being really talented at the thing you love, for God's sake just do it at uni

11) Social work makes really simple things really complicated

12) Try to keep romances with flatmates to a minimum

13) Any drink can be fizzed in a soda stream

14) Except milk

15) If you think people are wrong, speak up, because they probably are

16) The kind of people who complain about things complain about anything, so what's the point.

17) If you're good at a subject, take it, and don't set yourself a challenge in something you're not good at. You don't get anymore UCAS points

18) Elvis really is the king

19) Don't buy a tux on the way to a club

20) Bad things in life are OK, because without the darkness, we would never see the stars

SNP Running on Oil

2008-08-18T15:21:00.003+01:00

I wouldn't build an entire country's economy on one commodity which fluctuates as much as oil, and nor on which would I choose my government.

After much consideration and also a bit of wishful thinking from my good self, I have come to the conclusion that Labour worrying about the next election is the last thing we should be doing.

I took the liberty of looking up some stats on the SNP's success in recent years. Obviously the most recent breakthrough in the polls has been the fact that voting intentions indicated an SNP lead over Labour (YouGov for Daily Telegraph, 33% to 29%). While it was rather... emm.... 'annoying'... it also did just remind me how short term polls can be. Labour were of course ahead in Scottish Westminster voting intentions a year ago (YouGov for Sunday Times, 40% to 31%), and we had strong long-term sustainable policies which weren't as 'headline grabbing'. They were tougher and less glamorous, and were not strategically put in place to serve another purpose.

This boom and potential bust of the polls made me feel this was symbolic of the politics each party represents.

SNP= like a pop song- catchy, cheap and cheerful. Like your sister's Spice Girls CD you listen to when she's not in. (Or is that just me...?)

Labour= we actually built schools and hospitals. It wasn't as catchy and took longer, but we did it because we didn't just have one political aim. Social justice is like walking around the world- you never come to the end, even if you have to go back to the beginning.

The polls are up for the SNP, but their politics is like the commodity they talk too much about- oil. It is finite and is completely unsustainable. I wouldn't rest a whole economy on any one thing as unstable as oil, in the same way I wouldn't leave a pop song on repeat, even if it's good to listen to once in a while.

Yesterday my friend Carla had a moan to me about no schools being rebuilt.

The political stagnation we're living in will catch up with the SNP sooner or later. The boom and bust politics will make way for a renewed Labour Party of stability and growth.

I just pray that day comes before a referendum on independence.

Social Work Don't Work for Me

2008-08-14T18:12:00.002+01:00

I have promised a good friend of mine (and an even better friend of my good friend Pies, if you know what I mean...) that I would blog about something I went through life never knowing enough about. "Everything" I hear you cry? Well, no, just social work.

I was, like we all were, a person who left school wanting to get stuck right into the very heart of people, and the very heart of society. I had always loved working with vulnerable people, and studying social work at university seemed like a good idea at the time. The truth was, and continues to be, that I always wanted to study music, but I was told that as a singer my voice wasn't mature enough. Well, now I can hardly sing a note without it hurting, and I haven't performed for 2 years. I would have thought that social work required more maturity.

It's quite remarkable how little attention social work and care gets by governments and the press. Whatever happens to the NHS or the slightest change in the routine of our schools manages to grasp the public's attention, but as with most things, and sadly more so over the last year of SNP cuts, the most vulnerable people within our society have been cleared to make way for the middle-class masses.

It didn't take long for me to realise that I was very small for the world of social work. On placement I would sit in a secure room facing a drug addicted father with an illegitimate child who couldn't afford the bus fare home, and I was the one, I, that public school 18 year old boy from Edinburgh, who had to pretend I understood his situation, and that I could in some way represent him in the path that lay ahead.

One of the things that angers me so much about nationalism, is that I feel it has adopted our public debate, when the real line of politics lies between charity or justice.

Conservatives believe that acts of good will are to made on a charitable basis, while Labour believe that acts of ensuring people have health care, equal opportunities and representation are acts of justice.

Maybe the reasons I chose social work were too selfish. I thought I would be good at it would see the light in dark situations, but I never did, because so often there was no light or goodness to be seen.

Society is sometimes like me at the gym- I spend a lot of time on the weights and machines that I'm good at because it makes me feel good and that I am achieving, when actually I should be training on the machines which I find hardest, because that makes me stronger. Maybe social work for me was just too hard a machine.

I think our country needs to turn its head an awkward angle, and start to pay attention to the world of social work and front line care.

Salmond Sits Out

2008-08-11T11:11:00.003+01:00

Linda Fabiani was the last hope at filling the seat from a Scottish Minister, but she declined hours before the curtains parted

The opening of the International Edinburgh Festival at the Usher Hall, the Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, was all set to be an outstanding event, with millions of pounds worth of tickets for the Festival having been sold in advance.

However, the Director of the Festival, Jonathan Milne, received a cancellation from an important guest so late that he couldn't find a replacement, despite desperate last-minute calls to other Scottish Cabinet members. First Minister Salmond, whose seat lay empty for the show which featured the RSNO, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and musicians and actors from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, apparently called Mr Milne late on Thursday afternoon, with no notable excuse, despite appearances from Cabinet member Des Browne and ex Lord Provost Lesley Hinds among others.

Among some of the more senior guests, Salmond's absence was described as "shocking".

This seemed to go against Salmond's claim to love Scottish arts and culture, and raises questions over his enthusiasm for Scottish events which are not purely his own.

His lack of presence certainly didn't stop the other guests from having a good night, and as long as we don't have to see him in a leotard and tights then I think I'll be OK...

The Politics of Politics

2008-08-10T16:12:00.008+01:00

The Trojan Horse was given as a gift from the Greeks to the city of Troy, but it was full of Greek soldiers who invaded the city, and is known as one of the worst tales of deception of all time

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of politics there is within life itself. Far from the narrow corridors of claustrophobic Holyrood, and the often inward looking people who breed within them, lies a world engulfed in more depth in its politics than any parliament could ever hold.

The recent news of the SNP government giving an additional £190 000 to an organisation set up and run by an SNP candidate and former researcher to Salmond, in addition to the £210 000 given to them in March, didn't really come to me as a surprise.

People talk of conspiracy and lying, and while they are absolutely true, I can't help myself but avoid using those terms, because labelling people in those ways almost gives them too much credibility. It makes people think there must be great minds behind the political machine that they are, when actually that's wrong, because the party, from the supporters to the Councillors and MSPs, clearly don't have that great minds behind them, because if they did then they wouldn't support independence. Or maybe I'm mistaken, because according to them not all of them do support independence, right...?

There are so many times the Labour Party criticise the SNP for nothing other than the sake of conflict, and I don't believe we should be doing that, because it discredits the times we complain with real validity, like now.

If you cry foul every time somebody says something you don't agree with, or further than that, says something that you don't want other people to like, then it takes the pack out of the punch you throw when things really are wrong and you do find yourself on the side of justice.

Let's see the defence of the SNP, shall we?

-It's George Foulkes wasting more taxpayers' money.

(I'll blog some of the fabulous motions the SNP put round the Parliament if you want to see them, and then they can argue who wastes tax payers' money)

-Another cheap attack by Labour??

That's about it.

This one, I think folkes, is justified. Fuelling your own interest groups is an absolute disgrace.

One Muslim SNP supporter said, "The Government should be supporting many other organisations who are also vying for the Government's attention... People are very upset about it."

I think this proves why the SNP can't be trusted. They exist for no other reason than the cause of independence, and it is becoming increasingly clear that they will do anything to get it.

The politics of politics is more pathetic than the SNP's existence itself, and I am so sorry that the Labour Party has allowed this to be the centre of Scotland's political debate.

We All Have Our Shadows

2008-08-07T11:54:00.005+01:00

Heath Ledger as 'the Joker' was inspiring and stunning

I noticed that Scottish Tory Boy reviewed the recent Batman film on his blog, and after him and several others being particularly impressed by it I felt compelled to go and see it yesterday. I should probably apologise to Emma, Carla and Lara, me and Pies' good girlfriends who after our dinner got dragged to Batman without 'Angus, Thongs and Snogging' even being given so much as a consideration. (Lara also stated she was considering a career in social work, something which I promised her I would blog about and which I intend to do).

The part of Two- Face who only appeared late into the film and whose character sadly lay undeveloped, was clear symbolism of a character which lies within every one of us. The film's dark depth carried with it the undercurrent of the lives of the people who watched it. The film was centered around a man's fight for justice in a city ridden with criminals and poisoned by conspiracy. But when he loses the thing closest to him, he realises that he either must 'die a hero or live long enough to become the villain'.

For those of us involved in politics we often find ourselves in moral dilemmas along the path of what we can only believe to be social justice. Two- Face had a coin he tossed. Both sides heads, but one shiny and one dark and scarred. He judged people's fate by tossing the coin. A strange concept of which to decide whether a person should live or die within a civilised society, but for Two-Face it was real justice. He gave people the same chance that he had been given in his life. 50-50.

Although perhaps the biggest irony and the real Two-Face of the film is Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker with outstanding concentration and depth. Just weeks before he died he spoke in interviews of being physically exhausted due to the energies he put into the character. This forced him to take the medication which in the end killed him. An ironic situation in which the thing that made him most alive cost him his life, and further than that, the Joker was his shadow. He didn't look to others for his character of the Joker, but looked deep within himself. That was the beauty of his part, and the beauty of an absolutely stunning film.

Google Analytics

2008-08-06T11:16:00.006+01:00

Me and Pies installing Google Analytics

Today I am delighted to announce that I have installed yet another computer programme I can't spell.

I have heard that 'Google Analytics' allows you to see how many people go onto your site and where in the world they have come from, which I think is pretty interesting. It also displays how long people spend on your site, and so it should give me an idea as to what people enjoy reading etc.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my friend Pies, who helped me 'source and edit the code' (**WTF**?!) I needed to install this.

My line graph has informed me that no fewer than 9 whole people have visited my site today, each spending almost 3 minutes on my site. That's almost half an hour of reading time, which is longer than Rangers spent in the European Cup, so I don't think I'm doing too badly.

Happy Birthday Credit Crunch!

2008-08-05T17:46:00.003+01:00

The Credit Crunch has forced us all to scale back on cake

It's important that we as human beings ask ourselves, that with all of our technological and financial advance, have we as people really improved?

There are certainly arguments to say we have. Our health care for example is greatly improved by new medicines and greater knowledge of the body, and our awareness of events around the world is aided by television and greater transparency. However, for as long as I can remember we as people have been advancing advancing advancing. My ipod's gotten smaller, and my computer faster. I expect for my standard of living to improve with that expectation, and can't envisage a situation in which one of them is left behind.

But the problem with the 'credit crunch' is that that very growth, that very improvement, is not by any means stopping, but is just slowing down a bit. Our lives are not getting worse, but our pace of getting better and bigger and more and more is slowing, and by our very nature we see this as a complete disaster.

I just wanted to send a message to ya'll on the anniversary of what has been reported more than the genocide taking place in the world, to not worry, because it remains that being British and being in the economic situation that we're in, remains a fantastic blessing and wonderful stroke of luck.

Scouting for Boys (ahh... a classic...)

2008-08-04T14:12:00.012+01:00

Me in my younger Scouting days

Well I got back from Scout camp on Saturday, so haven't done any posts recently. Not that it's a huge issue, because to be honest I haven't had a lot to say... I also want to clarify that I am actually a leader, and not 9, or indeed a Girl Guide. I was on this thing called Festival Camp, which was made up of about 700 people from all around the world, and each sub-site was a famous festival (ie Christmas and St Patrick's Day). It was strange meeting people who'd never even heard of Alex Salmond. It highlighted to me how little Scotland really is in the big wide world, and how unionism makes us stronger. (OK, it didn't, but I just felt like I should say something political. I actually just thought about sleep and hot meals.)

I really did surprise myself by how much I got emotionally involved in Glasgow East. I didn't think I cared as much as I ended up caring, and after last Thursday I think spending a week in a field without so much as a Metro in sight was a really good thing for me. Sometimes it takes something exceptional and out of the ordinary to put life in a very real and brutally simple perspective. The bitter truth is that feeling distant from politics was a good thing. This week, this year?- I don't know, but it felt like a cool summer breeze.

Sometimes we are too busy looking ahead, focusing on worry and concern for the future, that we miss the things right in front of us.

The Labour Party needs something new to promise people. The SNP ran a whole campaign on change and 'sending a message to Westminster' which always goes down with voters, especially at by- elections, but which doesn't actually do society any good. What struck me this week is that we as political geeks spend more time arguing amongst ourselves than trying to help the people we claim to want to represent.

Instead of Labour trying desperately to keep its head above the water, I wish we could just take a deep breath and go under to try and untie some of the knots that are keeping us there.

Panic and fear release very unhealthy parts within people, which is so ironic, because it is at times like these in which we need most to work together.

This isn't about Alex Salmond or David Cameron, it's about us.

That's another thing I missed, apparently there's some leadership contest thing going on. Sounds very exciting... Haven't decided who I'll support yet. Is Tony standing...???

"Things Can Only Get Better..." (for Labour- just incase you didn't get that...)

2008-07-25T14:25:00.003+01:00

Bugger.

Now I don't know if it was the copious amounts of Red Bull I'd had to drink, or the aching butterflies that were rocking my stomach, but I struggled to sleep last night, I really did.

The drive back to Edinburgh at 3 o'clock this morning was difficult. The announcement that John Mason had gotten 365 more votes than Margaret kept playing on my mind, like a song you hate that's on repeat in your head which you just can't stop.

I should start by congratulating him. He's not a bad man at all, and I am sure he'll be an effective MP for the people of Glasgow East. But for God's sake, Labour losing Glasgow East??

I guess that's our problem; it was always Labour and we took it for granted. When an SNP car tooted and gave the finger to me as I staggered with a heavy heart out of the pub, to put it mildly I was pretty 'annoyed'... Yes we let down Margaret and our party, but I also felt a profound sense of guilt that despite the fact the east end of Glasgow is like night and day to what it was in the late 90's, we hadn't done as much as we could have done or as much as we should have for the people who lived there.

There's no doubt in my mind that Nationalism is not what the people of Glasgow East need, and that the cause of the Labour Party is greater than any cause on which the SNP stand. However, it was them who decided, and them who spoke out. And we really need to listen to that.

We need clearer promises for people, and greater clarity on the direction of our 'moral compuss'.

However, the fact remains, that without a Scottish leader and with the most unpopular gevernment since 1918, it was always a bad time to have a by-election.

Independent Schools- Charity or Greed?

2008-07-14T14:41:00.004+01:00

I have been wanting to blog for a while for what to me is a highly emotive issue. Sometimes when you sit on the fence it's not because you don't have an opinion on the matter, but because there are two massive forces, existent only within your mind, pulling you in two different directions. The charitable status of independent schools is for me one of them. Each side of the argument represents a large chunk of who I am. I both love and hate them at the same time.

It's a cruel dilemma for me, made even more harsh by the fact I was indeed at one of the UK's top private schools. At times like these I wish I was a Tory. It makes moral problems a lot less complicated; you just always pick the selfish one. Unfortunately my conscience puts things in a much deeper perspective. I have always been rather confused over who I am socially. I was never a sk8er (yeh- that's how you spell it...), goth, rugby guy or geek. But further than that, I was neither rich nor poor. While I was at a top fee- paying school, my father was a minister of the church in one of Edinburgh's poorest areas. I spent every Tuesday night of my life growing up with the kids in my dad's church's area. None of them had a lot. I always remember as a very young boy wondering why their hands were always dirty and their hair never combed. Games with them outside in the local area consisted of playing in abandoned garages and among the broken glass of the broken- into cars. The next morning I was back at school, with a £100 blazer, crisply ironed shirt, polished shoes and woolen socks pulled up to my knees. My friends and activities throughout the week were always quite different than they were on a Tuesday night, but never better or worse.

Those children were there at the Church's charity. One time several years ago one of those children broke into the Church. All they got away with was a couple of bottles of wine. The silver and valuables were either in the bank or locked in another room, but not that it matters. Whether they took a box of crayons or a silver communion set, the damage was done before they left. Using a foot print in playdough they had dropped on the floor, they found who did it. I'm not saying the actions of one of those kids reflected in any way what all of them would have done, but in some way it shaped a lot of my politics.

My father gave evidence in court; not against them, but for them, and advocated for them not to be punished. And it was that which shaped my politics more than I could ever imagine.

What does this have to do with private schools?- well, having a mother who was a musician, I'd been shown to have musical talent at a very young age, and my local state school which didn't even offer music at the time was not acceptable to my parents, and so I went to a private school with its own music department. After time the fees went up, and my parents faced the realisation that they were going to have to take me out. But my school were keen to keep me, and so I received money donated by others within the school to pay for my school fees. They didn't know who I was, and I didn't know their names, but they gave and donated without question or judgement, without expectation or condition, and I will always be eternally grateful for the burden they carried, and the person they helped me become. I was there by their charity, and I came to love my school. And yes I hated aspects of it. I didn't deserve it any more than any one else, but it was delivered in a way which didn't narrow opportunity but indeed widened it.

I guess I wrote all this today because I wanted you all to know that I am thinking about it. I haven't made up my mind yet, and I don't know if I ever will. I love my school, but I hate some of the things it represents.

Charitable status is nothing, really. The rich will always have choice and greater opportunity when it comes to education, even if you banned private schools. But the fact for me remains, that it takes more than just one ideological argument to close down a truly wonderful and loving educational institution; a place which showed me more charity than I have ever seen in any other part of society.

Back from France... and I brought some luggage...

2008-07-11T13:10:00.006+01:00

Yesterday I returned from a well earned holiday. (Well, a holiday anyway...)

One of my favourite films is Chicken Run. A Boxing Day is never quite the same without it. When the lead chicken has been found trying to escape he is thrown in to solitary confinement to the horror and shared concern of the other chickens on the farm.

"Has he gone on holiday?" innocently asked one of the mothering chickens, as she looked over her knitting needles and thread.

"Nooo, Babs, he's gone into solitary confinement!" responded an extremely concerned comrade, her eyes filled with the fear of the unknown.

"Well," commented Babs, the pace of her needles remaining unaffected by the news, "It's nice to get a bit of time to yourself."

I've always thought Babs was absolutely right. Whether it's forced as it was in the poor chicken's case, or it was chosen as it was in mine, time to yourself oppresses you with nothing other than freedom itself. It's not very often I am unable to get to a newspaper or computer, but in this last week I have been, and it has forced me to think about the reasons I do what I do, and say what I say.

I heard about Wendy's resignation the day I left, and only learnt of Nichol Stephen's departure yesterday, and having had a week with no politics to worry about, I really don't mind.

There's no doubt that Wendy was unfairly forced to resign, but what has emerged from this mud, which is now crystal clear, is that the politics of politics have for too long been drowning our Parliament and public interest and debate.

I have lost interest. I struggle to care enough about what's happening in Holyrood. I care about poverty, justice, the third world, climate change, equality, and I can't remember the last time any of these issues were part of my day, part of my thoughts or part of my political concerns or realistic aims. Our party's been on the back-foot for too long now to remember the reasons we were here. And that's not completely our fault. It's a little, but not all.

It was just last week while visiting the Normandy beaches to fuel some of my deep interest in history, my Dad and I stumbled across one of the greatest places I have ever visited. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial was simply awesome, and I can't remember the last time I truly meant that word.

The white crosses and St David stars (for the Jewish fallen soldiers) are arranged in such a way so they are in lines and perfect rows from every angle you look at them. Officers and Privates lie side by side, and for those whose nameless bodies were found, the engraving reads, 'Here rests in honored glory, a comrade in arms, known but to God'. Behind the stunning coliseum stands a curved wall covered with names of those people whose bodies were never found. However, on the Western side of the memorial colonnade lies an inscription of President General Eisenhower, 'To these we owe the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live'.

The time to myself was important, especially this summer, as it became increasingly clear that none of this difficult our party faces really matters. It is not a time of problems, but a time of opportunity. Because through all this, our values and the ideologies of this party should not be lost, but indeed found.

Andrew Burns - Labour Group Leader

2008-06-25T16:16:00.003+01:00

I recently had the great opportunity to meet with Andrew, and speak to him about the new plans he will bring in as leader of the Labour group in the City of Edinburgh Council.

Quite often in politics, and especially in the Labour Party over the last year, we are lost in a jungle of self-fulfilling targets and ambitions. We rarely take a step back to look at what we have achieved, what we wish we had done differently, and, most importantly, decide what we want to do in the future.

It has been our lack of ambition which remains our downfall. We lost an election because of it last May, and we shall lose a far more important election because of it in the next couple of years unless we change fast and strong. I have heard it mentioned by activists in the party that a bit of opposition would be 'good for us'. It may force us to return to our values and reflect on what matters for us as a party, for us as a society. But I don't think they could be more wrong. Opposition has been rotten for us over this past year in Scotland. It's resulted in a lack of aim, direction, and drive. However, some people manage to keep it going in the right direction, and make the best out of the cruel situation we've got. Andrew is one of those.

On talking to him last week he made a few key points.

1) He congratulated Ewan for being a great Council leader, leaving it £50 million in the black, and also a good opposition leader in the Council, ensuring that we kept up the fight against poverty and prejudice even in opposition. (In fact, it wasn't that long ago the SNP/Lib Dem coalition was close to breaking...)

Now, these are the important points...

2) He had a good (and well deserved) blow at people like me who just can't get over the fact we are in opposition. The problem is, you see, I resent it. I hate it. We deserved to lose the election, we did, we did, and it PAINS me to say it, but it's true. We just shouldn't have lost it to this lot. I have struggled to view opposition as an opportunity, as I have always seen it as a problem. And it can be good for us. Under him it will be.

GET OVER IT MATT, COME ON!

3) He will make changes.

Change is always good. Change for change's sake serves some good purposes. I will always remember Bill Clinton giving a speech at Labour Party Conference a couple of years ago when he said, "Our question should never be 'should we change?', but instead, 'how can we change?'". I think he was right, and I think Andrew's will nail that change. He grasps the idea that change should not be fundamental, but more of a constant evolution.

4) HE WANTS TO "ENJOY" HIMSELF!!!

Isn't that a refreshing thing to hear?!

He said that of course standing up for the poor and vulnerable is a serious matter (in fact, the very core of our existence), he wants Edinburgh Labour to be a place of fun and laughter. I can't say pleasure has been one of the principal outputs of the Labour Party to me personally or indeed any other members or activists, but I want it to be. It should be.

I have every faith that this man will lead us back into power, and that there are lessons to be learnt by us all from his optimism and strength. I wish him the very best of luck, and while I will always stand out against anything I believe to be wrong, he has my support, the support of the party, and indeed the support of the people of Edinburgh.

Carry On Government...

2008-06-20T15:39:00.004+01:00

I was never a real fan of the Carry On films for the same reasons I've never been a fan of this government. It was a film that for me symbolised a Big Mac meal; cheap and cheerful; a moment of pleasure and appeal, but no real substance. People would eat fewer Big Macs if they had any idea what was in them. One's good occasionally, and probably won't make a difference on your long term health. But a diet made up entirely of them?- then you've got a problem. You're running on empty.

In just this week 6 Ministers have quite rightly been publicly criticised for the way they have conducted themselves. Now maths was never my strong point. A 1-1 in Standard Grade was my one- way ticket out of the maths corridor and to a 5th year of interest, but that's one Minister a day of this working week.

Nicola Sturgeon I may well not waste my time explaining, but she knew about the out break of C- Diff at the Vale of Leven Hospital and didn't report it as she should have done to Parliament and relevant officials. And what she did do, she did too slow. Labour were talking about it before the SNP were, and as from what was revealed by Anabel Goldie, it is pretty clear that Salmond nor Sturgeon, who was frantically whispering briefs in his ear throughout, obviously didn't know enough.

And now, I am NOT a happy chappy with Kenny MacAskill at the moment. The SNP's messages on drinking have been bizarre to say the least. We've seen tax on drink go both up and down (although I completely appreciate the difference between 10 year old malt and Buckfast), so maybe that's not such a good point... But raising the current buying of alcohol to drink at home age to 21?! PLEASE DON'T!

How am I supposed to drink before I go...eh... drinking?

I do feel this is definitely the wrong way forward, and I will protest against any proposition to raise any age when it comes to alcohol purchasing or consumption.

The Transport Minister, Stewart Stevenson, failed to clarify any plans for retaining the current pensioner transport scheme, and after the bus fares in Edinburgh rose 10p despite the fact Gordon Brown gave Salmond £7.5 million to offset the rise in fuel cost, the pensioners of Scotland deserve and need that reassurance.

Culture Minister Linda Fabiani was roundly criticised for her mishandling of the passage of the government's Creative Scotland Bill and Schools Minister Maureen Watt was attacked for abandoning the SNP's commitment to class sizes of 20 in S1/S2 English and Maths. *This, I would like to add, was one of the KEY pledges of the SNP at the May election 2007. Like most of their pledges, it disappeared as soon as they realised they might actually have to do it.

And, just to top it all off (I've lost count now of how many Ministers have guffed up this week- remember what I said about maths...?) John Swinney, Scotland's future Chancellor of the Exchequer the Nats would like to think of him as, had tax plans which were this week rubbished by the CBI (people who actually know what they're talking about...)

Oh goodness, you can tell it's a Friday. I'm knacked.

Ya'll have a good weekend now, and think about what I told you...

A Positive Start for Every Child

2008-06-12T15:43:00.005+01:00

Recently, Scottish Labour launched the consultation document, A Positive Start for Every Child, which struck me as fundamentally Labour. And I love it.

LOVES LOVES LOVES...!

OK, so, our great leader, Wendy Alexander, and our fabulous education and children spokesperson, Rhona Brankin, decided that this time in opposition could be used as an opportunity. An opportunity to ask people what they want for their children. Unlike the National Conversation, we haven't concluded before the debate has begun. We intend on listening to the working families of our great nation, who recognise the real freedoms of life are child care and education, and who realise that true independence for people is not in the form of building borders up, but indeed taring them down.

There are several areas the Labour Party are wishing to cover under the umbrella issue of children and families, including safer play areas and wider access to green spaces for our children, in line with the Forestry Commission and children's organisations, nursery places for the most vulnerable two year olds, because under Labour no child will be left behind, and dialogue between schools and parents as to how to ease the transition between nursery and primary school.

There are also more sensitive issues which the consultation is hoping to cover, including respite care for vulnerable families and government funding for carers having short breaks. A Charter of Support for families will be drawn up by families themselves through this consultation, and will create a greater level of understanding between government and carers over what is expected of each.

The people of Scotland will also help a future Labour government in their creation of a network of family learning centres providing childcare, parenting skills, and guidance on parents getting back into work.

An issue which has grasped many families recently across Scotland and the United Kingdom has been that of emotional well being. I have heard it said that there's nothing worse than living with a mental disability, and the second worst thing is living with someone who has a mental disability. A Labour government would be committed to ensuring that emotional well being will play a more prominent role in any health care and education setting, and it will be parents who will make the recommendations on how that should be done.

I am proud to stand by these proposals, as I feel that within this document is so much of what the Labour Party stands for, and it is with much regret that we have been lowered to the level of debate that we have seen in the Scottish Parliament in the last year.

To contribute to A Positive Start for Every Child, please contact children@labourlistening.org.uk

A Nationalist Conversation

2008-06-10T16:52:00.004+01:00

When the SNP were elected last May, they claimed to want to start a 'national debate'. There is no debate to be had with nationalism, because their very existence is based solely on the fact that the debate for them over whether Scotland should stay in the union or not has already been concluded. I wouldn't form a political party whose only policy was to paint Edinburgh purple to then get elected and open it up to debate on whether it should be purple, or maybe blue or pink instead. The national conversation is one of the biggest wastes of public money I have seen, and I have seen a fair bit in the last year.

It was announced today that despite it costing the tax payer £48 000 to print copies 'Choosing Scotland's Future', they have sold a mere 262. At least John Grisham can sleep in peace knowing that it probably won't knock his next thriller. But for the rest of us, it's not quite as rosy. This figure is for me symbolic of what this government's priorities are, and when it comes down to it, people really aren't interested.

Personally, I love the website. I love it how some of you Nats out there (many of whom will be reading this) leave your comments about 'burning the Union Jack' and do nothing but rant rant about how we get completely ripped off by the 'land of milk and honey', because you do my job for you; it makes your whole party seem stupid, and silences those within it who genuinely do want what's best for Scotland, and who want to take part in a constructive debate. The Nationalist conversation is so over run by the for-mentioned 'nasty bloggers' that it completely undermines the whole thing, even if it is nationalist propaganda paid for by public funds.

Parliamentary Questions opened up some interesting facts;

1) Three people are employed full time to run the National Conversation.

2) The voluntary sector has received £87 000 to facilitate it (despite the fact that so many voluntary organisations are being forced to close).

3) The website's regulations are in line with the 'blogging convention'. (A trusty document if ever there was one...)

It is impossible for the SNP to show as much interest to anything else other than Independence, because they simply do not care. Take a look.

Any schools built? NO

Any hospitals built? NO

Any support for voluntary organisation? NO

Any support for students? NO

Any support for first time buyers? NO

Any support for the disabled? NO

Any drive to build up resentment with England and stir up racism? YES YES YES...

We are now living in political stagnation. If you think the £1 you paid to cross the Forth Road Bridge was Scotland's biggest problem and injustice you were wrong. Politics is hard, it's tough, and it's about time the SNP realised that they're no longer a party in opposition, but a party in government.

A Walk to Remember...

2008-06-09T16:38:00.005+01:00

Alex Salmond and Bertie the walrus

I do remember recently reading an "in-depth" interview in the Church of Scotland's magazine 'Life and Work' with Alex Salmond. The picture on the front made him look cheery in a warm and friendly kind of way. If you were to have shuvved two pens in his top lip he'd have done a cracking impression of a great big happy walrus. I like that. It's cute. (Do not fear, I shall stay well- clear of the many fish jokes I could insert if I felt so inclined.) But the interview, a disappointing read for many reasons, was cut short because the FM needed to have a sandwich. I paused and stopped breathing for a second or two as I flicked back to the front cover and thought to myself, "Do you really think he needs another sandwich...?!" It really upset me.

And so i was delighted that George Foulkes recently invited him for a walk down the High Street of Edinburgh to meet and greet constituents. This of course came after Alex quite unfairly said "If George Foulkes bothered to see his constituents..." at FMQ's last week, despite the fact that that very morning George had met dozens of them at the protest to keep creches open. I understand why the Nats have a problem with George. It's because he is a political threat to the Nationalists, proved by the fact the SNP have a go at him at every possible opportunity. However, one thing he certainly can't be blamed for is meeting his constituents.

When was the last time Alex met his?

I doubt he'd meet many in his Ministerial car which he takes rather than walk 200 yards... What does that say about a person? How arrogant is that??? That's what upsets me most about it. He never answers a question in the chamber, and he never takes a walk on his own or uses public transport. Is it because he's scared? Jack McConnell would regularly walk into town, so security isn't an issue.

I think it's an awful shame that people who put themselves up and up so much don't actually like themselves. They love causes and people to compensate for not actually loving themselves. It's really sad and I see it so much in him.

He never takes responsibility. Never takes account.

I hope he takes a walk with George. I think he could do with seeing just a bit for what life is actually like for people.

When will he noticed that people aren't 'freed' with nationalism, but with education and health care? They're the real challenges, the real borders.

I would love to see the day this walk happens, as long as it doesn't lead to a jogging club. I'd hate to have to see them both in spandex...

Bring on the day when Alex puts his feet on the real ground. The ground of people. The ground of reality. The ground of Scotland.

Obama for President

2008-06-05T12:52:00.004+01:00

Look how big he is. He's actually leaning on the building behind him. I think this is symbolic. I also now know what love feels like.

Was it just me that noticed it was neck and neck until the 'Scotland for Obama' Rally and t shirts swung into action?

I know those super-delegates had their eyes on Edinburgh when it came to the final few weeks. In fact, I think Kez was a super delegate...

I am absolutely delighted with what we've been hearing from America over the last few hours. The time for change has come, and I'm delighted I and others from different parties got to play a small part in that happening.

Coming to the End of the Line

2008-06-03T17:02:00.003+01:00

It's been a long and winding road, sometimes obstructed with those who for no other reason than their own glory looked to their side instead of looking forward. But it appears, ever increasingly, that the race is over, and the true battle has begun.

I don't think these Primaries have been good for the Democrats. They have historically been a party in America whose dreams and ambitions out weigh their ability to win elections and commit to doing what so many of them passionately believe. In Britain, we always manage to have a leadership contest based on positive change and ambition. Look at the Liberals or Conservatives for instance; each candidate was able to stand up and be proud of their self nomination without criticising the other candidates. (I shall now wait with anticipation until some keen bean Nationalist leaves a comment along the lines of "I didn't see Gordon Brown competing in a leadership contest".....) I simply can't wait...

Hillary Clinton would make an outstanding President of the United States, she really would. However, it seems as though she will stand down by the end of the week, and pass the stage on to Barack Obama, who I believe holds the key to change and a new America.

I'm Back, Baby!

2008-06-02T16:38:00.004+01:00

Look at how happy these children are that I'm back to blogging...

Well it just didn't feel right being away for so long, so here I am. For no other reason than lack of time and energy I was away, and I've decided I'm now back for more political, and some times a little personal, debate.

I wouldn't think it's fair to describe blogging as a great vent for anger. It feels like that sometimes, but it's not, it's much better. It gives me an opportunity to build my day the way I see fit; The way I see fit to govern a country or our moral conscience, and I miss it when it's not around.

Please leave comments and bring new and old people onto the site. You never know, you may even enjoy yourself... Actually, probably not, but you know...

'Tartan Tories.' More than just a soundbite.

2008-04-23T17:12:00.006+01:00

We all have our shadows

I've never known true Home Rule. Not true Nationalism. I'm sickeningly young and good looking. I'm out enjoying myself along with my fellow hoody wearing, crack smoking, abnormally offensive friends. I'm almost a real grown up now and have a job. But due to all this malarcky and carry-on I did as a teenager, the arguments made by Nationalists to vote Nationalist are the ones I read today. They're not yesterday's arguments of oil or lack of voice; in 20 years we'll have no oil, and with a Scottish Parliament we do have a voice.

For me, the SNP are nothing more than their last manisfesto, which was very impressive, and their delivery of it, which has not been such fun...

Parties do change. Maybe not fundamentally change, but they certainly adapt.

In politics, one of the secrets success is the instruction to 'Talk right, act left". Speak of competition, act on cooperation. Speak of entrepreneurialism, act on equality. Speak of choice, act on no child being left behind. However, the SNP have been speaking left and acting right. That is a dangerous tack.

People speak of Labour scare-moungering. Scare moungering?!

The Edinburgh Cyrenians- £28 000 cut

The Scottish Refugee Council- £10 000 cut

Capital City Partnership- £15 000 cut

Gorgie Dalry Partnership- £15 000 cut

The list goes on...

These are real cuts happening to real people. Not just people of this country, but the most vulnerable members of our society.

They really are Tories hidden by a Scotland flag and a see you Jimmy hat.

Poems, Prayers and Promises

2008-04-18T17:02:00.002+01:00

Almost a year into government, and the people of Scotland have seen nothing but cheap rhetoric and lies.

Tartan Tories. Nothing more, nothing less.

1) "1000 more police officers." If found please return...
2) "Labour's school building programme matched brick for brick." Nice soundbite- I like it. Symbolism, with the bricks. Get it? Brick to brick?? Bricks?? Get it...??? Told you it was good. Shame not one's been built yet.
3) "Dump student debt." I am waiting in great anticipation...
4) "First time buyers a £2000 grant." Cheque or credit card- whichever you prefer.
5) "Class sizes reduced to 18 in the first 3 years of school." But they're sooo cute! How could you say no to that?!

They are a farce of a government. And many arrived into government with good intentions, I really do believe that. I wonder what the lefties of their party think like Bill Kidd or Alec Neil? No wonder they're never in the chamber- all couried up in a corner like a scared puppy.

An unaccountable government. Responsibility escapes them.

SNP Councillor Proposes Bed Tax

2008-04-11T11:52:00.003+01:00

SNP Councillor, Tom Buchanan, thought it would be a good idea to introduce a tax on hotel beds, in a desperate bid to help meet the increasing financial crisis of Edinburgh Council.

The "Tartan Tourist Tax" has been slammed by Labour's Tourism spokesman, Lewis MacDonald, who said that our struggling and declining hotels needed an added tax "like a hole in the head".

Charming! But fair enough.

What is this 'Government's' problem with identifying problems and solutions to the real issues facing our country? The Herald reported a decrease of 1.3% in hotel occupancy in Edinburgh compared to this time last year. It is at times like this that we need to invest further into our sectors, and not kick them while they're down.

This month it may just be hotel owners who pay the price. But with a tax on beds, the workers, the tourists, the small businesses, and as a result, all of us, will follow.

Yes We Can

2008-04-10T11:44:00.004+01:00

Obama Rally

4.30pm

Scottish Parliament

Saturday 12th April

I, like an increasing amount of others, have taken up a bit of (when I say a bit of I of course mean a completely obsessive addiction) interest in the movement taking place in America.

It is an exciting time for America and the world. People are really starting to question Barack Obama's depth and policies. I say, "Who cares?".

My father was born in a world where blacks didn't even have equal rights in America, and now, in his working life time, I believe he will see a black President of the United States. What a movement to be a part of. What a feeling.

"I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you to believe in yours"

Whatever type of President he becomes, and whatever he does, he is asking not just for votes, but for people's belief that a different world is possible. That is wonderful. Just wonderful.

If you can join us on Saturday, please do.

Expensive Expenses...

2008-04-02T14:52:00.006+01:00

If our great First Minister can't answer a question in Parliament, is it not simply a matter of time before people start to look elsewhere for answers? I know I have.

Favourite restaurant? The Raj, Leith. He's made a fair number of trips there in his ministerial car, sometimes with only a day in between visits (26th and 28th June), naughty boy...

Oh well, at least that's not as bad as his hotel bill, which lay at £2333 a night while in London. That's 8 times the price of staying at the Ritz.

There are many politicians who manage to keep their feet firmly on the ground, and others who don't. With £116 000 worth of expenses for just 6 trips to Westminster (he's still an MP by the way...) you can make up your own mind which side he lies on.

A Positive Conference; A Positive Change

2008-03-31T11:33:00.006+01:00

I have always had a deep respect for, and have aspired to be more like, politicians who just tell it like it is. In politics, a place which is meant to be an arena of morality and truth, so often becomes an inward- looking cirlce, where a buck never stops. The existence of politics itself often comes before the people which it exists to help. That's a real shame, and while we try to renew our party and re-engage, we must be aware of the fact that we exist to be the drivers of change. An organisation not there to be respected or liked, but there to do good. If we take our responsibilities seriously and stay true to our values, respect and a like towards our people and party will follow.

I was so pleased with conference this year in Aviemore.

As you will know, I am new to this blogging enterprise. It is a harsh environment of which I am trying to be a part. An environment in which opinion and ideas will win the day. An environment much like politics, in which bloggers try to grasp people and encourage them to agreement by their content and persuasion.

I will, however, always say what I really feel, and not lie or muffle my own drum of conscience in order to put my party first.

Many other bloggers of different parties and political persuasions will, I am sure, do the same.

I feel that at conference this weekend my party may have followed.

I was not very excited about going. Is that a terrible thing to say? I just couldn't really be bothered with another weekend of 'Nat- bashing' as it has become widely known. Another weekend of highlighting the weaknesses in others because we were too scared to look at the weaknesses deep within ourselves. But, my goodness, it went well.

I love it when I'm wrong...

Wendy has not had an easy time as our leader. Some of that has been her fault, but a lot of it hasn't.

The conference was towered by our anchor, leader and Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Isn't it annoying when you know you prove that you can do something, but then the cooler kid in the class steps up, with all the girls watching, their pig tails catching the breeze, and then does it better than you did? I was never that cool kid, (just incase you couldn't guess... I mean, come on, I'm doing a blog for God's sake...). Well, that's how David Cameron would have been feeling.

Gordon called Cameron's bluff, and went that extra mile.

The speech he did with no notes proved that he is the rock in times of trouble, and the fire and warmth of ideas when we get cold.

He buys us back when we get sold.

He made me very proud to be a member of the Labour Party, and his speech which did not consist like Cameron's of petty policy differences, but of the strength of our cause, was moving and inspirational.

Wendy's speech the next day was one I was quite frankly anxious of. But she lifted herself above the politics of the press and the hope of the Nationalists. She grounded herself. Some said it was a speech which would have been better a month or two before an election, but I disagree. She spoke of socialism, true socialism. A Scotland which exists not to build up borders, but to see who cares enough to tear them down. And there is no doubt in my mind that that message of change and equality could not have come soon enough.

Salmond is the Roadblock to Scotland's Success

2008-03-27T16:00:00.002Z

I often wondered what ever could define the SNP, apart from independence. I'm now more confused than ever before.

Nichola's performances in Alex's absence were certainly impressive, and she certainly asked the right questions. She worked hard to hold Scottish Labour to account for what it had and hadn't done on issues such as child poverty, and the growth of Scottish business.

However, there was an election. The SNP stood, and the SNP won.

It's almost a year since the SNP were elected to power, and a tide is turning. A tide of political change of people realising that it's no longer Labour's fault, it's the SNP's.

Salmond was at first correct to say he inherited a Labour Scotland. But it's now his responsibility to change it, and he has been quick to pick up all the perks of being First Minister, but none of the responsibilities.

He is yet to answer a question at First Minister's Questions.

I have never experienced a situation before where I have felt such comradeship and common ground with the 2 other main parties, in particular. The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives may have a different vision for Scotland than me, but at the moment, whether we like it or not, we're all in the same boat. United against Alex Salmond. United against the SNP. United against Independence.

We ask about council tax, he gives us Iraq. We ask about cuts to services, he gives us independance. We ask about social care, he gives us 'political scare-mongering'.

I believe it is now time for the Presiding Officer to use his means to ensure the questions are answered, because the SNP are no longer a party of protest, they are a party of Government. They crowned themselves, and soon the people will see their true colours shine through.

Let's Get Down to Business

2008-03-27T14:54:00.001Z

I wondered whether I should start with a story of today, or a story in the past.

I think today's story wins the day...

Scottish Labour's having a hard time. We have the leader. We have the talent. We have the policies. But we don't have the votes.

The SNP's over- confident, yet sharp and calculated campaign, left the other parties who looked upon it in awe. How did we respond? Panic.

I have heard it said internally and externally that we were lucky not to lose by 20 seats, and that we would have lost by that many had we not run the negative campaign we did. I was never so sure. I believe it should have been different, and what's more frustrating is that it could have been different.

People want to be inspired for a better tomorrow, not just reminded of yesterday's success.

We do offer a different tomorrow, we just need to make the people know what's on offer.

Matt's prologue...

2008-03-26T16:04:00.000Z

It's so infuriating: coming out of the class room as a young 12 year old after having been shouted at for what felt like eternity, to find that at least 3 points are to pop into your head. Things you could have said. Things you should have said.

My life has been full of these missed opportunities; opportunities I should have taken to say how I really felt; what I really meant. I wish for a chance to stop time for a moment; breathing space to reflect upon how I feel about all this.

I would like to make this my chance. Not a chance to rant, but a chance to reflect.

We are living within an increasingly divisive and complex political era, and while we often find ourselves drawn between different levels, it's important to take a step back. Look in a mirror and ask what you really believe in.

I hope this blog is something that people will allow to be part of what shapes their opinion. A tool for debate and a stage for diversity.

So I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing from you.