That headline above is one of my favourite political quotes ever, said with tongue in cheek of course. Scotland has elected the SNP in a way that no one saw coming not even the victors, no doubt every spin doctor in every party will be analysing the result, every party except perhaps the Liberal Democrats that is: for obvious reasons, the dogs in the street know what happened to them and why. I am delighted at their demise but disappointed at where their votes went, you can all ponder why the Libdem's who are in coalition with David Cameron's Tory Government votes went to the SNP rather than Labour and why it was an open secret that the Tories wanted an SNP victory.
It was a huge turn around in Scottish politics and a stunning victory for the SNP who despite the victory and a working majority still won't call a referendum on independence: I can only conclude that those in charge are terrified of losing or even afraid of winning? perhaps they know and fear the real consequences of breaking up the UK, I know that the SNP have never actually spelt out in detail the down side of independence. I suspect they will find ways of putting it off and try to remain the party who are going to bring independence to Scotland but just not right now.
"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated" said Mark Twain and so are ours, Labour of course will come back: our death has been predicted on many occasions but we are still standing and we are still the best hope this country has of bringing about a fairer society: a socialist society. We seem to be slowly drifting towards a presidential system where personalities take precedence over policies: that manifests itself in the case of Salmond (the spiv) who turns everything into a TV talent show aided and abetted by 5 out 6 of our national newspapers and right wing business people, think Trump, Souter etc. this allows him to get away with hardly mentioning independence which is of course the very reason for his party's existence.
A nationalist government debases Scotland it makes us look introverted, parochial and hidebound. I would rather burnish what reputation we have as an outgoing and Internationalist country not as an introverted insular people who refuse to have an expansive, enquiring nature. The SNP now have as Margo McDonald put it no excuse for failure, no one else to blame for getting it wrong. They have made promises and asked for a majority to carry them out and they knew what financial resources were available when they made those promises, they can no longer blame other parties or put failure down to being a minority administration. From now on the buck stops with the (wee spiv) Salmond so it should be an interesting time in Scottish politics.
I hope to survive this Government although I'm getting on a bit and my health is not great but my faculties are still intact (honest they are) and I will continue to pursue the political agenda I have always believed in which in a nutshell is a proper redistribution of wealth and the advent of Socialism. I joined the Labour Party in 19 72 during the coal dispute and I have been through bad and good times (Thatcher) so I have probably seen most things. I managed to survive Maggie and I will survive Salmond (the spiv) who stated of course that the Scottish People, he was speaking for you and me "did not mind Thatcher's economic policies so much" well the man who said that is now in charge with a majority, so it's good luck Scotland we are going to need it.
41 comments:
that always gets me 'We speak for the Scottish people' and then they hate anybody who dont vote snp which is a lot of the Scottish people
And as for the Buck stops with the First Minister i wouldn't bet on it.
Do not be so bitter. The people of Scotland have decided they are fed up to the back teeth of fat, lazy, 'in it for myself' Labour candidates - one Mr. Gordon comes to mind.
As a wummin who has spent years canvassing for some just like him, I am sick fed-up too.
It is a fresh start, and I welcome it.
SNP socialist policies? Just wait -
free prescriptions are not the first I feel.
A chsnge is coming - to use a mis-quote!
It is a good country to live in this weekend!!!
Graham Allen MP tells Laura Kuennsberg: (Hat tip Guy Fawkes)
”It was a very good result under the rules, but the Labour government should have changed the rules so that we would never have been out of power, regardless of a General Election result.”
Another dedicated follower of Stalin & Castro, Hitler and Mussolini..I found you a soulmate, Kelly
The SNP are parochial dross who are fixated with hating England and the English.
Scotland can look forward to faux indignation, picked fights with Westminster and a raft of public sector job cuts to pay for a f year council tax freeze. Education, social work and other front line services can expect another hammering.
Ask anyone how you can get an independent country as part of the EU who has its own bank, currency and political institutions that all new entrants must sign up to. No exceptions and no opt outs.
I hope the other political parties take the initiative and propose legislation that allows an independence referendum as soon as possible. It will tear the SNP apart. Wee Eck won't want to go for it just now as he'd lose. If the bravehearts vote it down they will lose it later as the electorate hates ditherers.
Perhaps your Party would have done better if it were not filled with people like yourself. Bitter and twisted, hate filled and envious of the talent in the SNP. Read back some of your rantings of the last few weeks and reflect. As a recent SNP supporter brought up as a Scottish Prodi, married to an English Cathlic I find some of your previous remarks offensive.
Fear and hate are not the answer.
You have reaped what you sowed.
You saw what the Scottish electorate did to the Tories in the 1980s? I think that may be what awaits a now irrelevant Labour party whose the death throes are compelling and grotesque - your headline is simply representative of this.
"Reject the voice of the people when it's against you and embrace it when you win" - that's cynical and futile. Socialism in Scotland needs a fundamental overhaul, it needs to amalgamate under a Scottish Identity - not the National Labour party which inflicted more harm than good on the Scottish populace during its glory days. It simply took time for the utter mendacity of the party and its representatives to be revealed to a loyal Scottish electorate.
This outcome is of your making, do not doubt that for one moment...
Honestly Terry old bean, if the 'send a message to Thatcher's Tories' was a bust before 5th May, what's the point now?
Personally I'm for a party that stands up for the people of Scotland and rejects Trident & its replacement, rejects the House of Lords and the honours system, rejects nuclear power, rejects PPI, rejects murderous foreign wars.
What about you?
By Mr. Mxyzptlk on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 07/05/11
A good place to start examining the SNP hard core support is the Glenrothes By Election, the reaction to defeat by the SNP supporters was repulsive, people who did not vote SNP were described by them in language that I would not print on my blog.
I don’t believe for one minute that you ever canvassed for Labour. Free prescriptions was a sleekit bribe for votes, those who could not afford prescription charges were already getting them free.
By Oakwood on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 07/05/11
No disagreement here. The fact that the SNP are claiming a historic victory and they have never been so popular makes their decision not to have a referendum now look like abject cowardice. Salmond’s bluff has been called again and again he has ducked it.
By Oakwood on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 07/05/11
No disagreement here. The fact that the SNP are claiming a historic victory and they have never been so popular makes their decision not to have a referendum now look like abject cowardice. Salmond’s bluff has been called again and again he has ducked it.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 10:36
I consider that Scotland has a problem with sectarianism and racism and the SNP encourage it; “nationalism is the measles of the planet Earth” (Albert Einstein) was he bitter and twisted as well? You really should take a good look at the people who attach themselves to Scottish nationalism before you insult anyone.
By ally on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 12:01
“The people have spoken, the B******S” is one of the best known political jokes in the world, why does it not surprise me that an SNP supporter would think it was serious, you really are a shower of morons aren’t you, FFS I even went to the bother of explaining it to you.
I note you remember the Thatcher Tories in the eighties is your memory good enough to recall who brought them to power, have a guess, could it possibly have been you lot.
Terry, I wondered when you would quote Einstein. Quoting a dead German physicist doesn't really reinforce your argument against nationalism, you know. Does it apply to all nationalists? Kenyatta, Hitler, Gandhi, Collins?
I was rather hoping, Councillor (er, you are still a councillor, aren't you?) that you would support Scottish independence thus guaranteeing its early and crushing defeat.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 08/05/11
I said nationalism is dangerous: I did not say it applied to everyone. I think I will frame this comment: I don’t recall ever seeing a better example of the sheer idiocy of the SNP and their supporters. Only a Scottish nationalist would dismiss Einstein as a “a dead German physicist” in support of his argument, a real gem of a quote.
Only a knuckle dragging Scottish Nationalist would compare his cause with that of Collins, Gandhi and Kenyatta. You tarnish their memory and embarrass Scotland with such offensive claptrap.
‘Comparisons are odious’ but the nearest you get here is Hitler who used hatred of Jews to stir up trouble while you lot use the English.Thank you for providing this little gem of parochial: insular stupidity.
By David Duff on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 09:15
It’s quite clear that you are not following this are you? Why does that not surprise me? I want the referendum asap and Salmond wants to run away from it because he knows he will lose. That is rather obvious as his party is at its most popular position and he still won’t do it. He wants to spend the next 4 years picking imaginary fights with England to increase his chances of winning but the people are seeing through that already.
Oh, I understand it perfectly well, Councillor, my point was that your *support* for independence would be enough to sink the idea. Can we not prevail upon you to do your duty? Her Maj would be enormously grateful and 'Sir Terry Kelly' has a certain je ne sais quoi about it, doncha' think?
By David Duff on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 14:22
Clearly you don’t understand. The queen bee of all scroungers (her Maj) needn’t worry as Salmond (the spiv) has already declared that under independence she will continue to sponge off the tax payer as Scotland’s unelected Head of State.
“Throw another peasant on the fire Philip dear it’s getting cold”
But Terry, let me explain this to you carefully-Einstein IS a dead German physicist. The point I was making was against generalisation. But you're clearly a big fan of that...I guess life is a lot easier when you see everything in black and white.
The rest of your post is tedious ad hominem vomit. Your party failed and will continue to fail because of little minded tribalists like you.
I don't hate the English. I like most of the English people I've met, and I admire their culture of non-conformity. But I guess you won't believe that, since it doesn't fit your quaint worldview.
Parochial insular stupidity? The Master has spoken...enjoy opposition for the forseeable, old bean.
Councillor, this Kenyatta chappie who you so much admire, didn't he have something to to do with an organisation called Mau Mau? Went round chopping women and children into bite sized pieces, I believe.
And Collins, whatever happened to him after leaving Leeds Utd?
Hello Terry, I tried to respond to your bitter little ad hominem response to my post yesterday, but my computer crashed. Anyway, better luck this time, I hope.
Einstein IS a dead German physicist. Unless you know better. I guess I was questioning whether a generalisation like Einstein's really adds anything to an argument: you clearly think so, but generalisation seems to be something you like.
Your party failed last week, and will continue to fail, because of small minded tribalists like you.
Why don't you just relax and embrace the future?
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 09/05/11
I think I got your point which clearly you now realize was an embarrassing one and typically nationalist.
You can mention Einstein, Kenyatta, Ghandi, Collins and Salmond in the same breath, I’m happy to leave it at that. I intend to put this exchange on the front of the blog as an article.
It says far more about Scottish Nationalism than I ever could.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 09/05/11
I would like you to keep this stuff coming: it shows the SNP up in a withering light, I’m delighted to print it.
You forgot about Mandela, that poor man didn’t have the benefit of being Scottish did he? The anti Apartheid struggle doesn’t even get a mention from you Scottish freedom fighters.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 09/05/11
“I guess I was questioning whether a generalisation like Einstein's really adds anything to an argument”
You guess wrong and now you are desperately trying to retrieve your hubristic blundering.
Well I very reluctantly voted SNP on my first vote and plumped for Green on my second because I couldn't bring myself to vote Labour this time.
I am and pragmatic enough to realise that a broad based Left wing movement means that very every good policy there's a rotten one. The upside in strength in numbers, the down side is frequent compromises. I don't expect the Labour Party to be perfect but It should always be the least worst option. You only have to look at how the vote between the far left candidates was split in the most recent elections to know that there's no real viable alternative to a broad based left wing movement. You don't see the Tory party splitting off into wee purist factions, they stick together which is why the bastards have been so successful over the years.
So I don't expect to a agree with every word in a Labour manifesto or every policy the party has. What I do expect is that the worst of it can be lived with and that the good stuff will compensate.
What I do not expect is to have the Labour Party boasting about planning to put more people in jail for carrying knives and then following it up with a leaflet so foul the tories would be ashamed to put it out. Yet there it is, no acknowledgement of what feeds violent crime, nothing about rehabilitation. Just a vile message of Vote Labour and we'll jail more folk than the SNP. And you call the SNP the Tartan Tories! What next bringing back the birch? What exactly do you hope to achieve by jailing all these young men? Do you honestly think they'll skip out of jail after their short sharp shock reformed characters? Dream on.
As if that isn't bad enough we had that abomination John McTernan boasting in the Scotsman that he didn't think the Labour campaign was any where near nasty enough. What was he hoping for? Armed combat with the other candidates?
Then we have the debacle of the council tax freeze. For the last four years Labour have argued that the freeze will affect services which they would aim to protect. I agree. Yet all of a sudden in the ru up to an election Labour are going to freeze the council tax. Why? Have they been lying for the last four years? Mistaken? Or are theyhave the suddenly decided that council services aren't worth protecting.
The Labour vote has been falling in Scotland since 1999. There are a number of factors at play in that but a big one is the constant attempt to out Tory the Tories to pander to the worst prejudices of the gutter press. We saw it with benefit reform when instead of defending the poor and the disabled the Labour government pandered to every scrounger and malingerer stereotype in the book and vowed to come down like a ton of bricks on the most vulnerable members of society.
I have not voted Labour for almost my whole adult life to elect a party that stands for more jail and worse services and less benefits for the poor. I do not know anyone who entered the Labour movement to support such policies. If this is what Labour stands for now then quite simply it isn't Labour any more.
I very much doubt the SNP will be much good in government but at least they don't intend to fill the jails to the rafters with young people who would be better dealt with in the community who'll come out worse than they went in.
I very much hope that I'll be able to vote Labour again in the future but on the evidence of this election it doesn't look likely.
“Well I very reluctantly voted SNP on my first vote”
I could never do that because I refuse to support hatred and bigotry.
“a broad based Left wing movement means that very every good policy there's a rotten one”
Subjective rubbish.
“What I do not expect is to have the Labour Party boasting about planning to put more people in jail for carrying knives”
Perhaps if you were a bit more committed you could have joined the party and helped me and many others to reject the knives policy.
“a leaflet so foul”
I didn’t see anything like that, what foul leaflet?
“he didn't think the Labour campaign was anywhere near nasty enough”
You have just voted for the nastiest bunch of bastards I have ever come across.
“Then we have the debacle of the council tax freeze”
This was a bribe which we should have rejected but you are supporting a party who are bribing voters and damaging servicers while doing so.
“Labour vowed to come down like a ton of bricks on the most vulnerable in society”
I don’t remember vowing any such thing but you have just voted for a party who have just removed the £2 a week that people with learning difficulties get per and introduced a travel charge of £2 .50 a day to get them to and from their centres, and they also raised the charge of burying a dead child by 70%.
“I have not voted Labour for almost my whole adult life to elect a party that stands for more jail and worse services and less benefits for the poor”
That is a complete crock of disingenuous bile.
Having just voted for a party that trades in populist racism and looks the other way when sectarianism is mentioned, the party of Donald Trump and Brian Souter. I don’t think you are in a position to lecture anybody, if the above is what you really think I would prefer it if you didn’t vote Labour ever again.
"I will continue to pursue the political agenda I have always believed in...is a proper redistribution of wealth and the advent of Socialism"
Ahhemm!
It's a pity Labour didn't, over 13 years of power, the gap between the rich and poor got much worse than the Tories. Feel free to ignore this statistical fact as well.
Any more news on your ill health? It's not regressive revisionism is it? Can be nasty.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 16:34
Labour have always pursued a redistribution of wealth and Socialism and we always will: because it has not happened to your or my satisfaction yet does not mean it won’t. Having said that with people like you around it is a lot more difficult, there are too many people like you who don’t have the bottle for the fight so you stand on the touchline and shout abuse, FFS you won’t even give your name, why would anyone take you seriously, you are clearly scared of your own shadow.
This old chestnut...
"I note you remember the Thatcher Tories in the eighties is your memory good enough to recall who brought them to power, have a guess, could it possibly have been you lot."
What delicious irony that your should pull that one from your limited armoury in a piece that you've titled:
"The PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S"
For of course, it was the people of the United Kingdom who voted for a UK Conservative government led by Margaret Thatcher in 1979, then again in 1983 and once more in 1987.
Don't let the hard facts of our democracy get in the way of your prejudices though!
By Jim on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 12:31
Of course it was the people but who provided the opportunity? No wonder you can’t face the truth it’s too shameful to admit what the SNP are capable of. It was a combination which included the SNP which brought down the Labour Government and they the SNP brought the worst devastation to working people in living memory. That is a simple fact and no amount of squirming can disguise it.
My memory is even better than that; I can remember the SNP/Tory coalition council in Paisley, was that the people who voted for that?
You would just love people to forget the treachery of the SNP wouldn't you.
Belated congratulations to Mary Fee and Neil Bibby.
that would be a different kind of treachery from the Lab/Tory coalitions that exist in Scotland today.
I hear they can cure selective amnesia with a quick tap on the noggin
"I could never do that because I refuse to support hatred and bigotry."
Are you not a card carrying Irish republican?
You learn nothing. Still smearing away and failing to see the irony and hypocrisy in your own words.
Wow, I can't believe I'm actually seeing an elected Labour representative behaving like this. Do you win over many voters by talking to them like this, Cllr. Kelly? I suggest you and your party grow up if you ever want to see power in Scotland again.
By Anonymous on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 14/05/11
This says all we need to know about people like you. I am a Republican as in Spanish, British, Irish, French etc. etc.
By Rob Ross on “THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... at 13:14
“an elected Labour representative behaving like this”
Like what?
I note you did not publish my post that highlighted your hypocrisy regarding your support for Irish republicanism. Very freedom of speech of you LOL
This was my reply "I am a Republican as in Spanish, British, Irish, French etc. etc." Do you need it explained further, are all of you people this dumb?
Just a small point about the Mau Mau. This organisation has become a sort of hate-symbol to justify racism and violence. The symbolic horror of mutilated white mothers was used to justify the killing of black Kenyans at approximately the ratio of 1200 to one. In other words, the British policy was to execute 1200 black Kenyans for every white person killed. Does this sound familiar to any one? The Mau Mau were a violent, disorganised and hate-driven group that killed and mutilated, but we know that these acts were used to apply a policy of 'collective punishment' to Black Kenyans on the basis of a fairly standard 'horror from the forrest' symbolism. I would advise people to check the numbers of dead, tortured and killed. You will be astounded at the discrepancy. The SS and Einzats 'anti-partisan' and 'anti-arson' sweeps in the Ukraine regularly killed around 3000 to 4000 people and brought back 'evidence' of one or two rifles and a shotgun. Atrocities were certainly committed by the partisans, but you get my drift.
“THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN.... THE B******S.” (US CAN... on 12/05/11
He who is without sin should cast the first stone, remember Thatcher? The SNP/Tory coalition in Paisley? SNP/Libdem/Tory coalition in Westminster? There is a difference the SNP would join anyone and I mean anyone.
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