MAGGIE, SALMOND THE 'SPIV' AND HER ECONOMIC POLICIES.

Is there one SNP member out there who is prepared to identify his or herself and say something critical about the 'spiv' Salmond's comments about Thatcherism. Did he speak for all SNP 'Scots.' when he said that "we Scots. were not bothered by her economic policies" he certainly didn't speak for this Scot.

In the same interview he went on to say that "having a social conscience is a Scottish thing" Is there not one of the SNP prepared to speak out against this nonsense, there is no more truth in this facile bombast than there is in saying that Scots. are mean, some are and some are not, some have a strong social conscience and some do not. Making such stupid egotistical statements is self serving arrogance from the man who can swagger while seated.

If Thatcher's economic policies didn't bother 'the spiv' too much, is anyone wondering and worrying in a concerned way like me as to what 'economic policies' would worry him ? are we destined to meet Alex 'the spiv's' version of "the Chicago school" this is an example of what happens when you elect someone who does not have a political anchor, someone who has no real values or principles.

A FAST RUNNER AND A QUICK LEARNER.

The Jamaican phenomenon Bolt cruised to another gold and world record in the 200 mts. as expected.

He once again blew the field away and won easily in a fluent majestic performance, this just had to be so depressing for his rivals, where do they go ? What are their chances of beating him ? The races for 2nd. place could become more interesting from now on when he is in the field.

This race was different as far as his performance was concerned, this time there was no clowning around, no show boating. His celebrations after the victory were certainly in the flamboyant mould but that’s understandable after such an achievement for the young man, no one would begrudge him that daft dance routine and no doubt the kids who witnessed it will copy it.

The site of him looking around with 10 mts. To go and dropping his arms and beating his chest before crossing the winning line in the 100 mts. was one of the most astonishing sites that I have ever witnessed in sport. Once the astonishment wore off and I had seen it 10 times or so I realised that something wasn’t quite right, I reluctantly had to admit to myself that he had conducted himself badly by doing these things.

I don’t doubt for a second that he planned it in any way and that is why it was such a pleasure to see him winning just as easily in the 200 mts. without a similar display, someone I think has had a word with him and, smart and nice lad that he is, he listened. Like many great stars of sports and entertainment he has a choice to make he can be great and loved by his opponents and the public or he can be great and disliked, even hated as has happened to some, he has clearly in the space of a couple of days chosen the former.

In this 200 mts. he knew he would probably win and decided that he would show his opponents proper respect and this made the difference and I now predict he will continue in this way, it’s bad enough being outclassed without having to watch your opponent ‘showboating’ well done to young Mr. Bolt he is the real deal now, he’s the man.

GET YER RABBIE BURNS TEA TOWELS HERE FOLKS.

Anyone who writes as much stuff as Robert Burns is almost certain to produce something with merit, similar to people like Paul McCartney in a way.

The difference between Burns and McCartney as well as Yeats, Wordsworth, Keats, Byron Etc. Etc. is that you can, by and large say that you dislike the others, you can criticise them even, with Burns however any criticism or expression of dislike stirs up a hornets nest of bile and abuse from the delusional pseudo patriots who have convinced themselves that Burns was the greatest genius who ever lived.

This crew are prepared to vilify anyone who does not agree with Burns’s greatness it’s damned unpatriotic to them if you are critical, it’s worse, it’s un-Scottish, it’s treason. This parochial guff leads to the Scottish Cringe, it manifests itself in many ways a classic example was a radio programme near the end of December 19 99 they were choosing the person of the millennium (1 thousand years)

Alex (the spiv) Salmond suggested Robert Burns and he was serious. Einstein, Galileo, Shakespeare Etc. Etc. how are ye ! he then came over all maudlin and, eschewing “my grannie’s heilin hame” and with cod sincerity launched into the following quote - “the best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men aft gang agley” the con man telling us Burns was the man of the millennium and almost in tears of reverence goes on to make an absolute a**e of quoting one his best known lines.

Recent comments about Burns have of course stirred these clowns into life and it’s once again time for Scots. to be embarrassed by them, you can criticise Yeats in a Dublin pub and get an argument, Keats or Shelley in an English pub and get the same, only in Scotland is this kind of thing likely to get risky particularly if you are English. This suggests to me that Burns is not the giant they make him out to be, otherwise he would not need the scotty attack dogs to defend his reputation. They are afraid to let the poetry speak for itself.

As far as the much maligned Jeremy Paxman is concerned I offer the following.

"My Heart's In The Highlands" By R. Burns.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer -
A-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North -
The birth place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.

Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow;
Farewell to the straths and green valleys below;
Farewell to the forrests and wild-hanging woods;
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.

My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart's in the Highlands a-chasing the deer -
Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

That great Dundonian William Topaz McGonagall would have been thrown in the Tay for doggerill like what this is.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE SNP'S CONTEMPT FOR SCOTTISH WORKERS.

My recent post about the council strike has predictably drawn some fire from SNP people. They do do not like a light being shone on what they have done with ref. to massive pay rises to their masters, the council senior officers, I described them as treating Scottish workers with contempt.

Today my opinion was vindicated by an unusual source, having perpetrated a calculated insult on the council employees and crawled before the council senior officers you could be forgiven for thinking the SNP cllrs. would not want to be around the strikers and their march today. However in a display of brazen contempt and arrogance SNP cllrs. Adam, Mitchell and B Lawson showed up at the march, much to the embarrassment of the marchers and organisers.

Their response to people who asked them about the huge rises for senior officers and below inflation rises for the council workers was dismissive laughter by all three, obviously beneath them to talk to their own workforce, another one for the memory bank.

As I said in the article “SNP contempt for Scottish workers”

SCOTLANDS PARTY SHOWS CONTEMPT FOR SCOTTISH WORKERS.

Renfrewshire folk might see a march taking place tomorrow from Brodie Park, they might see their friends and neighbours on that march, they will see people who are not natural demonstrators or marchers at all.

This will be a march and demonstration by Renfrewshire Council workers demanding a fair wage settlement, they have been offered a settlement which is below inflation which is effectively a pay cut, to add insult to injury they are expected to agree to this deal for next year and the following year as well, that could be three wage reductions over three years, do you wonder at their decision to strike ? honestly ! Do you ?

Workers who are employed full time by the council depend on benefits to survive and they have reached a stage where even in that situation they are ready to lose wages to fight back and force this pathetic officer dominated council administration to listen. These decisions are made by the SNP group on the council, this is the same group who recently awarded their senior officers 16.7 % of a wage rise taking some of them to well over £100,000 Yr. some of them are getting an annual rise which is more than low paid council employees get in a year.

This is the true face of the SNP/Lib. Dems. these workers do not want to harm or inconvenience you the service users, so please don’t blame them if your school, nursery or town hall is closed, think about their situation. Remember that a loaf of bread costs the same for them as it does for the council officer on over £100,000 a year, let them know that you support them and more importantly let the SNP/Lib.Dem. rulers know that they are letting their workers down. Ask them why these people have to resort to striking, ask them to come up with a better deal, a decent wage, not a fortune, just a decent wage.

How many times have you heard the SNP call itself ’Scotland’s Party’ how many times have you heard their cruel deception “we stand up for the Scottish people” the next time you hear this patronising guff think about the Renfrewshire Council employees who are being treated like dirt by “Scotland’s Party” and store it in your memory.

THIS GUY DEFINiTELY DID NOT ARRIVE ON A SLOW BOAT TO CHINA.

I have been watching the Olympic games now for 50 years and read about them and watched other Olympic films from times before then.

Clearly there have been great moments, spectacular triumphs, beaten favourites, human disasters etc. all human drama is there and I‘ve seen some of it, in no particular order I have seen Zatopek, Beaman, Stevenson, Owens, Korbett, Holmes, Wells, Borsov, Spitz, Phelps etc. I know I’ve missed out some people’s favourites but you can make up your own lists, it’s great fun, would Stevenson have beaten Ali had they met ? promoters still salivate at that lost fortune, could Owens have lived with Borsov, all things being equal ?

Without referring to record books or asking the experts I consider that we have seen some competitors who have changed the sport that they compete in, some intentionally and some less so, very few indeed change it by being so good at what they do that we start to think differently about their chosen discipline.

I remember the great American high jumper Dick Fosberry who suddenly appeared at the Olympics and outraged the coaches and experts by introducing a style of jump which looked like a drunk man falling down a flight of stairs, every high jumper now uses the “Fosberry Flop” and no-one taught him it.

Among those who changed things because of their absolute brilliance, from the above list I would include Beaman who almost jumped out of the stadium in Mexico in the long jump, I vividly remember the stunned silence as the commentators tried to grasp what they had just witnessed, he was no more than a contender for a medal, his long jump record shattered the event and was not matched for over 40 years. Experts say it was down to the thin air at Mexico City’s altitude but, no one else got near him.

Emil Zatopek, arguably the greatest of them all did something similar when he took 5 & 10,000 Mts. and then the Marathon at the Helsinki games, everyone had to rethink these events, it didn’t seem possible. Zatopek was also a true Corinthian Olympic athlete, one of the greatest ever and a modest and loved personality, he actually gave one of his golds to a guy he beat.

Anyway all this Kelly opinion leads us to today, I wrote earlier about the Jamaican Bolt and suggested they make him run in wellies to give the others a chance, I didn’t really mean it but today it didn’t look so daft.

Sprint coaches have some golden rules, 1/ complete focus, some wear ear plugs to blot out everything before the race, Bolt was clowning around doing some dance steps and posing. 2/ Never ever look anywhere other than straight ahead, champions have been beaten simply because they glanced round to look for their opponents when they were in the lead, Bolt was clearly looking around himself with 10 Mts. To go. 3/ keep your rythmn right to the end, legs straight arms pumping, head up. Bolt dropped his arms and ran the last 7/8 Mts. without the use of his them, he was waving them about and shouting to himself, he also managed to slap himself on the chest in congratulation as he swept imperiously over the finish, I have now watched it 3 times and I didn’t imagine any of it.

Like Zatopek and Beaman this young Jamaican has changed his chosen sport, competitors are in dismay and commentators are lost for words, what we witnessed was the equivalent of runners being lapped in a distance race, he can clearly go faster and he is red hot favourite for the 200 Mts.

Spare a thought for the phenomenal swimmer Michael Phelps, he must be asking why, when he won all those golds did this guy turn up at the same meeting, after all that poncing about with swords, bows and canoes etc. the games are being rescued.

Make no mistake about it these will be known as the Bolt Olympics, it seems superfluous to say it but he is also the most fluent, and graceful sprinter I have ever seen.

THE SNP PLAY KEEPIE UP WITH THE NHS POLITICAL FOOTBALL.

Few things are as emotive as hospitals, we all need them at some time, every community wants one on it’s doorstep and everyone demands the highest standards from them.

Politicians love claiming that they have helped their local hospital in some way and most never miss a chance to swear that they will defend their local one to the bitter end, this causes a serious problem when it comes to making progress in the NHS. Difficult decisions become massive because of misleading propaganda and the tactic of using those decisions for political reasons.

Proposed changes to health provision cost Labour dearly before the last Holyrood election because of the tactics employed by the SNP who promised everybody that they would not close/transfer A&E facilities or maternity care in several locations. These promises were made without any medical knowledge or expert advice, the difference between the Labour and SNP positions was that despite a looming election Labour were prepared to take these difficult decisions because they believed it was the right thing to do based on expert advice.

The SNP by contrast took a populist line and became the ‘saviours’ of people’s local hospitals, the Americans have a very apt phrase for people who do this kind of thing, they call them “ambulance chasers” this relates to lawyers who chase ambulances with blue lights flashing so they can offer to sue someone on behalf of the patient in the ambulance. In essence the welfare of the people and the future improvement to the NHS were not as important to the SNP as the populist vote. I believe that this shows the difference between us and them and it’s a fundamental one, they put themselves first, if there is any justice they will live to regret this kind of underhand behaviour.

They are still doing this today, the news that Greenock and Vale of Leven maternity services will remain where they are allows the SNP to play the role of local health service saviours, a base lie and cruel manipulation of the public. Pregnant women are already voting with their feet by opting to use Paisley and Glasgow maternity services while the SNP celebrate their hollow and corrupt triumph. Maternity services is a good example of where facilities should be centralised, it’s an argument which lends itself to most health disciplines and like many serious problems the answer is not all that difficult.

An honest question and answer session is helpful, bare in mind that the overwhelming majority of babies are born in a planned way, pregnancies are monitored closely and dates and times all worked out and it tends to work out fine.

The question for partners is this, where would you prefer to give birth, in a small hospital which is near you or in a large one where facilities are better. This question applies to other medical treatments as well, If you or someone close to you were seriously ill where would you rather be treated, in the small local hospital or the large one with all the equipment and expert consultants etc.

I would use the local hospital for diagnosis and primary treatment and ask for a move if my condition deteriorated or it made sense to have better facilities for treatment, this is what should happen, families should be helped with travel if need be, if your child had a serious illness and you had to choose between a local hospital and have to make ambulance trips for scans and treatment at bigger hospitals or move the child to the bigger hospital what would you do ? IMO anyone who says that maternity care in Greenock and Vale of Leven is up to the standard at Paisley and Glasgow is either ignorant or in favour of the SNP’s populism to buy votes and that, is a scandal.

THE FAMINE LAND.

Just recently I stood on a wind swept hillside where neighbouring hills faded in and out of view because of the fine rain and mist, this was the middle of July in the wild and beautiful location of Connemara on the west coast of Ireland, jump into the sea here and your next stop is America. It’s a scary place, the kind of location much loved by Alfred Hitchcock and the people who made the ‘Hammer Horror Films’ They lived their own real horror here during the great hunger of the 18 40 's A music hall balad about these times is familiar to me and my brothers, it's called Dan O' Hara about a man who is destroyed by the famine.

Imagine my shock to find that he was a real person, it was all true, the old man sang this maudling balad but we never thought it was real. My brothers were astonished to get a post card showing the 'Dan O' Hara' homestead and history museum, they laughed themselves silly over this, for my part I was amazed when I found the place.

We were out on the hills on a tour and the land 50 yards behind you could disappear quite quickly, from where we were the guide told us that an area quite near was where Alcock and Brown landed on the first flight from America to Europe, landed in a Connemara bog no less, with minor injuries, these guys were the Marco Polo’s of their time and courageous doesn’t begin to describe them.

In Connemara and nearby Galway you can find out all about the first transatlantic flights in flying boats, the aviation history of the area is fascinating, we visited ’Moynes’ on the Shannon where the first European terminal was located because of the river and surrounding hills which kept the water calm, you can wander around a huge flying boat at the museum which is a must see.

The lady curator spoke to us over tea and she bemoaned the past style and adventure of the flying boats.
I was able and delighted to tell her that the flying boat had made a come back in Glasgow, I told her of the admittedly small craft which flies between Cambpbeltown and Glasgow she was delighted to hear this and said she would include it in their literature so, I’ve helped our tourist industry.

During our excursion to Connemara we were shown a demonstration of ’turf cutting’ which serves as fuel in these parts it takes hundreds of years for turf to be ready for cutting and burning and the excavations sometimes turn up other fascinating vegetation. On this occasion a ’Red Oak’ had been exposed and uncovered, it looked like a fallen tree anywhere, until the guide told us that experts from Dublin University had used carbon dating techniques to determine that it was 5,300 years old, a chunk of it by accident fell into my pocket and is now in the house, I will clean it up and label it, I will go back there some day.

I think I prefer that holiday to lying on a beach, 1 ½ hrs. later we were in several Galway pubs listening to the music and supping beer, you should go there some time.

OOR WULLIE THE HORSEMAN

Get ready with a big patriotic cheer as our brave boys and gels go into the final part of the eventing at the Olympics led by the swashbuckling Old Etonian William Fox-Pitt.
You just can’t beat breeding, horses or riders, it makes me feel humble, the weans in my ward of Ferguslie will be dancing in the streets if the young master wins the day, tally ho old chap.

ADDING TO THE OLYMPIC BLACKLIST OF THE AUG. 4TH.POST.

August 12 Th. just seen the rifle shooting, they are offski for the same reasons as the Archers.

August 11Th. 08 - Having just watched the Archery on the Olympics I now include them out ! those "bow na narras" as Duncan MacCrae once sang would now cost about the same as a small car, unrepresentative and therefore out !

Likewise synchronised diving, incredibly difficult and requiring a degree of skill and expertise as well as 4 years to practice full time means that very few people actually take part. Listen to the bizarre analysis of the commentators, feats of incredible strength and dexterity are regularly torn apart by them while, the ordinary viewer think they have just witnessed a near miracle, it's out !

THE SNP/LIB./DEM. ADMINISTRATION INSULT THE COUNCIL WORKERS.

On August 20 Th. 08 the workers of Renfrewshire Council will be on strike.

They will be striking for a better pay settlement, sometimes only the bare facts will suffice to crystallize an argument.


The council workers have been offered a rise which is less than inflation.

Senior Officers of Renfrewshire Council were given a rise recently of 16.7%.
Council employees are earning less in a year than some senior officers have been given as an annual rise, council low paid employees rely on benefits while this goes on, sanctioned by the SNP/Lib. Dem. Administration.

These are the facts ! will you the voters, please remember them when the time comes to do something about these people.

SNP BROKEN PROMISES AND THE "LOCO INCOME TAX"

The SNP in Renfrewshire are letting people down badly, as are the Scottish SNP Government. In Renfrewshire we have seen cruel and devastating cuts in Education, Social Work, Libraries, Nurseries etc. while Salmond (the spiv) and his camp followers have done no better in Holyrood.

Several eye catching policies helped them to win a narrow victory, how ironic that these promises turned out to be lies. i.e. the cruel lie to young people who said let’s vote SNP and they will give us a grant of £2,00 to put a deposit on a house, the promise is now classed as a “long term policy” no explanation of “long term” is forthcoming so those young couples have been conned by the ’spiv’ callous or what?

Promises on class size reductions turned to dust as well and are now in that same file called “long term policies” schools will just have to lump it, a cruel deception, no class size reductions, until when ? who knows.
Stratchclyde Police are operating with considerably less numbers despite the promise of a 1,00 increase in numbers, the Police should consider arresting the ’spiv’ on charges of deception and dishonesty, they know the SNP have 'previous'

Free bus travel for pensioners has been a great Labour success. They refuse to confirm or deny that it is under threat, more callous deception from the ’spiv’ who gives the usual “definite maybe” when asked.
He might, as Wendy Alexander memorably said be the man who does actually “shove yer granny aff the bus”

I wonder what the implications would be if this concession were scrapped or reduced, who would be the losers ? the elderly, the vulnerable, any winners ? well if you are a bus operator you will see an increase in money paying customers so, that could make some people winners, any guesses ?

What do the following have in common ?

The Institute of Directors - Unison - The STUC - CBI Scotland - The Policy Institute - The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy - The Federation of Small Business - Glasgow City Council - The National Union of Students - Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce - The Institute of Chartered Accounts of Scotland.

They are some of the bodies who think the “Local Income Tax” is a “no brainer” the ‘spiv’ knows better apparently. This tax will damage services and the economy but, we will have to suffer because of the ‘spivs’ arrogance before we can get rid of it. The Futures Trust is another squalid stunt, it’s the same as PPP with a different name it’s a re-brand, they must think Scots. are daft. The rest of Scotland is suffering as well as Renfrewshire but that is little consolation, this is the reality of the SNP and their leader Alex (the spiv) Salmond.

THE LABS. AND THE DOCTORS ARE STANDING BY SO, LET THE GAMES BEGIN.

When I was much younger I used to bemoan the fact that the Olympics were every 4 years, far too long to wait, why couldn't they have them every year. Why should we have to wait so long to see the great athletes, boxers and swimmers, I still feel this way about the World Cup but the Olympics no longer inspire such longing.

I think the rot set in years ago when I found myself watching an equestrian event where Princess Anne was mounted on a horse which seemed to be dancing like a circus turn, this was called ‘dressage’ and it was obvious that my granny could have made a fist of it.

The horse was ’dressed’ like those black horses which you see pulling the hearse at an East End gangster funeral and the Princess was also kitted out in black with a lum hat, silk scarf and splendid polished black boots, the Olympics were degraded by this and other such farces. Call it what you will but it’ should not be an Olympic sport, Princess Anne won the ‘Sports Personality of the Year for her efforts’ setting new levels of sycophancy, for me this and other trivia wounded the Olympics but it is not the only sport which IMO should not be there.

I will be accused of politicising this argument and I admit that there are now so many sports events that it is difficult to keep up with them but my golden rules which I will probably go on to break are that the event must require a degree of strength, fitness, stamina, skill etc. in addition the event must have a reasonable degree of accessibility for anyone who wants to try to compete.
Based purely on my opinion the following are out :- Canoe / kayak - Equestrian - Fencing - Handball - Hockey - Judo - Sailing - Shooting - Softball - Taekwondo - Modern pentathlon

That should make the games more enjoyable but, I’m sure you have some of your own you would like to add.
I will watch and look out for an Ali, Zatopek, Wilma Rudolph, Teofilio Stevenson, Mark Spitz, Valerie Borsov, Jesse Owens, Eric Liddle, Kelly Holmes, Mary Peters, Steve Redgrave, Coe, Ovette, Lewis, Dick McTaggart etc.

There is a Jamaican running the 1 & 200 Mts. Whom they might have to force to run in wellies to give the rest a chance and his name is Bolt, honestly it is. I will give them another chance, I can’t not watch this Jamaican.

BOB "BOOLS" CRAMPSEY.

It’s approx. 50 Yrs. Ago and I’m back in Glenburn, it’s a Saturday night and the living room is in darkness as the Kelly family settle down to watch TV, ma. and da. get a chair each and me, Arthur and Hugh (the 3 oldest) get a couch seat, Gerald, Francis, Brendan, Daniel and Paul (the 5 Youngest) sit on the floor in a semi circle around the black and white set. Ma. will snooze (no wonder) and da. will give a commentary on the show shored up by a few beers, because this, is the holy hour, we are about to watch Scotsport.

Arthur Montford and Bob (bools) Crampsey were constants in the lives of the Kelly brothers, ’bools’ alas has just passed away and as Joni Mitchell once sang “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” we and our peers affectionately called him ’bools’ because we fancied that he spoke rather quickly and sounded like he had a few marbles in his mouth, we all tried to impersonate him. If you scored a goal down the park you immediately spun away to the imaginary crowd arms on high and launched into Bob Crampsey as you described your wonder goal.

You just never think of him not being there, it seems that just recently he was popping up on radio and the press and grabbing our attention with an iron grip which seemed effortless, I will leave it to others to explain where the respect/reverence came from but he had it in spades.

His style of broadcasting was based on explaining and describing what was happening, he helped us to understand the sometimes complex aspects of football, what was offside ? why was it a penalty etc. perhaps that was the teacher in him, an oasis of calm when things were going wrong because, he could talk for Scotland on any sport or indeed any subject. He was the first sports commentator who ever managed to get me to accept that cricket was in fact a great game and not an English ritual rain dance, I’m an avid follower to this day thanks to ’bools’

A man of great intelligence and modesty, the real deal, to have been in the limelight for so long and never to have been involved in anything unsavoury, the saying “no-one ever said a bad word about him” could have been coined for him, the people who do his job today don’t seem to measure up to him but, maybe I’m getting nostalgic, Chick Young ? Charlie Nicholas ? John Motson ? Tam Cowan ? Stewart Cosgrove ? you decide.

When ever I hear that distinctive voice I am always back in Glenburn
jockeying for a seat and telling the old man to pipe down because 'bools' is commentating on the 'fitba' We are all better off for knowing him even if it was only on the screen, I am once again reminded that I am getting on a bit. R.I.P. 'bools'