vikingTON Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 I think that's more of a Westminster General Election scare story. No one really cares who is in power in the toytown Parliament. I'd be willing for it to go on rotation - give the Green a shot next time with the play money. The Scottish Sun had Scotland in an SNP noose on the day of the 2007 election, the Record went for a less striking but similarly loaded front page. The main aim of Westminster elections is to keep the Tories out, citing the SNP as a wasted vote (or wilful collaborators) is the typical Labour unionist ploy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 The Scottish Sun had Scotland in an SNP noose on the day of the 2007 election, the Record went for a less striking but similarly loaded front page. The main aim of Westminster elections is to keep the Tories out, citing the SNP as a wasted vote (or wilful collaborators) is the typical Labour unionist ploy. The SNP are an irrelevance at Westminster. They should stick to the diddy parliament and keep out of the important stuff. Or at least do a Sinn Fein and don't turn up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbl Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 More Labour fun and games: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/scottish-news/1765-labour-colleagues-failed-to-confront-disgraced-councillor.html Councillor William O’Rourke, who represents Pollok in Glasgow, was sacked from several council positions yesterday and suspended from the Labour Party after the leak of shocking comments at the personnel appeals committee hearing the case of a care worker dismissed for allegedly having sex with the child.Baillies Jim Scanlan and Jim Todd attended the same meeting, which took place last month, but do not appear to have taken any action about O’Rourke. Baillie Todd is also a member of the council’s children and families policy development committee. During the appeal O’Rourke suggested the girl “wanted it to happen” because no force was used and that she was not a “typical innocent nine year old.” He also made bizarre comments about promiscuous children and the need to lower the age of sexual consent. His remarks only came to light when Strathclyde Police officially complained to the Standards Commission for Scotland, which regulates the behaviour of politicians. One of Strathclyde’s officers was a witness at the hearing and reported her concerns. That report was leaked to the press this weekend and only then did the council take action. A council insider told Newsnet it was very unusual for a committee to be made up entirely of Labour councillors and suggested they might have closed ranks to protect O’Rourke Well he sounds lovely (detail on what he said later in the article). At least it was for something other than the typical (but not systematic or endemic!) financial corruption. Oh... ...It is not the first time Todd has been embroiled in a row. He threatened to sue opposition councillors last year when they suggested that his employment as a taxi driver by Network Private Hire was inappropriate. Network was the subject of complaints by the police – now dropped – because it was making payments of £5000 a month to its former owner, James Baxter, a known criminal. The firm argued it was part of a buy out deal and now say they have parted company with Baxter.Todd is also chair of City Building, the arms-length firm set up by disgraced former council leader Steven Purcell. City Building employs executives with Labour connections and was condemned for making donations to the Labour Party from what are effectively public funds... Oh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbl Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 For those concerned about the validity of my source btw, its also in the herald: Councillor is sacked over rape remarks A COUNCILLOR at the centre of a storm over his comments about a nine-year-old alleged rape victim has been sacked from several political posts and suspended by the Labour Party. Glasgow City councillor William O’Rourke is reported to have asked if the child “wanted it to happen” during a disciplinary panel into the dismissal of a care worker accused of her rape. Mr O’Rourke, 72, had been chair- ing a recent personnel appeals committee when he made the comments that have led to a police complaint to the Standards Commission. Following the revelation about the comments made during January’s meeting, council leader Gordon Matheson sacked Mr O’Rourke from his position on Strathclyde Police Authority and several other posts that earn the Greater Pollok councillor around £20,000 on top of his allowance of around £17,000. Both the Liberal Democrat and SNP groups had written to Mr Matheson ahead of the announcement, calling for Mr O’Rourke to go. Both parties believe questions remain unanswered as to why no other councillor or official who was present reported Mr O’Rourke for his comments when senior members of the administration knew about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Mr O’Rourke, who had been touted as a possible future chairman of the police authority, is reported to have asked if force was used during the alleged rape and when she told him it was not, he is alleged to have asked: “So she wanted it to happen?” Wow, what incredibly dreadful logic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Wow, what incredibly dreadful logic. Yep, he sounds a right cunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 MAKE THIS PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST STOP, MAKE IT STOP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLF Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 MAKE THIS PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST STOP, MAKE IT STOP. haha - couple of major porkies in it too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad Lib Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 MAKE THIS PARTY POLITICAL BROADCAST STOP, MAKE IT STOP. I thought it was one of their better efforts, to be honest. Thank f**k they've got rid of that cringeworthy ode to Braveheart. It's better than anything Labour's done for a PPP, except maybe Kinnock The Movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I can't wait for the Labour effort, it will be absolutely chuffing hellish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I decided to listen to first ministers questions the other day on the radio. That Ian Gray bloke is a fucking walloper, I hope to hell he doesn't become first minister, Salmond is a bit of a helmet but at least he is a capable bloke. Gray is a fucking ear chewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad Lib Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I decided to listen to first ministers questions the other day on the radio. That Ian Gray bloke is a fucking walloper, I hope to hell he doesn't become first minister, Salmond is a bit of a helmet but at least he is a capable bloke. Gray is a fucking ear chewer. Iain Gray casts serious doubt over the theory of evolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbl Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I decided to listen to first ministers questions the other day on the radio. That Ian Gray bloke is a fucking walloper, I hope to hell he doesn't become first minister, Salmond is a bit of a helmet but at least he is a capable bloke. Gray is a fucking ear chewer. He's the man who has stepped forward to defend the cold dead Union though, and the craven North British will vote him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 He's the man who has stepped forward to defend the cold dead Union though, and the craven North British will vote him. They certainly will vote for him. You must be devastated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 SNP pledge no University fees for students Labour pledge to freeze Council tax GIVE ME MORE FREE STUFF AND I WILL VOTE FOR YOU, POLITISHUN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 SNP pledge no University fees for students Labour pledge to freeze Council tax GIVE ME MORE FREE STUFF AND I WILL VOTE FOR YOU, POLITISHUN. What's actually wrong with voting for one's economic interest instead of against it, though? Our current UK government serves its clients at the expense of the vast bulk of the population. How can you blame the average person for trying to claw back a piece of the pie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad Lib Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 What's actually wrong with voting for one's economic interest instead of against it, though? Our current UK government serves its clients at the expense of the vast bulk of the population. How can you blame the average person for trying to claw back a piece of the pie? There's absolutely nothing wrong with voting for your own economic interest. I'd be interested to see any evidence that the current UK government "serves its clients" any more than its predecessors, though. Bernie Ecclestone immediately springs to mind. That and the last lot accelerating PFI and funding its party through quasi-loans, some of which conveniently get written off after the donor gets a peerage and others which are now bankrupting it. What I would add is that the thing about parties competing to make spending commitments is that you end up with so many promises that the state starts to assume competence creep, and short of borrowing or number fiddling, it's the tax-bill that suffers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICTChris Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 What's actually wrong with voting for one's economic interest instead of against it, though? Our current UK government serves its clients at the expense of the vast bulk of the population. How can you blame the average person for trying to claw back a piece of the pie? I suppose not, I probably should've phrased my comment differently. I do think that the Scottish Parliament elections seem to have formed a pattern that making more spending promises is what you need to do to get elected, I don't think that's good for Scotland's economy or our politics. The budget for the Scottish parliament will have to stop growing but have any of the major parties set out how they would manage this? As Ad Lib says in his last paragraph, you end up with a rush to outdo your competitors with regards to spending committments. This is also something that happened in British politics as a whole during the late 90s and early 2000s but I think it's more pronounced in Scotland and in the Scottish Parliament. One of the reasons for this is the fact that the Scottish Parliament doesn't raise it's own taxes. They are effectively given pocket money by Westminster, which is hardly the sort of arrangement that is likely to promote good management of finances. I think extending the financial powers of the Scottish Parliament would be a good way to improve the politics - the Scotland Bill could help this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbl Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Labour pledge to freeze Council tax A good decision, and one they really didn't want to make, considering that first of all they talked rises, then they talked about "capping rises", and now they've had to match the SNP. Where the SNP lead, Labour follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Freud Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 A good decision, and one they really didn't want to make, considering that first of all they talked rises, then they talked about "capping rises", and now they've had to match the SNP. Where the SNP lead, Labour follow. I was pleasantly surprised to find our council tax frozen here as well. I suppose a Tory council couldn't do much else mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.