This Wimmen Tis Fa Turning

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a grey haired leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party said:

"You turn if you want to. The Lady's not for turning."

What would Baroness Thatcher make of this?

Before 12:30 during First Minister's questions Annabel Goldie told the First Minister:

"Many questions need to be answered and must be answered if Miss Sturgeon is to retain the confidence of this Parliament."

Yet within a couple of hours when an emergency meeting of the Bureau met to discuss the possibility of an emergency statement, the SNP said no and when it went to the vote the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Nationalist Party as they have done so often voted with the SNP so those questions will not be answered swiftly.

Annabel is not so much the iron lady, as the ironing lady, dashing away with the smoothing iron, to smooth the path for a increasingly trouble Alex Salmond and the SNP who have also announced that their plans to introduce the Referendum Bill plans were now shifting to after the general election.

Goldie Fingers

She wants public sector workers who earn over £18,000 to have their pay frozen.

She wants government agencies to cut back on "non-essential" spending.

Yet she has been claiming £10,000 in first class travel between Edinburgh and Bishopton in Renfrewshire

Of course she doesn't really care what you think saying that David Cameron can get by without support in Scotland.

Step forward Annabel Goldfingers.

Queen's Speech Lie on Scotland

Only last week the Queen was made to read these words from her Government:

"In Scotland, my government will take forward proposals in the final report of the commission on Scottish devolution."

This was meant to be in the programme for Government before the next General Election, both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives said that much of what was promised last Wednesday would not be deliverable in time. Well the Independent is reporting that Jim Murphy the Scottish Secretary is going to announce the proposals to deepen devolution in Parliament today, but will concede that this will not take place until after the General Election.

Last week top Scottish Labour Blogger Yousuf was all full of joy over the impending white elephant paper that Murphy was going to bring before the House. Well he will bring it, but he has already conceded there will not be time to bring it through.

Therefore the party that Yousuf says is the party of Home Rule are not prepared to follow through. That leaves us with the Tories another sponsor of the Calman Commission in Scotland, but their too are running scared of the white paper elephant in the room. One senior Tory has be quoted as saying:

"It's a headache for us. No doubt that's what Gordon Brown intends it to be. We will consider our options carefully."

B...b...but Annabel Goldie was pushing David Cameron to give full-hearted support for the Calman plans in the Commons when the report came out in June. Of course even then she was facing problems from her own MSPs, of course one of them John Lamont wants to be one of the people deciding on that.

If you want deeper powers for the Scottish Parliament a few things are clear, if you vote Labour they'll procrastinate, if you vote Tory they'll have a headache, if you vote SNP they'll decapitate (with out a clean slice and too many unanswered questions). Therefore the only way to get constructive real change and more power for Scotland is to vote Lib Dem.

Who's Debating You? Salmond has Turned One Down

It has been a hot topic of conversation in Scotland over recent months that Alex Salmond has been saying he wants to be involved in debates in Scotland ahead of the general election. He has even threatened legal action if he is not allowed into the Prime Ministerial debates.

Well if looks like he has refused to answer a challenge from the Scottish leaders Labour's Iain Gray, Lib Dem Tavish Scott and Tory Annabel Goldie to a debate. Indeed let's also invite Patrick Harvie of the Greens and if Alex doesn't show empty seat him. I've since the first ramifications said there should be a Scottish wide debate instead or as well as one of the proposed debates. It is not a compromise but a recognition of the devolved nature of politics here in Scotland, an answer to the West Lothian Question as far as the debates issue is concerned. I'm sure a similar thing will occur in Northern Ireland and I'd wish it also happens in Wales. But Alex is letting his ego get the better of him.

He has stated his ambition of getting 20 seats in the General Election, but his super-ego is getting the better of him. He thinks as First Minister of a devolved Parliament he deserves equal billing with the Prime Ministerial contenders and at the same time thinks he above the opposition leaders in that devolved power. He is in the no mans land, not on the same stage as the others and with his one extra seat considers himself better than Grey and the rest.

Turning down this offer of a Scotland debate on terms of parity while seeking to set, control and bully the UK wide agenda (without consideration to other more nationwide parties) for his own self shows that the ego is what is ruling the SNP decisions on the debates issue.

Have UCU Outdone the Scottish Tories?

I've been asked by Mick Fealty who runs the Northern Irish blog Slugger O'Toole whether the Scottish Tories are getting the same deal as my former Minister* Reg Empey has managed for Northern Ireland as part of the Ulster Unionists dowry. Basically Cameron has promised the earth to Northern Ireland:

"What we have agreed is that all of Northern Ireland will be designated as an
enterprise zone," the UUP leader said. "It allows us to start to work on tax
issues." Asked if that would allow Northern Ireland to set a lower corporation
tax, Empey said: "I would harbour that ambition to achieve special tax status."

Judging my Annabel and Co's comments on the Lib Dems trying to get changes to taxation in Scotland. It would seem that Annabel's time around the shadow cabinet table haven't been as productive as Reg has used his time in discussions. I am of course happy to hear from any of my Scottish Conservative friends who wish to prove otherwise.

BTW I've started to write a little column for Slugger as well.

*From my time working in the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment.

Swinney Calling For Budget Unity on Difficult Voyage

John Swinney looks certain to clear the first hurdle in getting the SNP Government's budget past its first stage this week after Labour have said they will not vote against it, yet. He still faces and uphill task to secure the votes necessary to pass it later this month as all three of the other main parties have issues with the £33bn spending plans. Although he has already secured the two Green Party votes.



Labour have said that while they will not block it at this first step they "are looking for some big concessions on jobs and there will be some tough negotiations over the next fortnight."



Annabel Goldie and the Conservatives, whose support secured the budget last year, has said her party will not support it if plans to drop last year's concessions to fund extra police officers, a national drugs strategy, and business rate cuts for small firms are included. Or if their aren't proposals in the new budget to help hard-pressed families and businesses.



However, both the Tories and Labour are prepared to support, or at least not vote against it at this first vote tomorrow. The Lib Dems have already indicated that they will vote against it. Leader Tavish Scott saying "No other government, national or devolved, in western Europe has made such a meagre response to this economic storm" backing his call for a 2p cut in income tax.

Whilst calling for support Swinney has also said:

"We are prepared to listen to reasonable ideas and proposals from across
the parliament.

"In these difficult times, there is a responsibility on parliament, as
well as the government, to meet that challenge and not jeopardise the
accelerated investment and jobs by standing in the way of the budget."

So if as looks likely it passes this first vote and passed on to the scrutiny stage it looks as if there will terse and tense negotiations ahead.

Handbag Flying Ends Rumours of Great Gnat-Con Alliance

Well the talk last week was of a possible link between the Tories and Scottish Gnats after the general election. However, Annabel Goldie has probably put and end to that strange possibility with a veritable rocket launch akin to the other Iron Lady of that ilk.

She attacks the SNP adminstration of finally starting to reveal their extreme left-wing agenda, even going as far as saying they make Scottish Labour seem more in touch with the people. Ouch!

She particularly pinpoints decisions taken on education, prisions, health and Scottish water as signs that what they kept carefully underwraps for election purposes are starting to unravel and reveal the Gnats true colours.

The decision to scrap the schools of ambition scheme she brands as socialist dogma at its worse. Seeing as how the Tories were one of the most ameanable parties to the SNP immediuately following hte election last May saying they would have no qualms working with them on a case by case basis it looks like there may be very few cases of such co-operation in the near future.

Tory Case of Foot in Mouth 2

Annabel Goldie might have glared at her TV on Friday night if she had seen her Westminster leader on Jonathan Ross. Not only did he continue to show his indecision of Iraq but he admitted that Margaret Thatcher made it hard for the Scots but that she got it right:

"It meant very difficult decisions. Especially for north, Wales and Scotland, there were difficult times - but we in the Conservative Party believe they were the right decisions."

Just the sort of comment to go down well with the elephant like memory of the Scots, who still remember that it was Michael Howard who experimented with the Poll Tax north of the border. Ten months out from an election in Scotland it may not have been the wisest time to make such a confession.

Vote Blue, Go Red

What is Annabel Goldie up to? Every analyst in Scotland knows that the Labour vote is collapsing. You only have to look at recent results Dunfermline & West Fife, Moray etc to see the party is heading to meltdown.

Yet the leader of the Scottish Tories has said she would prop up Labour in a 'stability pact' should they lose the support of the Lib Dems and cannot find anyone else to help them. Alex Salmond of course is delighted at this electoral suicide.

Last May at the general election Labour tried to scare people against voting for the party in second place in key seats by saying it would let some other party in. Now it is clear that they will be relying on people doing just that to shore up their own precarious position. Vote Tory get Labour you can hear the cry next April and May during the campaign.

Mind you for a number of years people have voted Labour and got quasi-Toryism through Blair anyway.