***Breaking News*** Nick Robinson Names Cabinet Names

Nick Robinson has just named the names of those in Cabinet that were standing by as Geoof Hoon and Patricia Hewitt too the heat for their letter.

Harriet Harman

David Miliband

Douglas AlexanderJack Straw Jim Murphy Bob Ainsworth The dirty half dozen who were waiting to pounce.

Was their intended successor a Miliband?

Nick Robinson said that you can expect their offices to be issuing denials immediately. At least a lot faster than the statements of support for the Prime Minister earlier in the day.

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.

Broon's Dunfermline Sacrifice

Just been watch Jim Faulds currently still the Chairman of the Dunfermline Building Society at least for today quite rightly getting angry at the way the Government has dealt with this scenario.

He has accused the Treasury of being economic with the actualité. He said that unlike Northern Rock they did not have a Sub Prime Mortgage issue. That the losses that Dunfermline were going to announce of £26 million were less than the £36 million that the Chelsea Building Society lost in Icelandic institutions alone.

He also said that there was no exposure to the US toxic debt. Stating that KPMG has said they could be supported and sustained as an independent ongoing interest. Something that Jim Murphy then seemed to be very unsure about when challenged that they were.

He also protested at the lack of proportionality, the risk that has been being covered by the government in the banks as opposed to the lack that they have given the the Building Societies such as Brandford and Bingley and now Dunfermline. The mortgage book of Building Societies is back by bricks and mortar, at the end of this recession those assets will still exist and start to recover, unlike many of the risky investments that the Government has been bailing out for over £1 trillion of protection. When challenged on those with a worst situation Murphy only said that each situation was different (possible some of the others exist in Labour held seats).

Faulds also complained that he and the rest of the board were getting their news from the press before the FSA, the Treasury and the Scottish Office.

It appears that the Government is not prepared to stand by the Building Societies. I've even heard Jim Murphy just say that this is a short term problem. Again blaming it on the international situation, taking no blame for 12 years of UK Government mismanagement that has ended up seeing the country so heavily in debt that the worse offenders ended up at the front of the queue and were helped no questions asked in full and now those that managed to survive that bit longer are being left out to dry or being sold off. Like Mr Faulds said in answer to the first question Dunfermline is a sacrifice not a solution.

Willie Rennie MP for Dunfermline and West Fife then came on later to say it was a disgrace what Jim Murphy was saying. There has been a deal on the table from the UK Building Societies for six months and that the Government has been partially responsible and the FSA's levies are exacerbating it.

Where will it all end? Who will be next to be left out to dry?

Update: Moving unto the Euro debate on Scottish Politics and Labour's David Murray again trying to sidle away from the fact, for fact it is, that while there may have been a US element to our recession we are worse off than the rest of equivalent sized Western Europe countries. Struan Stevenson correctly brought him to task in trying to

Can We Afford this Effrontery?

Apparently the Nat Government has effectively turned down £13bn from Westminster aimed to get PFI projects such as schools and hospitals off the ground when the private sector element is not forthcoming.

It clearly is one problem when there is a recession that private companies clam up in new capital investment if they can and focus on things that currently exist. However, as the SNPs Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) has failed to materialise after 21 months and because of their opposition and cessation to the previous PFI model on which SFT is based. There has yet to be a single SFT .

The Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said:

"The UK-wide temporary fund means PFI projects in Scotland can be considered for support on the same terms as UK departments. The Scottish Futures Trust has yet to procure a single project which might be eligible.

"The Scottish Government needs to stop putting its dogmatic position before Scotland's interests when it comes to PFI. We need to get Scotland building again if we are going to get through the recession and it would make sense for Scottish ministers to reconsider their opposition as soon as possible."

Not a single project! Just what are they playing at? When can we expect something to kick off? Also what does this mean should they gain their wish for Independence will be also see Scotland stall while the lacking infrastructure is uhmed and ahhed about?

Jeremy Purvis the Lib Dem finance spokesperson added:

"This shows very clearly that the SNP has brought to a halt the pipeline of projects vital for Scotland to work through a recession.

"In 2006-7 there were over £1 billion worth of PPP/PFI and NPD contracts awarded in Scotland; now this is down to less than a third of that, with catastrophic timing."

The Nats tried to divert attention by saying the bail-out was "proof positive" that the PFI model was the "economics of the madhouse". Rather ironic use of words at least they was some sort of "house" being build even if the system did need refining, but the do nothingness of SFT really is a madhouse especially with the First Minister himself ranting on about the need to invest money in Scotland to secure Scottish jobs.

The stubbornness of the Nationalist mule to make everything in their own image and cut down things that were in place before a working replacement is in place together with trying to ignore that Scotland is still part of a larger entity is the real economics of the madhouse.

Jim Murphy Wants Sackings and to Decrease Unemployment

Scottish Secretary didn't have that good a night on question time last night. Whilst he attacked monetary stimuli as not saving people's jobs he failed to take any blame for the the banking sector failings despite Labour, and more crucially Gordon Brown being heavily involved in that line since 2007. Then to cap it all he want 4 more people to lose their jobs speaking on the John Sergeant scenario he said "I think we need to get rid of the judges rather than John". I mean there's off message then going off you own message.

But how long are Labour going to continue to blame the USA for everything regarding this latest situation. We had a chancellor, now Prime Minister, Telling us that the days of boom of bust were over. Fact is there was no buffer being built up in the good times in case any issue came up to alleviate the economy should bust be on the horizon.

Even Jim Murphy admitted last night that certain economies were in better shape that the UK is at present to face this crisis, but seemed adamant to not take any responsibility despite 11 years of Labour for this situation. However, his foreign policy experience may well rank with that of Sarah Palin as he also listed China, who currently are the world's lender of first resort, as being in financial crisis.

Maybe Labour, and indeed the whole banking sector, could learn a little from Sir Ian McKillop chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland. At least he has put his hand up and made his apology for his share of the difficulties.