Hoon's PMQs Finishes on Time Shocker

With Blair propably off preparing for the EU mini summit tomorrow Geoff Hoon was at the dispatch box for Prime Minster's Questions today.

Unlike last weeks debacle he seemed to run on time. But if the best he could come back to David Heath about Labour's over draconian anti-terror laws was that the Liberal Democrats should start living in the real world it may be some time before he allowed back.

Let's take a look at the real word. Someone heckles a speech at the Labour Party conference he is arrested under the over draconian anti-terror laws. Animal rights protesters are now under threat of the over draconian anti-terror laws.

What next? Our right to assemble in protest against a draconian governemnt; will they round us all up under over draconian anti-terror laws? What if there is a motion against a Labour policy at conference next year will they arrest everyone in the hall for making noises against the government?

Watch this space.

Tories + Opposition = Backing for Labour

Chris Black asked on his blog a couple of days ago if we care about democracy.

Well today's debate in Westminster on the Electoral Adminstration Bill is a case in point. The Tories are worried about broadening democracy saying it will allow fringe groups to get more access, although they were relieved that it helped their survival in Scotland.

The thing is that extreme groups will be open to more scrutiny if they are in the national picture. The only thing the Tory's and Labour should worry about is there lack of direction and ideas in such a system. Indeed the Tory have shown today how to act as official opposition. Have doubts about part of controversial legislation but back the whole. Will things change in 6 weeks? Doubtful.

Scottish Winery

Yesterday I spent a wonderful afternoon at Cairn O' Mohr a winery in Perth. Yes! Scotland does produce wine and these are award winning fruit wines.

Really pleasent surroundings and did the whole tour the Elder platation, the winery the work. Of course the best part was the tasting and this also took the largest part of the day. But was very enjoyable.

Liam Fox is Shown Yellow Card

Liam Fox is taking his beating in the Conservative Leadership election badly, he has just been booked in the SPL game away to Livingston.


Liam Fox is booked at Livi







Liam Fox defeated in Conservative Leadership Elections

Hoon Not 'Short' of Talk

I find it disgraceful that the Leader of the House Geoff Hoon should talk out Claire Short's private member's bill to make the government accountable to parliament before sending troops to war. It must be a sign of how concerned the government were that they could not whip their own back bencers to the no lobby.

The fact that Hoon serves as leader of the House with his main duty being the handling of the business of the House makes this episode all the more galling. It makes it all appear to be a deliberate attempt by the government to stall further democracy within hte elected chamber and try an maintain the semblance of Presidential leadership enjoyed by Tony Blair.

At least one recent octogenerian at least maintained cabinet government and respected the House of Commons whatever her faults in policy.

Going Out on a Limb

The next leader of the conservative party will be David.

This of course is being cursed by political editors across the country as there goes the David v Goliath headline. Although that would only have applied if Clarke had made the run off as I don't see any paper calling Liam Fox a Goliath of the Conservative party.

At least the party has maintained some semblance of democracy as David Davies has not stepped aside to allow a coranation. If the Tories had actually taken the whole decision out of the hands of their MPs there might have been a very different top two. But maybe that is a discussion for the next century when they look at modernising the Conservatives.

The Love of Politics and the Politics of Love

Some of you have noticed that I have been a little quiet in blogging since the end of the Livingston by election. There are two reasons for this.

First obviously is the fact that the by election itself took a fair amount out of me, as it also did the rest of the local party activists.

Second however, is that within a week of the by election my fiancée of five years sat me down to say that while she still liked me as a friend she no longer saw herself as able to remain my fiancée.

While I admit having two Westminster campaigns in twelve months is not ideal for a non-political partner this was not the reason for the spilt. As aluded to in an earlier post she has started a job over on the west coast which had led me to think about my future. Mainly this thinking occured whilst out actually delivering leaflets as this was the only time I had for such activities.

Whilst I was prepared to consider making a fresh start in a new region and new local party she said this wouldn’t be fair to me, to her or to the local party here. She said quite rightly that I have built up in my four years in West Lothian a good network both in the local party and indeed in Edinburgh. That I am standing at the edge of possibly winning an election, for the local council, in a couple of years. She knows that while she hates the amount of time that political campaigning takes up to be good and successful I need to put that amount of time in, because is the kind of caring politician I am.

She got engaged to me when she was young, she was still at University, while I was a good few years older. While I had already found out who I was and what my passions were she had never really had that chance to be her own person away from her parents or from any other connection. She is seeing this opportunity eventually to move to live on the West coast with her new job as a chance to do just that. She hasn’t ruled out that I might be the anwser she is looking for but she also can’t rule it in.

She still loves the fact that if I commit to something I give my all to it. That was one of the things that attracted her to me in the first place. However, she does not share that passion and while she knows it is important to me she cannot yet bear to have that as a regular occurance every two years.

So what does that mean for me? Well quite possibly I’ll being giving more time than even I was planning to to the 2007 campaign; giving myself an even better chance of getting elected. So I will continue in my quest for the council seat I’ve been pencilled in for since 2003. I’ll be looking for the party to achieve as many Lib Dem councillors in West Lothian as we can manage. Currently we're on the outlook for a few more good people to fight the new wards and to represent them after that.

But I still also have a very good friend who has been the biggest part of my life for the last five years. Who encouraged me to get involved with the local party while she was studying and working elsewhere and who has still promised to act as my devils advocate on areas of policy. Who also has more faith and hope in how far I can go than I do at times