Dressed for independence

I am no fan of Sarah Palin's politics, but I am envious of her clothing allowance.

I can only imagine what activists in my constituency would say if I suggested that our campaign funds could be used to fund my haircuts, clothes and shoes! After they had stopped laughing of course...

Anyway, here I am outside SNP Conference in Perth last week with my other half. I don't need a clothing allowance to look stylish, I'm sure you'll agree ;o)

Alcohol motion - update

Well, the YSI amendment (mentioned in my previous post) was defeated after an interesting debate at SNP Conference today.

I personally voted for the YSI amendment, and regret that it did not pass - although a substantial number of delegates voted in favour too.

I fail to see how the YSI amendment could have been interpreted as an attack on the Scottish Government. Indeed, the YSI speakers in the debate all praised the general thrust of the proposals and the approach to this issue. I agree with the vast majority of the proposals in the consultation paper as well, I might add, and I congratulate our Government on putting forward some quite radical proposals.

The debate today was in stark contrast to the hysterical reaction of the opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament. Contributions from all perspectives in the debate today were principled, measured and constructive.

While I may lament the result of the vote, at the same time I am proud of the SNP's democratic credentials. The media and opposition parties might not get it, but we are a democratic party and that means having debates - including debates about our own Government's policies. This is healthy - especially in a governing party!

More on Conference soon...

SNP Conference

Well, it's SNP Conference this week and I'll be packing up my over-sized suitcase as usual and heading along.

There are 3 debates on the agenda that I am particularly interested in contributing to - those on asylum seekers, alcohol abuse and deprivation. I will update next week on whether or not I was selected to speak in the debates and regarding the outcome.

The resolution on alcohol abuse will no doubt generate an interesting exchange of views due to the YSI's amendment on the Government's proposal to raise the age at which you can buy alcohol in off-sales to 21.

Contrary to press reporting on this issue, the YSI have not 'hijacked' this debate at Conference. For every National Conference and National Council, all SNP branches, constituency associations, elected members and affiliated organisations like the YSI can submit resolutions for debate. Earlier this year, one branch submitted a resolution about the Scottish Government's consultation on alcohol and this was published as part of the Conference agenda. At this point, the aforementioned bodies and individuals can submit suggested amendments to these resolutions, which the YSI duly did. This was accepted by the committee responsible for putting together the agenda, which is facilitating the debate in question.

To suggest that the YSI have somehow set out to hijack this debate at Conference does them and the SNP a disservice. The YSI have enaged in the formal policy-making processes of the party, with a very measured amendment. And the SNP has accepted this amendment, because the party is relaxed about internal democratic debate.

I am looking forward to hearing all of the various views put forward, and I hope to add my own.

Tories Rule - (not) OK

So, the Tories think they can rule Scotland from Westminster, regardless of the election result in Scotland. Of course they do - look at their record!

David Mundell's comment sent shivers down my spine:

"We will have the right under the devolution settlement, whether the SNP likes that or not, to implement David Cameron's agenda in reserved matters regardless of how many MPs in Scotland we have."

Even if they don't have a single Tory MP elected in Scotland (I actually count David Mundell as zero MPs at the moment - he's as much use as a chocolate fireguard, as my dad would say), they still think they have the right to impose policies upon the people of Scotland that they have rejected at the polls.

Not that New Labour hasn't been foisting unwanted policies on Scotland from Westminster over the last decade, but they at least had an electoral base in Scotland and were the senior coalition partner in the devolved Scottish Executive.

These latest comments from the Tories demonstrate very clearly why they will never revive their fortunes in Scotland. The arrogance is astounding.

And, they demonstrate why independence will always be the better option than being at the mercy of Westminster politicians.

Glenrothes

***update - thanks to Patrick (on the left of the pic) for this photo***

Well, I had hoped to supply you with an exciting 'action shot' of me campaigning in Glenrothes at the weekend, but my other half forgot the camera...

Anyway, a group of ten of us made the journey through to Glenrothes for an extended weekend of by-election campaigning. We had a good laugh, and we ploughed our way through the campaign work. This was the first time I had ever been to the area, but everyone was very friendly. Plus, with Glenrothes itself a New Town, parts of it had a familiar feel to Cumbernauld. The place I was canvassing on Saturday resembled Eastfield in Cumbernauld.

Anyway, my absence from blogging has been mainly down to the fact that we still have no internet access at home. BT and Virgin don't seem to want our money, and I don't want to give any money to Sky! So, we are stuck at the moment.

I was out and about last week too, at the Scottish Learning Festival - a massive education festival in Glasgow. I was there with work, and boy it was hard work. I'm a talker, but even I get exhausted speaking to people non-stop for hours on end!

Last week we also had the bad news that Post Office Ltd has decided to close the 5 Post Offices across our constituency that they had previously marked for closure and consultation. Seems to me that the consultation process was pretty futile. The local communities involved submitted excellent cases for the retention of these Post Offices and highlighted the devastating impact closure would have on local residents - particularly older and disabled residents. I'm still campaigning to help ensure that at least some level of service is maintained in the affected areas, as some people really will be stuck without the local Post Office.

OK- I'm on my lunch break, so I can't go on much longer. These are strange times, with all the financial turmoil across the world. I'm not really qualified to comment on the ins and outs of it all, but I have a question to consider for the day. We are constantly told by Governments across the world that there is no more money for state pensions, poverty alleviation or to help developing countries where children are dying from preventable diseases, yet when the banks are in trouble, billions can be 'found' at the drop of a hat. Yet more proof that we could solve the problems facing the world, and all that is standing in the way is a lack of political will?

Right, I'm off for a salad to compensate for all the unhealthy food I ate at the weekend.

destiNation

The latest issue of destiNation has been published, and can be viewed by clicking here.

Update and a recommendation

Opportunities to blog have been thin on the ground since we moved at the end of July. We STILL have no internet access at home. Apparently, nobody wants to take our money until they 'spot' us on their systems. The fact that we have done that part for them, by actually telling them where we are, makes no difference it seems.

Anyway, most of my time of late has been consumed by the campaigns to save our local Post Offices (which you cannot have failed to notice in previous posts), but I have also been coordinating the next issue of destiNation - which should be published by the weekend (fingers crossed) - and I have been distracted by things like hanging curtains and pictures and telling everyone in officialdom about our change of address. I've also been organising what I like to call a 'campaigning holiday' to Glenrothes.

We are settling in well to our new home in Cumbernauld, and it's no surprise to me that it is one of the happiest places to live in the UK. I must remember to tell my parents this, in my ongoing quest to get them to move to the area!

This is a bit of a lunchtime ramble, so I feel I should also impart some useful or interesting information to make this visit worth your while. If you are looking for a good book to read, I recently finished an excellent book on the Rwandan genocide. Yes, it is incredibly depressing and upsetting, but it's something we all have a duty to learn about. It's called 'We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families', by Philip Gourevitch. Line up something cheerful to read immediately afterwards though.