http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Do we need a GE2015 thread? en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:31:39 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189793 Mon, 01 Jun 2015 08:41:56 +0000 chdot 189793@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2015/06/disproportionate-electoral-system-is-bust-say-electoral-reform-society" rel="nofollow">http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2015/06/disproportionate-electoral-system-is-bust-say-electoral-reform-society</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189610 Thu, 28 May 2015 20:34:43 +0000 wee folding bike 189610@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I think the FM really does ride a bike.</p> <p>Before they got banned Top Gear listed the cars used by leaders of government and they said she didn't drive.</p> <p>I'm afraid I have done recently. The memsahib has been insisting that I put number 4 son in his school taxi as she has to be at work early. Catastrophic failure of the water pump on my car didn't get me out of it. I had to borrow hers. Yesterday was the last time.</p> <p>Now spraying PlusGas on the water pump so I can unscrew it. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189437 Wed, 27 May 2015 13:01:28 +0000 chdot 189437@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Queen's Speech 2015: Bill-by-bill</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32898443" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32898443</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189387 Wed, 27 May 2015 09:42:10 +0000 cb 189387@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Better together is going to be Yes this time:</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32894220">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32894220</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189376 Wed, 27 May 2015 07:15:17 +0000 I were right about that saddle 189376@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@kaputnik</p> <p>The best defence I've heard so far for the referendum franchise is the argument that Westminster is seeking the views of those that elected it.</p> <p>Problems with this superficially attractive argument? No one elected the House of Lords. Most electors' votes go in the bin in Westminster elections.</p> <p>So, might it not be reasonable to seek the views of everyone that Westminster represents, rather than just those who voted? Anyway, I'm annoyed that transient commonwealth students will vote but fully hefted EU nationals - fellow Scots citizens to me - will be excluded.</p> <p>PS I heard Malcolm Bruce on the radio yesterday. It was like hearing an adult have a toddler temper tantrum in slow motion. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189359 Tue, 26 May 2015 16:13:39 +0000 Stickman 189359@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Was he eligible to vote in the UK General Election? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189358 Tue, 26 May 2015 15:55:57 +0000 kaputnik 189358@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/french-born-snp-msp-cannot-vote-in-eu-referendum-1-3782858" rel="nofollow">http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/french-born-snp-msp-cannot-vote-in-eu-referendum-1-3782858</a></p> <p>Being French-born is good enough to qualify you for being an MSP, but not for voting in the EU referendum. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189344 Tue, 26 May 2015 13:02:23 +0000 kaputnik 189344@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>In the latest twist to #Memogate, Sir Malcolm Bruce stepped in with a bizarre defence of Alistair Carmuckle along the lines of "all MPs are basically liars and can still be good MPs, so it doesn't matter that Alistair's been caught lying on the record". So if your former colleagues are verifying you're a liar then that's OK. It's all basically a big SNP witch-hunt to build a bridge our of Carbunkle anyway; I assume therefore that no other parties are bothered enough at the way he's been caught behaving to be overly critical - after all that might let the nationalists "in".</p> <p>Willie Rennie's big #Libdemfightback isn't getting off to the best start by having to defend 100% of the Lib Dem's Scottish MPs being caught with their underpants ablaze. Big Al has I believe spoken quite strongly in the past on the principle of the electorate being able to recall crooked MPs. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189299 Mon, 25 May 2015 19:53:14 +0000 gembo 189299@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@iwrarts - dual nationality? </p> <p>I have a colleague whose family used to sing the Joni song My Old Man as "we don't need no piece of paper from the city hall, keeping us tied and true"</p> <p>They were a very well behaved family, no need for the behaviour licence.</p> <p>Check out the website NomadCapitalist they are very transparent about their mission. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189262 Mon, 25 May 2015 10:01:05 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 189262@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>That's basically what they're doing, using the exact same rules as for a general election. Hard to argue against that really (it IS possible to change it, like allowing 16 year olds to vote in the IndyRef, and I guess it's easily arguable that any EU citizen currently living in the UK could be impacted by a vote to leave, but it's probably an electoral reform too far for many - and I doubt xenophobic right wingers would appreciate the irony of an in/out vote having the input of the very people they want to be separated from).</p> <p>If your auntie left in 1968 then she's no longer resident and so wouldn't have a vote. Similarly the Zimbabwean would have to be 'resident' - I suspect someone 'passing through' probably wouldn't satisfy that.</p> <p>Of course there's a wonderful inconsistency that British citizens living abroad for less than 15 years can vote. Which would include those Costa immigrants who do appear to be right wing in their views, but have taken advantage of free movement. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189261 Mon, 25 May 2015 09:46:25 +0000 PS 189261@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Only British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens who are resident in the UK will be allowed to vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union</em></p> <p>Like in a General Election, then? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189254 Mon, 25 May 2015 07:23:09 +0000 I were right about that saddle 189254@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Now that the kingdom is governed by the Conservatives we have that EU referendum on our hands. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/11627618/EU-referendum-Foreigners-barred-from-historic-vote.html">It's going well.</a><br /> <strong><br /> EU referendum: Foreigners barred from historic vote</strong></p> <p><em>Only British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens who are resident in the UK will be allowed to vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union</em></p> <p>So my auntie who has Canadian citizenship and left in 1968 or any passing Zimbabwean is welcome to help determine the future of our country, but madame IWRATS, an EU national resident here for twenty years and perfectly integrated isn't. I do not, repeat do not, like these Conservative people. In fact they are foreign to me. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189243 Sun, 24 May 2015 15:24:27 +0000 Stickman 189243@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://chokkablog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/sowing-seeds.html?m=1">sowing the seeds</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189242 Sun, 24 May 2015 13:32:46 +0000 gembo 189242@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I saw that from the other direction during the landslide.</p> <p>I think Nicky S may do a bit of jogging?</p> <p>The tweets under the picture gave me the boak</p> <p>VI Lenin also said If you say a lie often enough it becomes the truth. For example, the SNP is now a socialist party. Ain't that the truth.</p> <p>1.4 million would be 95 pence for every SNP vote. Surely the bloc would gladly pay that to unseat the blob, it could be crowd sourced within minutes? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189241 Sun, 24 May 2015 11:54:26 +0000 I were right about that saddle 189241@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@gembo</p> <p>Here's something else Lenin never predicted. <a href="https://twitter.com/theSNP/status/591576280514039808">The First Minister of Scotland pretending to be a bicyclist.</a> Could be the basis of a new scandal - LackOfHiVizGate. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189239 Sun, 24 May 2015 11:39:16 +0000 chdot 189239@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"PS If the £1.4 megapound price tag on the slo-mo witch-hunt is correct"</p> <p>"</p> <p>I think we should beware of quoting that £1.4 million widely for now. The only source seems to be a tweet by Paul Flynn MP (see <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulFlynnMP/status/601769705649643520" rel="nofollow">https://twitter.com/PaulFlynnMP/status/601769705649643520</a> ). It seems an unfeasibly high figure even for the current unwieldy civil service bureaucracy. The danger is that when a truer cost emerges (if we ever find out), there’ll be the get-out of “Oh well, it only cost [insert figure here], so it’s not so bad!”</p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-naked-liar/comment-page-1/#comment-2018984" rel="nofollow">http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-naked-liar/comment-page-1/#comment-2018984</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189238 Sun, 24 May 2015 11:30:25 +0000 gembo 189238@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@iwrats</p> <p>That is why I said he should have said No Comment</p> <p>I just thought I would quote VI Lenin to introduce the idea that power corrupts and that those who are pure are few and far between now that Chris mullin has retired.</p> <p>Did not mean to excuse the lummox </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189234 Sun, 24 May 2015 11:04:09 +0000 I were right about that saddle 189234@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@gembo</p> <p>This isn't a scoundrel we have before us but a great clunking farcical oaf.</p> <p>He went on telly and smirk-o-grinned his way through a categorical denial. Then he got rumbled and wrote a letter to his victim in the style of the chastised schoolboy.</p> <p>I've known a couple of Shetlanders in my time, enough to know that they will likely be burning with shame at having elected this man to represent them in parliament.</p> <p>If he's referred, if he's suspended, if there's a petition, if he's recalled, if there's a by-election...Orkney &amp; Shetland falling to the SNP would be like Labour winning in Kensington and Chelsea.</p> <p>PS If the £1.4 megapound price tag on the slo-mo witch-hunt is correct that will constitute its own meta-scandal. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=21#post-189221 Sun, 24 May 2015 08:10:39 +0000 gembo 189221@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Private office notoriously leaky over the decades and the line between spin and dirty tricks is narrow. but he might be vulnerable given his denial. Should have gone with no comment?</p> <p>Dale Campbell saviours (spelling?) says the greatest sin an MP can commit is to lie to his (or her) constituents.</p> <p>And yet in surveys we the people consistently believe them all to be liars. Perhaps it is ok to be a liar as part of a general classification but unacceptable to be exposed as an individual and specific liar from within that class?</p> <p>There are no morals in politics only expedience. A scoundrel may be of use to us because he is a scoundrel.</p> <p>I Am The Walrus </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189218 Sun, 24 May 2015 00:09:50 +0000 chdot 189218@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"</p> <p> “It is inconceivable that a parliamentary committee could issue a penalty in a case of this gravity of less than 10 days’ suspension. Therefore a byelection will inevitably be triggered.”</p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/23/alistair-carmichael-liberal-democrats-byelection-threat-leak-snp-sturgeon?CMP=share_btn_tw" rel="nofollow">http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/23/alistair-carmichael-liberal-democrats-byelection-threat-leak-snp-sturgeon?CMP=share_btn_tw</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189203 Sat, 23 May 2015 00:19:41 +0000 kaputnik 189203@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>And "Honest Al", being from Islay, could understand neither! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189201 Fri, 22 May 2015 22:53:34 +0000 I were right about that saddle 189201@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@kaputnik</p> <p>The problem was caused by a 'loss in translation'. Between doric and lallands presumably. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189198 Fri, 22 May 2015 21:11:34 +0000 wee folding bike 189198@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>And, as luck would have it, the announcement came out on the Friday of a holiday weekend. </p> <p>Whodathunkit? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189176 Fri, 22 May 2015 15:16:36 +0000 kaputnik 189176@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Remeber that 3rd-hand memo that somehow made it's way into the press from the Scotland Office and "proved" that Nicola Sturgeon wanted Cameron to remain as Prime Minister? Turns out "Honest Al" Carmichael himself, late Scottish Secretary, was behind it. </p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32849065" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32849065</a></p> <p>Shame it only (and for him very conveniently) came our after he narrowly held his seat.</p> <p><em>The Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Haywood... ...also said there was no evidence of any political motivation or "dirty tricks."</em></p> <p>Forgive me Sir Humphrey, but what other possible motivation could there have been but a political one?! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-189166 Fri, 22 May 2015 13:24:36 +0000 chdot 189166@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"</p> <p>The SNP will chair two House of Commons select committees at Westminster, it has been announced. </p> <p>Nationalist MPs will take control of the UK Parliament's energy and climate change select committee and Scottish affairs select committee. </p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32843295" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-32843295</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-188958 Wed, 20 May 2015 13:16:26 +0000 chdot 188958@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"</p> <p>And the apparent desire by most of the UK leadership candidates to return to a New Labour, Blairite agenda is worrying. Mr Miliband worked hard to move the party away from the toxic legacy of the Blair-Brown bickering and the Iraq war and focus on Labour’s true values – 
tackling inequality, fighting poverty and promoting a strong society.</p> <p>Going back to the era when Peter Mandelson said he was “intensely relaxed about people becoming filthy rich” seems a bad idea.</p> <p>And a return to New Labour would certainly do nothing to help the party in Scotland. Here, Labour is fighting for survival against a party which has effectively supplanted it as the 
primary political presence.</p> <p>"</p> <p><a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/ian-swanson-blairite-path-a-death-wish-for-labour-1-3777966" rel="nofollow">http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/ian-swanson-blairite-path-a-death-wish-for-labour-1-3777966</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-188687 Sun, 17 May 2015 22:09:46 +0000 chdot 188687@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/if-i-were-prime-minister-i-would-hasten-the-process-of-devolution-to-the-major-city-regions-10080650.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/if-i-were-prime-minister-i-would-hasten-the-process-of-devolution-to-the-major-city-regions-10080650.html</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-188668 Sun, 17 May 2015 09:28:54 +0000 gembo 188668@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The woman Annette wrote the letter which was on labourhame as a response to an article by Richard baker ex-MSP which was I think a piece about separation being a bad idea in times of trouble.</p> <p>She joins the comments at the bottom of the piece if you scroll down far enough and at one point she says - if you do not believe that every country should be able to govern itself you must be an imperialist.</p> <p>So as with many things there is much drift within the original letter and indeed comments afterwards. The original piece was intended to be about how labour could be re-elected (as I read it). Jist - by being more like old labour. In England Milly Ed portrayed as dangerous leftie, in Scotland he is soft Islington red Tory scum (according to the rent a mob).</p> <p>Labour very used to being a party of opposition. Slightly wrong footed by being in opposition to themselves in Scotland. I presume they can pick up a few more seats than one at Holyrood with the lists? Lib dems aiming for more than one too and indeed Tories, greens hoping for something and foxy. so SNP will retain and increase their majority but there will hopefully be some opposition external to the SNP? SNP also have to decide whether to push for another referendum despite the clear result of that. I imagine they will. It is their Raison d'être.</p> <p>Radio 4 did an interesting piece from a pub in rutherglen on Saturday morning with ex-MP Tom Greatorex. Sample small but nice case study. At one point someone at the bar fluffed their lines by ordering a large lager. Nerves at being on the radio? So a couple of ex-labour who voted SNP. One who remained loyal to labour. One who was a bus driver who voted UKIP because lot of passengers were benefit scrounges from abroad. (Seriously). Then a heart warming vignette where a customer asked Tom Greatorex with genuine care and sympathy - what are you doing now son? Tom G said alas he was busy making his staff redundant and then he would be looking for a job.</p> <p>Back on the comments after Annette's article I was struck by a commenter saying I'm not guilty about voting SNP. This was odd as I couldn't see anyone suggesting he should feel guilty. We live in a democracy and people can vote for who they like (though none of the above would pick up a fair few votes if an option I am sure, perhaps more so in England?).</p> <p>Not sure how many of the now unemployed Labour and a lib Dem MPs were hard working local politicians like Greatorex, Murray, Lazarovicz etc and how many were more remote Westminster coves like A Darling, D Alexanders etc.??The idea that you could still vote labour or lib dem for a hard working local labour / lib demMP certainly fell on deaf ears. The idea that Scottish labour MPs were distant from grass roots clearly accepted as fact?</p> <p>There would seem to be something in parts of the Scottish psyche that can be cussed, not just scots of course, you see this determination in Yorkshire etc. (see also the Celtic myth of difference also mentioned by Annette maybe again in comments but not borne out by DNA). Contrast this with the Scottish enlightenment where the quality of thinking combined with our own ideas of imperialist expansion and we founded various institutions in London eg Bank of England, royal society etc. set up periodicals published in Edinburgh but intended to have UK circulation (black woods, Edinburgh review), ran the British empire etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-188667 Sat, 16 May 2015 23:30:26 +0000 chdot 188667@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Sorry, can't compete with Gembo's historical treatise. </p> <p>I obviously skimmed too much and missed the 'central Scotland Green voter' bit. </p> <p>This is what I was writing in parallel with Mr G. </p> <p>Didn't read all, but think this is the core bit -</p> <p>"</p> <p>So listen to me well, Labour Party, because if you get this wrong again you will be done for, once and for all: Don’t try to appeal to Tory voters. Tory-leaning voters might vote Labour as a one-off protest vote, but by pandering to them you alienate the people who are your natural clientele. For a few years that might work out, but eventually the Tory-leaning voters will return to the Tory fold and your own supporters will decide you’re just not worth it anymore. If they have any sense, they’ll move on to the Greens, and if not, there’s always UKIP. If they feel seriously conflicted, they might just stay at home and not vote at all. In Scotland, they have serious alternative now. In any case, you’re unlikely to gain back their trust as long as you present yourself as a paler copy of the Tories. Nicola Sturgeon did give you the heads-up in the leadership debate. She said that of course there is a difference between Tories and Labour, but the problem is that the difference is not big enough. It is nowhere near big enough.</p> <p>"</p> <p>I assume because of "In Scotland, they have serious alternative now" the piece is predominantly about 'UK Labour'. </p> <p>So, 5 years to sort something out and/or hope the voters get bored with/disappointed by the Tories. </p> <p>In Scotland things are a bit more complicated. </p> <p>The whole left/right thing is harder to define - <em>not least</em> because there is a whole extra party (and it's no longer a small one). </p> <p>There is the extra extra complication that there is a significant election in less than 12 months. </p> <p>After 5 years the voters hadn't 'forgiven' the LibDems for reneging on the 'tuition fees pledge' (apparently). Wot chance of 'forgetting about' Better Together?</p> <p>The best electoral prospect for Labour is for the SNP/Tories (delete as applicable) to mess up/get boring. That's unlikely to happen too comprehensively in the next 12 months. </p> <p>The best way forward for Labour (particularly in Scotland) is to keep a low public profile - except at Holyrood where they need to be an effective opposition. Behind the scenes work on the next manifesto, and include policies the party believes in - not just ones it imagines people will vote for. </p> <p>There are no 'Labour voters to be won back'. </p> <p>I don't think they understand that. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=14650&page=20#post-188666 Sat, 16 May 2015 23:15:45 +0000 gembo 188666@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The article and comments after it are thought provoking (prompting me to consider the long view as really still just a Lot of opinion but little established facts.)</p> <p>in 2015 Even if labour won all the seats in Scotland the Tories would still have a majority. Labour marginally increased their vote in rest of Uk but obviously collapsed in Scotland where the SNP appealed to traditionally labour voters. But except with the obvious pressure on the union Scotland could be considered irrelevant? I mean to the wider picture of how the Labour Party gets elected. This is the main thrust of the person called Annette's advice (though she is a green voter in central Scotland).</p> <p>Bear with me whilst I assemble my potted history.Labour won a general election for the first time after World War Two when the UK population voted for change. In power briefly then long period of Tory rule (Scotland still voting for Tories in large numbers at this time). Labour do not win again until 1960s when Wilson is able tap into a modernity vibe. Again didn't last long. Unions still have some clout so early seventies era of changing governments and indeed the LibLab pact. Which did not have the same devastating effect on the libs as their recent coalition. (Scotland votes for devolution but not in sufficient numbers). 1979 Thatcher. Scotland starts to react in an equal and opposite direction. People in England in 1979 like thatcher at first but she is quickly not that popular until the Falkland war. This cements her leadership and fifteen years later Labour in rest of Uk go with Tony Blair. The scots still quite like old labour. Labour in power for their longest ever spell but do not redistribute (bit like SNP administration in Scotland since 2007). So looks like labour in rest of UK will ignore Annette and go back to Blair? Scotland won't like that but we have SNP projecting themselves as Old labour (though they seem more like new labour? In their policies, my opinion.).</p> <p>Tories might have trouble from within like in 1992? Cameron clearly feels he has a mandate on 36per cent but Nicola scooped 50per cent. Interesting times. Late night ramblings. </p>