- "All this female candidate stuff is guff."
- "I simply have no interest in their internal processes."
Pick one.
The problem isn't restricted to the Conservative party, of course.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
We need a Scottish Parliament election thread
(1355 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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Loooks like you dont need to be a Mason anymore to be a Conservative MP/?
Posted 3 years ago # -
OK here is my list of nationalist parties as nobody wants to play. Descending order, most nationalist first.
1) The Labour party. Hard-core Great British nationalists who accept that Northern Ireland is an occupied territory and support Brexit. Union Jacks on everything, Sir Starmer as leader, staunch monarchists.
2) Lib Dems. Pro-Brexit Great British nationalists. Too polite to mention Ireland.
3) SNP. Odd mix of Scottish nationalists and internationalists, currently anti-Brexit and the leadership neutral, verging on supportive of the UK of GB&NI.
4) Scottish Greens. No climate justice without social justice, no social justice possible in the UK of GB&NI so nationalist to the point of Scotland joining the EU.
5) Tories. Odd mix of English and UK nationalists but led by people with no loyalty to anything but social class, power and money. Pro-Brexit now, anti- later if it pays. Will ditch Northern Ireland for £20.Posted 3 years ago # -
Is that analysis of the Scottish parties, and would it make any difference if it was/wasn't?
Posted 3 years ago # -
I'm thinking of the party leadership at the highest level. I don't regard Scottish Labour, Tories, Lib Dems etc as parties because they aren't.
Scottish Tories as a group quite weird now of course with the ultra-nationalist Ross and the peculiar 'baroness' Davidson. I cannot decide if she is just a grifter or an actual intelligence asset. Quite possibly both of course.
Posted 3 years ago # -
1) The Labour party. Hard-core Great British nationalists who accept that Northern Ireland is an occupied territory and support Brexit. Union Jacks on everything, Sir Starmer
Labour's Scottish leader Richard Leonard has more or less told Sir Kerr to be careful 'up here'. RL may sound like Geoffrey Boycott but he's been in Scottish politics for 40 years - he's faced off many challenges and may well agree with SNP & Greens about nukes. Also a Corbynite and Jeremy is now active again having spent a short time in the sin bin.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“
He would be showing some informed interest in a Scottish electoral system which has essentially saved his party’s bacon as a serious electoral force in Scotland, by affording them the 25 or 30 MSPs that match their level of support in the country, rather than the handful they could win under the distortions of first-past-the-post.
And he would be recognising, with some respect, that that system sets a higher bar of public support, for winning politicians like Nicola Sturgeon, than the minority 43 per cent of the vote that enables him to claim total victory at Westminster.
“
Posted 3 years ago # -
@LaidBack
Yes, poor Mr Leonard will be subject to a putsch the day after the elections if not the day before. Mr Sarwar, Ms Baillie, Ms Lennon and the crew will see to that.
I'd say he's a classic Labour figure: calling for socialism within the framework of the British imperial power structure which is specifically designed to exclude that possibility.
In the words of the great Neal Ascherson: hoping to reform the British state is like hoping to induce a vulture to give milk.
Posted 3 years ago # -
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Neal Ascherson's lecture from 1985 feels more relevant than ever.
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https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/ancient-britons-and-republican-dream
“
In the 1999 election for the Scottish Parliament he stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the West Renfrewshire constituency but was not successful.[7] Ascherson supported the "Yes" (pro-independence) campaign in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum
“
Posted 3 years ago # -
Groovy, @chdot. I oughta have like posted that link myself, you know?
Posted 3 years ago # -
“I oughta have like posted that link myself“
Personal choice...
Posted 3 years ago # -
@Frenchy
I have cogitated at length and can see no contradiction in the two sets of words you quote.
The 'guff' is the media hoo-ha over the sex of the selected candidate. All I am saying is that I'm not overly interested in the sex of candidates or indeed office holders.
Scotland's current political situation is akin to a burning building with people trapped in an upper storey. In that circumstance no one demands that every second firefighter coming through the door be male or female.
I just want effective representatives and a minimum of Tories.
Harsh, I know.
Posted 3 years ago # -
For years we have had the enfranchisement of Irish citizens and those of other European Union nations as well as residents from Commonwealth countries. With the passing of the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill the 2020 annual canvass of electors has been registering international voters for the first time.
As a European and internationally oriented country, Scotland is taking the next step to include and fully value all parts of our resident multinational society....In outlining the change to the franchise the SNP Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs Michael Russell said: “Our proposals on foreign nationals are driven by the reality and, I believe, the aspiration of modern Scottish society. European Union and Commonwealth citizens already have the franchise, but we must also recognise the enormous contribution that is made to our country by people from all over the world. That is why we are extending the right to vote in devolved elections to all foreign nationals who are resident in Scotland and have leave to remain”.
For the first time in the history of devolution the legislation was required to be passed with a super-majority of two-thirds of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. It was passed by 92 to 27 votes with the support of the Scottish National Party, Labour Party, Scottish Greens and the LibDems. Only Tory MSPs voted against.
Not read too much about this - in today's National.
No doubt BJ will think this is another bad thing about devolution!Posted 3 years ago # -
Clearly right in principle, but there is a question of what privileges citizenship confers if all and sundry can vote. Are all and sundry potentially subject to conscription if push comes to shove for instance?
As Dictator Benign of All Caledonia I'd allow votes in Scottish elections to all those committed to making their medium-term future here. My judgement on the matter final, as ever.
Posted 3 years ago # -
The 'guff' is the media hoo-ha over the sex of the selected candidate.
The only mention of anyone's gender in the article is a Conservative source commenting on internal selection processes. If you think that is "guff", then I can only conclude that you really do have an interest in those internal selection processes.
I just want effective representatives
If a process is leading to only 25% of candidates being women, that process is almost certainly not selecting the most effective representatives.
There's other benefits to increasing female representation in parliament, of course.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Posted 3 years ago #
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She threatened this yonks ago. This in early August:
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A senior Scottish Tory MSP has warned she will resign unless the party reforms under likely new leader Douglas Ross. In a leaked message, Michelle Ballantyne said she agreed to support Ross on the understanding he leads a “Boris backing, Brexit positive, anti nat party”. The right winger added she wanted to see “cronyism” in the Scottish Tories rooted out.
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/senior-tory-mp-threatens-quit-22456484
Posted 3 years ago # -
So are the McTories not pro-Johnson, pro-Brexit and anti-SNP?
I kind of thought they were.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Indeed.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Oh I remember the good old days when things were straightforward and the McTories were the SNP
Posted 3 years ago # -
Curiously this is the only newspaper story Google can find -
“
”I’m looking forward to continuing to represent my constituents across South Scotland as an independent MSP and champion local issues at Holyrood. “While I may be leaving the Scottish Conservatives,
I am not leaving the Scottish Parliament and my door remains open, as always, to my constituents.”
“
Posted 3 years ago # -
“So are the McTories not pro-Johnson, pro-Brexit and anti-SNP?“
First two seem to be variable.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“and the McTories were the SNP“
Well yes, but that’s when Scottish Lab was...
Um, viable?
Posted 3 years ago # -
@chdot oh yes sir, before the great migration of the jimmies to the tartan
I see the nice young chap who was there at the long extended death that was obvious to everyone else.
He does reverse route to me at lunch west out of colinton up Clubbiedean and back down the sheltered WolPath with wind behind. Sheesh, even that is the wrong way round.
Posted 3 years ago # -
I'm still agog at Mr Ross being insufficiently nationalist for her tastes.
Posted 3 years ago # -
“being insufficiently nationalist for her tastes”
That’s a good way of putting it!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Posted 3 years ago #
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What was it the Fat Alex QC said on the train? I got him off but he was guilty? Was that it?
Posted 3 years ago # -
Mr Jackson was filmed saying he wanted the jury to believe one witness was “a flake”, and that he wanted “to put a smell on her”.
Posted 3 years ago #
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