Scottish Political News

Help stop terrorism shoot random Brazilians, Hartwell Street, Dalston

Something new from me at The Sharpener.

SNP hopeful challenges McCabe
Social services worker and mother of two Christina myself has been selected as the Hamilton South SNP candidate for the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election and she has demanded action from the sitting MSP, Finance Minister Tom McCabe. She challenged him to release details of the secret report on the Scottish Executives budget and said: He should publish the Howat Report before the Scottish Parliament elections in May and prove to the people of Scotland that he has nothing to hide when it comes to Executive spending plans.
Ms McKelvie, a learning and development officer, was speaking at the recent meeting of the party's constituency branch that unanimously endorsed her candidacy.
The Howat Report was commissioned by Mr McCabe and its findings were due to be revealed in the spring. But having received the report, Mr McCabe has said it will not be released until the autumn of 2007.
Christina says; I challenge the Minister to publish the report, if he has nothing to hide then he has nothing to fear.
It's Time for some honesty in Scottish politics, It's Time for the SNP.

A Very British Dude seems to be doing OK. As he puts it:

[...] I'm a single man, of robust physical health and no catastrophic mental illness. I earn reasonable money - though things are a bit tight as I've just bought a house.

Sounds good to me. Pillar of society rather than underclass, I would say. But the Dude has decided to do a bit of an experiment. He's decided to see just how much he can wring out of the benefits system. He has clocked up working tax credits already..

£32 every 4 weeks. This took a long time to process and I spoke to no fewer than 6 different poeple. Admittedly I did apply for backdating, and refused to answer most questions, but it took a lot of civil servant's time to give me an extra night on the piss every month.

Next up, council tax benefit..

Upon speaking to the call centre, they suggested, no insisted upon a home visit, to help with the monstrously intrusive 18-page form. Going through it, line by line, it transpires that much of this data is unnessesary - but they collect and store the data anyway, like good little facists.

As the Dude says, we don't live in a sensible society.

Read about it here.

A Very British Dude seems to be doing OK. As he puts it:

[...] I'm a single man, of robust physical health and no catastrophic mental illness. I earn reasonable money - though things are a bit tight as I've just bought a house.

Sounds good to me. Pillar of society rather than underclass, I would say. But the Dude has decided to do a bit of an experiment. He's decided to see just how much he can wring out of the benefits system. He has clocked up working tax credits already..

£32 every 4 weeks. This took a long time to process and I spoke to no fewer than 6 different poeple. Admittedly I did apply for backdating, and refused to answer most questions, but it took a lot of civil servant's time to give me an extra night on the piss every month.

Next up, council tax benefit..

Upon speaking to the call centre, they suggested, no insisted upon a home visit, to help with the monstrously intrusive 18-page form. Going through it, line by line, it transpires that much of this data is unnessesary - but they collect and store the data anyway, like good little facists.

As the Dude says, we don't live in a sensible society.

Read about it here.

A Very British Dude seems to be doing OK. As he puts it:

[...] I'm a single man, of robust physical health and no catastrophic mental illness. I earn reasonable money - though things are a bit tight as I've just bought a house.

Sounds good to me. Pillar of society rather than underclass, I would say. But the Dude has decided to do a bit of an experiment. He's decided to see just how much he can wring out of the benefits system. He has clocked up working tax credits already..

£32 every 4 weeks. This took a long time to process and I spoke to no fewer than 6 different poeple. Admittedly I did apply for backdating, and refused to answer most questions, but it took a lot of civil servant's time to give me an extra night on the piss every month.

Next up, council tax benefit..

Upon speaking to the call centre, they suggested, no insisted upon a home visit, to help with the monstrously intrusive 18-page form. Going through it, line by line, it transpires that much of this data is unnessesary - but they collect and store the data anyway, like good little facists.

As the Dude says, we don't live in a sensible society.

Read about it here.

I posted some weeks ago about the failure of the Moslem Council of Britain to file accounts.

Via Peter Risdon of Free Born John, we now discover that the MCB is an unincorporated association which doesn't need to file accounts. The MCB charity, a much smaller entity, is presumably still guilty as charged of failing to file accounts.

What this means is that the government has been throwing money at the MCB with no idea of whether it is spending the money properly or for the agreed objectives.

This is of course part of a pattern of the government flirting with radical Islam.

I posted some weeks ago about the failure of the Moslem Council of Britain to file accounts.

Via Peter Risdon of Free Born John, we now discover that the MCB is an unincorporated association which doesn't need to file accounts. The MCB charity, a much smaller entity, is presumably still guilty as charged of failing to file accounts.

What this means is that the government has been throwing money at the MCB with no idea of whether it is spending the money properly or for the agreed objectives.

This is of course part of a pattern of the government flirting with radical Islam.

A majority of Conservative Euro MPs have voted for the UK to join the Euro.

UKIP it is then.

A majority of Conservative Euro MPs have voted for the UK to join the Euro.

UKIP it is then.

Smash the state, Graham Road, Hackney

At the end of Channel Four's debate on Moslems and free speech, did Jon Snow really say that the fact that only 48% of the studio audience thought that Moslems threatened free speech meant that consideration should be given to putting restrictions on free speech in place?

At the end of Channel Four's debate on Moslems and free speech, did Jon Snow really say that the fact that only 48% of the studio audience thought that Moslems threatened free speech meant that consideration should be given to putting restrictions on free speech in place?

At the end of Channel Four's debate on Moslems and free speech, did Jon Snow really say that the fact that only 48% of the studio audience thought that Moslems threatened free speech meant that consideration should be given to putting restrictions on free speech in place?

I wonder what proportion of the people who defend prostitution on the basis that it's the "oldest profession" would defend the fur trade, which has a far better claim to that title, on the same basis. Just askin', y'know.

Longrider has an interesting piece about a call from the safety lobby for the driving licence age to be raised to 18. This follows the death of a baby in an accident caused by a 14 year old driver.

Campaigners called on the government to raise the driving licence age from 17 to 18, with a one-year minimum training period and pointed to the disproportionate number of young male drivers involved in road deaths. Men aged 17 to 20 account for three per cent of drivers but make up a third of convictions for dangerous driving while studies suggest that young men are almost 10 times more likely to be killed than experienced motorists.

As Longrider points out, the logic is flawed since on the evidence presented the age for driving licences should be 20. And of course this is a classic case of the logical fallacy of the slippery slope. If our only criteria for assessing a suitable age for driving is safety, then we should only let people drive when they are at their safest (children will die otherwise, you understand).

According to this study, this would appear to be between the ages of thirty and forty. So the correct policy is to allow driving licences to be issued to those who have passed their thirtieth birthdays and to revoke them after the fortieth. This particular slippery slope is longer than one might expect.

I'm sure I'll live to see it.

Longrider has an interesting piece about a call from the safety lobby for the driving licence age to be raised to 18. This follows the death of a baby in an accident caused by a 14 year old driver.

Campaigners called on the government to raise the driving licence age from 17 to 18, with a one-year minimum training period and pointed to the disproportionate number of young male drivers involved in road deaths. Men aged 17 to 20 account for three per cent of drivers but make up a third of convictions for dangerous driving while studies suggest that young men are almost 10 times more likely to be killed than experienced motorists.

As Longrider points out, the logic is flawed since on the evidence presented the age for driving licences should be 20. And of course this is a classic case of the logical fallacy of the slippery slope. If our only criteria for assessing a suitable age for driving is safety, then we should only let people drive when they are at their safest (children will die otherwise, you understand).

According to this study, this would appear to be between the ages of thirty and forty. So the correct policy is to allow driving licences to be issued to those who have passed their thirtieth birthdays and to revoke them after the fortieth. This particular slippery slope is longer than one might expect.

I'm sure I'll live to see it.

Longrider has an interesting piece about a call from the safety lobby for the driving licence age to be raised to 18. This follows the death of a baby in an accident caused by a 14 year old driver.

Campaigners called on the government to raise the driving licence age from 17 to 18, with a one-year minimum training period and pointed to the disproportionate number of young male drivers involved in road deaths. Men aged 17 to 20 account for three per cent of drivers but make up a third of convictions for dangerous driving while studies suggest that young men are almost 10 times more likely to be killed than experienced motorists.

As Longrider points out, the logic is flawed since on the evidence presented the age for driving licences should be 20. And of course this is a classic case of the logical fallacy of the slippery slope. If our only criteria for assessing a suitable age for driving is safety, then we should only let people drive when they are at their safest (children will die otherwise, you understand).

According to this study, this would appear to be between the ages of thirty and forty. So the correct policy is to allow driving licences to be issued to those who have passed their thirtieth birthdays and to revoke them after the fortieth. This particular slippery slope is longer than one might expect.

I'm sure I'll live to see it.

While watching 18 Doughty Street for the first time last week I was startled by the producer of the BBC's Newsnight programme tacitly admitting that the BBC had a left-wing bias. He explained it away by saying that the bias was less pronounced than in the past, and I was surprised that none of the other panel members picked him up on this - an admission that the BBC was, and continues to be, biased to the left wing in its output.

Now this seems to be part of a trend for the BBC to admitt to being biased. Biased BBC has the lowdown on the Mail on Sunday's report on a leaked internal Beeb report in which

a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

Last month, Croydonian reported from the New Culture Forum where the BBC's Robin Aitken talked about its "institutional leftism" and of course there is the attempt by the BBC to suppress an internal report which apparently accuses it of pro-Palestinian bias in its Middle Eastern reporting.

If the new media can force an official admission from the BBC that they have been biased then there will be a huge opportunity to bring about meaningful reform - which is to say the abolition of the licence fee.

This is something 18 Doughty Street needs to follow up next week. Get to it Iain Dale.

Also at Biased BBC was a link to News Sniffer, a site which tracks censorship of the BBC's Have Your Say forums. Here's some example of the hate filled bile which the Beeb have been protecting us from, on a forum about whether it's time for tax cuts:

Tax cuts are necessary to maintain our international competitiveness and to encourage people to invest in this country. Unfortunately, it is now going to be very painful to implement. The government have not reformed the public sector or its pensions schemes and have added at least half a million to the public sector payroll. Public sector strife and strikes will be inevitable for any government wishing to reduce the tax burden.

Gordon Brown has ruined the country and squandered some never before seen oil revenues as well as plundering the pension funds and penalising the public with stealth taxes. It would be incredibly easy for the Tories to reverse a large number of these stealth taxes, IF THEY CHOOSE TO. The country cannot continue to compete under the current fiscal framework, and what we will see is the younger professionals leaving our shores for more attractive lives overseas. I have had enough....

It is quite ludicrous that our public sector now employs 7m people as well as all those who are dependent upon it for a cheque each week. Are we really to believe that all of this is absolutely necessary? Unfortunately the public sector has now morphed into what the unions were in the 1970s ie. a power block that must be appeased at all times. If there is any hint of tax cuts be prepared for doctors, nurses and teachers to be used by the public sector as human shields.

Anyone notice a common theme to these comments?

While watching 18 Doughty Street for the first time last week I was startled by the producer of the BBC's Newsnight programme tacitly admitting that the BBC had a left-wing bias. He explained it away by saying that the bias was less pronounced than in the past, and I was surprised that none of the other panel members picked him up on this - an admission that the BBC was, and continues to be, biased to the left wing in its output.

Now this seems to be part of a trend for the BBC to admitt to being biased. Biased BBC has the lowdown on the Mail on Sunday's report on a leaked internal Beeb report in which

a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

Last month, Croydonian reported from the New Culture Forum where the BBC's Robin Aitken talked about its "institutional leftism" and of course there is the attempt by the BBC to suppress an internal report which apparently accuses it of pro-Palestinian bias in its Middle Eastern reporting.

If the new media can force an official admission from the BBC that they have been biased then there will be a huge opportunity to bring about meaningful reform - which is to say the abolition of the licence fee.

This is something 18 Doughty Street needs to follow up next week. Get to it Iain Dale.

Also at Biased BBC was a link to News Sniffer, a site which tracks censorship of the BBC's Have Your Say forums. Here's some example of the hate filled bile which the Beeb have been protecting us from, on a forum about whether it's time for tax cuts:

Tax cuts are necessary to maintain our international competitiveness and to encourage people to invest in this country. Unfortunately, it is now going to be very painful to implement. The government have not reformed the public sector or its pensions schemes and have added at least half a million to the public sector payroll. Public sector strife and strikes will be inevitable for any government wishing to reduce the tax burden.

Gordon Brown has ruined the country and squandered some never before seen oil revenues as well as plundering the pension funds and penalising the public with stealth taxes. It would be incredibly easy for the Tories to reverse a large number of these stealth taxes, IF THEY CHOOSE TO. The country cannot continue to compete under the current fiscal framework, and what we will see is the younger professionals leaving our shores for more attractive lives overseas. I have had enough....

It is quite ludicrous that our public sector now employs 7m people as well as all those who are dependent upon it for a cheque each week. Are we really to believe that all of this is absolutely necessary? Unfortunately the public sector has now morphed into what the unions were in the 1970s ie. a power block that must be appeased at all times. If there is any hint of tax cuts be prepared for doctors, nurses and teachers to be used by the public sector as human shields.

Anyone notice a common theme to these comments?

While watching 18 Doughty Street for the first time last week I was startled by the producer of the BBC's Newsnight programme tacitly admitting that the BBC had a left-wing bias. He explained it away by saying that the bias was less pronounced than in the past, and I was surprised that none of the other panel members picked him up on this - an admission that the BBC was, and continues to be, biased to the left wing in its output.

Now this seems to be part of a trend for the BBC to admitt to being biased. Biased BBC has the lowdown on the Mail on Sunday's report on a leaked internal Beeb report in which

a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

Last month, Croydonian reported from the New Culture Forum where the BBC's Robin Aitken talked about its "institutional leftism" and of course there is the attempt by the BBC to suppress an internal report which apparently accuses it of pro-Palestinian bias in its Middle Eastern reporting.

If the new media can force an official admission from the BBC that they have been biased then there will be a huge opportunity to bring about meaningful reform - which is to say the abolition of the licence fee.

This is something 18 Doughty Street needs to follow up next week. Get to it Iain Dale.

Also at Biased BBC was a link to News Sniffer, a site which tracks censorship of the BBC's Have Your Say forums. Here's some example of the hate filled bile which the Beeb have been protecting us from, on a forum about whether it's time for tax cuts:

Tax cuts are necessary to maintain our international competitiveness and to encourage people to invest in this country. Unfortunately, it is now going to be very painful to implement. The government have not reformed the public sector or its pensions schemes and have added at least half a million to the public sector payroll. Public sector strife and strikes will be inevitable for any government wishing to reduce the tax burden.

Gordon Brown has ruined the country and squandered some never before seen oil revenues as well as plundering the pension funds and penalising the public with stealth taxes. It would be incredibly easy for the Tories to reverse a large number of these stealth taxes, IF THEY CHOOSE TO. The country cannot continue to compete under the current fiscal framework, and what we will see is the younger professionals leaving our shores for more attractive lives overseas. I have had enough....

It is quite ludicrous that our public sector now employs 7m people as well as all those who are dependent upon it for a cheque each week. Are we really to believe that all of this is absolutely necessary? Unfortunately the public sector has now morphed into what the unions were in the 1970s ie. a power block that must be appeased at all times. If there is any hint of tax cuts be prepared for doctors, nurses and teachers to be used by the public sector as human shields.

Anyone notice a common theme to these comments?

Apologies for the long gap (a month) in postings. Inevitable with blogs I suppose, but frustrating for those read regularly. I suppose, were work and home life more conducive to it, a regular weekly update would be the way to handle it. Perhaps on my return from a trip to Scotland next week, I'll sort that aspect out....

(1) I take the slap on the wrist that Alex Salmond handed out in his conference speech the other week against those who describe Scotland as a "small nation." Oops! What can I say? Well the original opening description of this blog was "small nation - big ideas"- so perhaps that let's me off the hook. Though his point about Jack McConnell's small mindedness has been underlined by McConnell's apparent lack of appetite for any further constitutional change. Seems like his strategy is to pretend that the Parliament has more powers than it actually has by traipsing around the world, pretending to be an internationally recognised politician or a serious statesman. An example, is offering overseas aid, but only after it has been approved by the Westminster puppet-masters.

(2) Talking of big ideas, I have just finished Richard Dawkins' new book "The God Delusion" and enjoyed it very much. The problem is that the man is now so "demonised" (sic) by those of religious beliefs that they simply ignore his key points which are all very rationally put and well argued. He has recently set up a foundation for science and rational thought. In particular, I appreciated the section on religion as a basis for morality, with illustrative examples of just how fundamentally immoral the God of the Bible really is and the horrific twisted logic of those who follow this set of beliefs. Of course, the book is one of the top contenders for burning by religious fanatics, but for the rest of us who are a little more open minded and sufficiently self-confident to challenge our own beliefs and self-conception it's a good read.

(3) In Ireland, my current small nation of residence, the shift away from fundamentalist Catholic state gathers speed, with endorsement by 64% of the population for gay marriage, according to the latest poll in yesterday's Irish Times. Other signs of open-ness in society here include the enthusiasm for multi-denominational schools, however, this is only the first step (perhaps) to a more basic realisation that the real goal should be non-denominational schools and the complete separation of education from its antithesis, religious dogma.

Colour blind recruit fights 'sexist' force
by Ruairi O'Kane
Scottish Daily Express - Tuesday October 17 2006

Scotland's largest police force is bracing itself for a spate of sex discrimination cases following a row over the rejection of colour blind recruits.

In the past two years, Strathclyde Police rejected eight candidates with vision problems.

But a landmark legal case south of the Border found that a colour-blind officer faced indirect sexual discrimination because the condition is more common in men thanin women.

Now failed applicants may use the precedent to seek thusands of pounds in compensation.

Two years ago Robin Dixon's bid to join the police was rejected when he failed his medical because he was colour blind.

The 25-year-old, who suffers from anomalous trichromacy and has problems differentiating between shades of green, took Strathclyde Police to a Glasgow employment tribunal claiming disability discrimination.

But his complaint was rejected because it was time barred.

The store manager, from East Kilbride, is now considering a sex discrimination complaint.

His father, Robert, 55, said "We have only just been made aware of a case in England, where an officer succeeded in a sexual discrimination case.

"As far as we know, there are another seven people in the same boat as Robin who could tkae action against Strathclyde Police.

"It was always Robin's ambition to join the police.

"He is distraught that he has not been accepted after being considered suitable in every other way.

"In fact, other force, including the Met, have said he would be acceptable to join them."

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said it was inappropriate to comment on Mr Dixon's case as he had lodged an employment tribunal appeal.

SNP MSP Linda Fabiani raised the issue last year when she asked Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson if she thought anomalous trichromacy was sufficient reason to debar an applicant from entry to the police service.

Ms Jamieson said: "While the Scottish Executive has issued guidance on eyesight standards, appointment to the police service is ultimately a matter for the chief constable."

A police source said: "The way it works, this guy could probably apply to Lothian and Borders and get in."

When involved with an employment situation which may be discrinatory toward you, take careful note of the date when the action which commences this situation happens.

Good advice and best practice in such situations is to do everything in your power to resolve the situation. However, your enthusiasm for resolving the situation may not be reciprocated by your employer.

If you are in a situation of seeking recruitment to a job, take even greater note of the date on which you percieve discrimination to first take place. There is only limited direction in recruitment situations and, although there is supposed to be an emphasis on disability and recruitment, the reality is that you have very limited rights indeed.

The date on which discrimination occurs is exremely important because it starts the clock ticking on when you need to submit an application to an Employment Tribunal should you decide to go down this route. It is very important to make your application in plenty of time - earlier if possible but certainly not late.

Getting an Employment Tribunal in early will save you considerable stress at a later date.

Be certain that the date you are using is the earliest possible date. Employers, especially if they happen to be a cash-rich employer such as a public body and can therefore afford to spend our hard earned money on high-flying legal types, will do everything in their power to frustrate your legitimate claim. Getting your dates wrong can result in a claim of timebar against your application.

While following best advice and best practice is all very laudible, you can be sure that your employer will be more interested in getting off the hook.

So make your Employment Tribunal claims in plenty of time.

The results of this grubby little survey from the BBC* merely confirmed two of my ingrained priors: 1. Popular** revolutions against even minimal liberal democracies are a very bad idea. There are enough unpleasant bastards out there to make life very grim for the rest of us***. 2. Every civilised human being should live in Italy. Ludicrous bureaucracy (note, Tim) can be good for your outlook