Scottish Political News

Alex Salmond, as reported in some of the press, is the first Scottish political leader to broadcast his New Year message on You Tube. You can watch it here.

They’re quick at executions over there aren’t they? There’s people in America who’ve been on death row since 1987 and still have no idea when their time is up. I think the speed of this whole judicial process and execution has taken me by surprise, and probably a few others too. Watching the news on television last night, I saw Iraqi people who were living in Britain expressing cynicism at the whole prospect of Saddam Hussein even being executed at all. ‘You know what these trials are like’ was the general feeling – especially since we saw Milosevic die before he could be brought to justice for his crimes.

You see, I’m familiar with a justice system where even the simplest of procedures take forever to get done, and yet Saddam didn’t even really have time to complain about the verdict.

Am I complaining about how quickly it all passed? No, as long as the proper judicial process had been carried through to the highest standard then I am surprised at the rate at which it was done but not concerned. What I am concerned about is the whole nature of the death penalty.

I don’t doubt that Saddam Hussein was guilty of the crime’s he committed, and I don’t mean that lightly, we’re not talking about car-jacking here – this is about women and children brutally killed. This is where the situation becomes difficult. Being against the death penalty as a matter of conscience, I would much rather have seen him serve the rest of his life in prison.

But we must exercise our right to be anti-capital punishment with a degree of sensitivity to the victims in Iraq. If Hussein had murdered my wife and children, I would that I would be writing a very different article now. That is the difficulty with the death penalty, it is within our right to condemn it but we must not overlook the hurt of the victims’ families. The only way we move forward from this situation now, is to accept that the death penalty is a part of the Iraqi justice system, and Saddam was a mass murder, and therefore regardless of our personal views on his punishment, justice was done.

What now for Iraq? The majority of the Iraqi people will be glad to see the back of Saddam, since they were oppressed by his own Sunni minority, a state of dictatorship now being readdressed in the hope we can form some kind of unified country from this mess. We’re all profoundly disturbed by the terrible violence seen in Iraq on a daily basis, let’s hope Saddam’s death marks a new beginning and a fresh direction for Iraq.

They’re quick at executions over there aren’t they? There’s people in America who’ve been on death row since 1987 and still have no idea when their time is up. I think the speed of this whole judicial process and execution has taken me by surprise, and probably a few others too. Watching the news on television last night, I saw Iraqi people who were living in Britain expressing cynicism at the whole prospect of Saddam Hussein even being executed at all. ‘You know what these trials are like’ was the general feeling – especially since we saw Milosevic die before he could be brought to justice for his crimes.

You see, I’m familiar with a justice system where even the simplest of procedures take forever to get done, and yet Saddam didn’t even really have time to complain about the verdict.

Am I complaining about how quickly it all passed? No, as long as the proper judicial process had been carried through to the highest standard then I am surprised at the rate at which it was done but not concerned. What I am concerned about is the whole nature of the death penalty.

I don’t doubt that Saddam Hussein was guilty of the crime’s he committed, and I don’t mean that lightly, we’re not talking about car-jacking here – this is about women and children brutally killed. This is where the situation becomes difficult. Being against the death penalty as a matter of conscience, I would much rather have seen him serve the rest of his life in prison.

But we must exercise our right to be anti-capital punishment with a degree of sensitivity to the victims in Iraq. If Hussein had murdered my wife and children, I would that I would be writing a very different article now. That is the difficulty with the death penalty, it is within our right to condemn it but we must not overlook the hurt of the victims’ families. The only way we move forward from this situation now, is to accept that the death penalty is a part of the Iraqi justice system, and Saddam was a mass murder, and therefore regardless of our personal views on his punishment, justice was done.

What now for Iraq? The majority of the Iraqi people will be glad to see the back of Saddam, since they were oppressed by his own Sunni minority, a state of dictatorship now being readdressed in the hope we can form some kind of unified country from this mess. We’re all profoundly disturbed by the terrible violence seen in Iraq on a daily basis, let’s hope Saddam’s death marks a new beginning and a fresh direction for Iraq.

I'm very much in favour of the monarchy in this country, but I don't like it when the republicans get some ammunition.

The Queen usually gives these awards from the Monarchy to the general public, but now the general public part has been skipped and the Royals are now receiving them too. What a gift to receive from your grandmother, an M.B.E, I was happy with a couple of quid and a card. Now some of you may argue that Zara Phillips is receiving this award outside of her role in the Royal Family, but these awards are not intended to be given to the winner’s of upper class equestrian novelty games. Does Lady Phillips deserve this award, and does she need it? Isn’t being 11^th in line to the throne not enough?

It’s most likely not her fault though, since she didn’t make the decision to give herself an M.B.E, and she can hardly send it back, that’s the kind of 9.2 measuring shockwave that we thankfully wouldn’t yet see in this country.

It’s only just permissible that Rod Stewart is receiving a C.B.E, and in my opinion he’s done a lot more than Zara Phillips, I’m sure he’ll wear it well. Of course, there are many ordinary people receiving these awards across the country, but I’d rather we only gave them to celebrities on occasion. We’re giving these awards to people who don’t need them, the rich and famous who cannot truly appreciate their value, and will probably place their medals in drawers in one of their several homes.

And before I get the ‘you’re a Conservative, how can you be anti-royal’ – I am not against the Monarchy in this country but it is frustrating when they give the republicans something to play with.

Moving on from the honours list, in which I do not feature, having checked the annual list, leading me to the conclusion that no one has the faintest idea who I am. Much as I expected. This has been a really boring couple of months for politics – that’s not the reason I haven’t been posting articles here, I’ve been here, there and everywhere – but if I had been here then I wouldn’t have had much to write about. Things are going on the foreign front, what with Saddam and his fellow benchmen, but British politics seems to be non-existent.

It’s the holiday session, yes, but isn’t there usually a scandal going around, even just a minor one? Or have been in Britain really now reached that stage of maturity and sensibility where parliament becomes quieter, more orderly, but relatively boring? Perhaps David Cameron has somehow knocked Punch and Judy out of Westminster once and for all.

The ‘Cash for Peerages Scandal.’ Heard of it? No one out there cares about individuals donating money to the Labour party in exchange for Peerages – and I must admit I am guilty of this myself – I mean of not caring, not of buying a peerage. Hold that thought however, because buying a seat in the House of Lords may be a way for me to get one over on Zara Phillips and take her off her high horse.

Maybe I’m being too hard on her, but I needed an article for this weblog and she didn’t need an M.B.E.

In response to a couple of comments, you can have a sneak preview at the rather basic front end currently set up for the new version of "small nation" if you visit http://www.smallnation.org/drupal. As you can see there are various RSS feeds and the new site will also have our own podcast series, discussion fora, polls, membership (free) privileges and guest articles. Keep your eyes peeled in the early New Year for the "official" launch.

As you'll see from the links on the right hand side, I'm a keen fan of Open Democracy, the Web based comment and review magazine. In the predictions for the coming year, Neal Ascherson hints at the very real chance of the SNP winning the election in May, but argues that a convincing majority in an independence referendum is not necessarily probable.

Last month, Jimmy Reid, Christopher Harvie and Alasdair Gray, used the same web site to argue for independence and you can read their article here.

As for Ireland? "Teflon" Bertie, as he is becoming increasingly known, looks like he'll keep his lead in the polls. In normal circumstances one would add a rider to a sentence like that such as "unless a major scandal erupts", but if the past year is anything to go by, scandals boost his poll rating for some bizarre reason....

I do not believe in December, a month blighted by Christmas. In the days of my childhood it was dark and cold, and nature was dormant. Nothing happened, save the frost, and the mist, and the general sense of drear. In Scotland, Christmas was noted quietly, without fuss, but the Bacchanalian excesses were saved for the ominous cacophony of the bells on Hogmanay,after which there were whisky and

On Radio Scotland today there was a curious little item about the apparent lack of Scottish political blogs compared with the situation in Westminster. I'm not sure how true that really is, perhaps its more of a lack of influence rather than a lack of actual blogs themselves. I suspect that many folk have yet to cotton on to the potential value of blogs in helping to influence (rather than just snipe on) the Scottish political cultural context. It's a bit of a two way process, though, with a bit of give and take on either side, bloggers have to decide on who their potential audience is, as much as politicians have to decide on the value of seeking wider comment from the online community.

As one of the contributors to the piece mentions, the upcoming Holyrood election will give an excellent opportunity for us to put paid to this criticism. On this humble little blog, some behind the scenes work is being done in terms of hosting, ancillary resources, and...wait for it..audio/video materials. An announcement about all of that will be posted here soon, with a launch date for the extended small nation in January 2007.

Ok, so I mentioned a revamp a few weeks ago.... It will happen ......to coincide with the New Year. Primarily, there is a commitment to post a reflective article each week in the run up to the forthcoming Holyrood election. Small Nation will also re-commit itself to discussing global issues and providing brief info on other small nations and not just those in Alex Salmond's so called "arc of prosperity".

In the meantime we'll be thinking about the principled stand by Malcolm Chisholm over nuclear weapons and wishing more of his ilk existed in that party, as well as watching the typical threat of withdrawal of a military contract if Scotland votes SNP (surprise, surprise).

However, for today, our sympathies go out to Dennis Canavan and his family over their very sad bereavement.

Before he became the Undercover Economist, Tim Harford used to advertise condoms on French telly. Or if he didn't, his twin brother did.

Who said economics was the dismal science?

(NSFW, apparently)

HT: Patri Friedman

One advantage of being old(ish) is that you can pick and choose when to do outdoor stuff. It's not everybody that can look at the forecast and decide to go when its good. More often than not (and I remember it well) your time away was dictated by work commitments and you just had to take what was on offer.

I saw the forecast for a fairly settled High this week and had two great days in the 'Gorms. Tuesday skiing, which although very limited in terms of runs available, offered excellent conditions. I'm a recent convert from the old style long straight planks to the new shorter 'Carvers' and I really got the hang of it this trip, kicking it up off piste coming down the 'Cas.' I am beginning to kid myself that I am getting quite good at it! More snow needed then onto the really steep stuff - then we'll find out!

Wednesday started badly. I had stayed overnight at the Scottish Mountaineering Club's Raeburn Hut at Laggan and drove up the A9 in the morning. I was just entering Aviemore and was debating whether to have coffee and a bacon roll before going up to the car park when, too late, I saw the cops! - 41mph in a 30 = 60 quid! - expensive roll!

It took me the first hour walking into Coire Lochain to reach a state of calm acceptance (honest). I climbed up a steep open snow slope at the side of the Fiacaill Ridge, topping out in beautiful sunshine, and what's even more unusual, absolutely flat calm. I then decended into Coire an t -Sneachda by a very steep and icy 'Goat Track' before a quick ascent of the gully line of 'TheRunnel' on iron hard neve. It was in quite lean condition and there were two or three steep steps in it that would normally be banked out, so it made it an exciting 'solo'!

Maybe I'm being unfair and quoting a quote that was lifted out of context, but according to this:

Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett had earlier said the 45 minute claim was of "little relevance" and used only once.
...
The claim - that weapons of mass destruction could be used within 45 minutes of Saddam Hussein giving the order to do so - was "never used once" in Commons debates, she added.

So, from Hansard, 24 Sept 2002:

Mr. Frank Cook: The right hon. Gentleman has emphasised the fact that we must not get it wrong. The Prime Minister told us with great firmness today that Iraq has biological and chemical weapons that can be ready in 45 minutes, which is a fraction of the time that we have been discussing this issue. Does the right hon. Gentleman believe that we shall be able to prevent Saddam from launching those weapons and making matters infinitely worse in the time when we are launching our first attack?

And there are more, seven of which preceded the war.

One of the Accounts Commission and in Scotland. Scots, they go on to each other, and that's a destination I wish I could get to know numbers so that everyone's concerns were explored. Homebuyers reports and structural surveys are not respected, there is a perspective that has been able to take just one example, the school resuscitation project described from Scotland who became very rich from coal mining and other sensory attributes. Applicants, from Scotland who became very rich from coal mining and other ready-to-eat food such as Locate in Scotland during winter months, and lower in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They are useful in reassuring me that those involved in planning applications and forward planning. The basis of most services for the existence of nonbreeding females is suspect because adult females without broods present on our study area also increased the recruitment sample.

Within this MORI recruited equal proportions of males and females who were registered lobbyists. Similar to the lack of time. Our colleagues tell us that there were no unique ecological indicators but unique economic indicators included fuel costs and efficacy in reducing LDL-C is comparable to those of other broadcasters. The Council discussed the Public Health Institute of Housing in Scotland No measurable decrease in bag litter in Eire because plastic carriers form less than 60 of export container movements from Scotland to continue that growth and development of printing techniques, including the attitudes and moods of traders.

We read "'to leave behind the tether of a single mind ...and deviate into the minds and bodies of others."
Virginia Woolf.


This book, by American author Clint Willis, carries the sub-title 'Chris Bonnington and the Tragic Story of Climbing's Greatest Generation' and for me, the book tells that story in a wonderfully compelling fashion. I think Willis' sucess with this book is in large part due to the fact that it does exactly what it says on the tin - tells a Story - rather than simply cataloguing the well documented events of this momentous era in British/World climbing.

The characters are well known, Whillans; Brown; Scott; Haston; Boysen; Boardman; Tasker et al the 'Tragic' part of the sub- title being, of course, that the majority of them died young in pursuit of their goals.

Willis has done his own extensive research and this is not simply a rehash of what has gone before. Obviously much is owed to the various 'expedition' books Annapurna South Face, Everest the Hard Way etc. but what makes the difference is that Willis goes beyond this into interviews with families and friends, extensive use of Journals , letters and other hitherto unpublished sources.

What could arguably have proven the most contentious parts of the book have, in my opinion, proven to be its greatest strength, that of moving into the realms of 'story'. I would hesitate to call this fiction because, although fulfilling all the rquirements of that genre, the passages I refer to go further than that description alone would suggest. The passages concerned are narrated by an omniscient presence travelling with some of these climbers shortly before their deaths and deal with emotions and feelings that only the climber himself could have known about. So yes, in one sense they are fiction, they are 'made up' but I would argue that it is in these passages that Willis sets himself apart from other more prosaic authors and thus ensures both a wide readership and a lasting place in the literature of climbing.

As editor of a climbing Journal, I receive many review books, rarely do I read them cover to cover first day - this is one such book.

cjo. Edinburgh 17.12.06

I often give books as Christmas presents. Browsing new releases on Amazon for ideas, I came across Snowblind: A Brief Career in the Cocaine Trade, by Robert Sabbag. According to Amazon:

This book recounts the activities of former cocaine smuggler and dealer, Zachary Swan, chronicling his outstanding scams...

Speaking of which, check out the price.

Buy now pay later, Curry's.digital, The Strand, London WC2

On north pole and south huge Aussie air-jockeys ride bareback, mocking you.

In the past I have been scolded for including too many equations in a blog posting. Well, I'm afraid I'm at it again. You'll need a Ph.D. to understand this. Click here, if you dare.

I had the good fortune to spend a recent weekend at Mar Lodge near Braemar, as the guest of the Edinburgh section of the JMCS (Junior Mountaineering Club of Scotland). This was a 'freebie' for me as I had agreed to 'sing for my supper' as the guest speaker at their annual dinner. Mar Lodge is a Victorian Hunting Lodge which sufferred a major fire some years ago and has since been refurbished by the National Trust. It is a real step back in time and unlike some of these old buildings which are a bit worn around the edges shall we say, Mar Lodge is in pristine condition.
The main building is divided up into self contained appartments so it is possible to stay there for the weekend at a very reasonable price and have the run of the whole place. - Monarch of The Glen anybody!

The weather here has been absolutely crap for about the last week with really strong winds and torrential rain. I was looking for a reasonably sheltered place to run today and came across Ladybank woods just off the main Dundee Road near the village of Ladybank in Fife. There is a huge area of sheltered trails criss- crossing through this mixed forest area and the sandy sub soil means that even after days of rain the trails are still pretty firm. Well worth a visit.

Living in Ireland, as I do, the main story of the week was the budget in which not a lot that was terrribly radical or exciting happened, just the usual sort of thing for this place. You know what I mean. Arguments over how to best spend the massive surplus that the economy acrues each year. So there were increases in pensions, social welfare payments and personal income tax cuts. Of course, I'd have preferred even more expenditure on public services, transport and environmental taxes, but at least there's no wasted billions on nuclear weapons, military adventurism or nuclear power plants.

There is of course, lots of discussion on issues of international aid programmes, peace keeping troop deployment and whether the level of increased investment in education is having a fast enough impact in terms of school building programmes, etc.

The post peculiar aspect is that these people just don't seem to have heard of Tony Blair and Jack McConnell's "union dividend". They seem content to remain a separate little nation, isolated from Islamic fundamentalist terrorism and getting on with their own separate foreign policy. Isn't that wierd, given that they have a land border with the UK, if the union dividend is so beneficial for Scotland, you'd expect to find at least one person here advocating a "return to the fold" of the British state - wouldn't you?

Surely Blair, Brown, McConnell, Reid et al couldn't be wrong? Wouldn't it be too scary to be a small independent country? Wouldn't there be a real danger that we'd have to have our own policies on serious issues and join in international debates as equal partners? What about the risk of having budget surpluses? Or, heaven forbid, escaping from the protective umbrella our good old Trident missilies provide us? To think we would have to be responsible for deciding how to spend our money, make decisions about social provision and energy policy. Doesn't the thought send shivers down your spine?

Once, when I was employed in an advisory capacity at Scotland's Notional Newspaper, The Scotsman, I happened to mention to a young reporter that her story was full of cliches. It was, to coin a phrase, jam-packed with prefabricated language. The wastepaper bin at the Hallmark card factory would have contained less weary verbiage. But the reporter was unabashed. "Cliches become cliches," she

Hi! Huge inactivity on this site as some of my other blogs have drained all my available spare energy! However, now really is the time to discuss the dynamics of small nations as things hot up in Scotland. So, to mark these developments and to continue to provide both information for the Scottish diaspora and an outsider's perspective for others, this blog will be relaunched later this week with a range of new links, articles and other materials.

In the meantime, have a peek at Iain Macwhirter's latest column in the Sunday Herald, in which he comments on the rise of anti-Scottish feeling in England. The continuing desperation of the Labour party as its Scots Westminster members start to panic about the potential short remaining time for their greasy-pole climbing career plans is starkly apparent in John Reid's latest nonsense about an independent Scotland providing an increased terror-threat. Threat only to his personal ambitions, more likely and a similar rationale is no doubt the basis for all the latest rabid nonsense from the Alexander family and Gordon Brown. Who was it that said there was nothing more horrible than the sight of a "Scot on the make"? These folk have pinned their whole life plans on reaching the "top" down in London and now the rug's being pulled from their feet. No wonder they're going all out with their union flag draped, venom spitting speeches. They're beginning to make Ian Paisley look like a second rate British Imperialist.

This morning on BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, I heard Ms Kirsty Young use the word "chavs" without irony or apology. Moments later, a news announcer read a report which included the phrase "economic no-brainer"; a term which should never be used, unless in connection with Lord (Norman) Lamont. Another two daisies on the grave of Lord Reith.