Have you noticed that there is a lot of introspection about devolution just now? I suppose it underlines the fact that devolution is a process rather than a settlement that everyone is still looking at how to tweak it. Maybe it is just the newness of it. The Scottish Parliament is very young as these […]
Aftermath of the European Parliamentary election
The Europe-wide picture The consensus seems to be that, Europe-wide, it was a good election for the centre-right. It certainly seems as though the governing centre-left parties have taken a bit of a battering, while voters seem content with centre-right governments. Those of a socialist persuasion may well feel disgruntled. In the midst of an […]
I decided! And I decided to vote
Well my week-long voyage of discovery has come to an end. In actual fact, I decided early this week which party I would vote for. I wasn’t sure whether I would actually go along to vote though. In the end, I decided to go along to the polling station. I fancied a walk and a […]
A second opinion
A couple of tools have emerged in the run-up to the European elections. They aim to help people decide who they should vote for. This is nothing new — nowadays every election comes with its own similar tools. They are the cousins of Political Compass and the like. While they may not be totally scientific, […]
How the new politics might look: part 2
Continued from yesterday’s article. The Guardian’s New Politics supplement (PDF link) is the basis for this article. MPs’ pay I am not averse to MPs being paid a good salary, but I think the current balance is too high. Aditya Chakrabortty says that MPs’ salaries puts them in the top 5% of single earners. Meanwhile, […]
How should politics be reformed?: Part 1
The crisis currently facing politics in the UK is massive. Citizens feel detached from the political process and trust in politicians is rock-bottom. It’s been widely noted that this is a perfect opportunity to reform the rotten system. I only want to briefly cover the main ideas for reform, so I will use The Guardian’s […]
A surprise in Glenrothes
The shock is not so much that Labour won. I had a feeling in my water as long as a month ago that Labour might win, even when the bookies and the pundits were saying otherwise. But the scale of Labour’s victory must have shocked everyone. Yesterday, the BBC’s coverage began on the premise that […]
My view on Scotland’s constitutional future
If you haven’t read my previous post explaining what I’m trying to do here, feel free to take a look. In this post I will set out the thinking behind my views on Scottish independence. For what it’s worth, I think within a couple of decades the idea of the independent nation state will almost […]
Finding the common ground
In the wake of Kezia Dugdale’s retirement from blogging, and having noted the often poisonous atmosphere that pervades some of the darkest corners of the Scottish blogosphere, I think now is a good time for me to come out with an idea that has been floating around in my head for the past few months. […]
Which party was rejected at the polls where?
I can’t say I’m surprised that an SNP candidate has pulled this old one out of the hat again. But it does amaze me that people constantly believe the argument without seeing the blatant inconsistency. Julie Hepburn: David Mundell’s comment sent shivers down my spine… Even if they don’t have a single Tory MP elected […]