At the Election Hustings in Paisley

I had never attended a hustings before and I was assured that it would be interesting. I wasn't disappointed'

Like everything in politics we started with a tea break before a blow had been struck, and whilst it was very good (fair trade) stuff, and a credit to the churches which provided it, perhaps they should have asked the candidates to do some work first.

As to the parties, well Labour did not show up due to illness, which disappointed a lot of the audience who had clearly come to give the Labour candidate a good kicking, so perhaps his illness was tactical. If not then I apologise for my cynicism; Labour made me this way.

The Tory was a revelation. I had heard rumours of their existence in Scotland but had never before seen one in the flesh as it were. I believed that they existed like unicorns or yetis. Something to frighten children with who won't behave. He was clearly under some pressure on the issue of Trident when he told us that we had to have nuclear weapons to defend ourselves from the U.S.A. I rather switched off at this point and pretended not to be listening because I didn't want to embarass the man any further. I hope his carers managed to find him because he seemed nice, if unhinged.

The Lib/Dem, in a typical Lib/Dem compromise, torn between nuclear and non-nuclear, decided that she would get rid of half of our nuclear weapons and keep the other half just in case (of what I'm not sure).

The Scottish Nationalist candidate decided to promote their new 'ethical foreign policy' which considering their attitude to the English and the fact that their domestic policy is ethically questionable (they took the Souter money) seemed to be just a bit opportunistic. She also mentioned on two or three occassions how her party's policies were fair and just. She talked a lot about economic growth and increased prosperity, but she didn't tell us how this new found wealth would be shared out. I think she is just offering a rich boss with a different accent and all of her blethering about just and fair society is a smokescreen. There will be increased prosperity with independence, but if the Nats have their way it will all go into the same pockets it goes into now because the Nats offer no real social change. That's why the rich love them. This is not my kind of independence.

Solidarity put up a good candidate with really sound socialist policies, but they didn't seem to be very well fleshed out with specific policy committments. Perhaps it is early to be looking for that, but their man looked uncomfortable and I think he knows he has backed the wrong horse.

The Greens were green, what else can I say.

The Scottish Socialist (and my loyalties are no secret) was an old hand at hustings. He played his cards with some style, and he had the big cards for this audience. End trident, stop the war, build council houses, free public transport, scrap the council tax, and challenge big business to accept their share of social responsibility--I think we had the best of this evening.

The Chairman, parachuted in from the University of Paisley did a fine job.

Crimestoppers and the Alexanders' Rag time Band

This is part of a 'Parliamentary Report' which is currently being pushed through letterboxes in Paisley by the supporters of the Alexanders' Rag Time Band, a local gang.

I believe I have identified the two ne'erdowells posing with jars of the finest Columbian as Shuggie and Duggie who have been pestering the people of Paisley as bogus callers pretending to be Socialists.

I called crimestoppers but they believe that one of them might be Hugh ' the Hammer' , the last person in Scotland to believe that you can solve the problem of drugs in a community by arresting addicts. The Hammer as we know, for it said so in his publicity, single-handedly ended the problem of drugs in Paisley before moving on to bigger challenges.

The other one always seems to show up at election times, talk a lot and then disappear. He is believed to fly south to team up with his spiritual father and gang leader the Bliar of Westminster.

These people are dangerous and must be stopped before they get even bigger weapons. Some have even suggested that they are trying to get new nuclear weapons and that would be a real distaster.

Councillor Terry Kelly and Renfrewshire Council

As some of you may be aware I have been in some discussion with Councillor Terry Kelly over on his blog.
Because I won't post my personal details on the internet (never advisable) he has decided to bar me from posting to his site, nothing, I am sure, to do with the questions he cannot or will not answer. For the sake of clarity, I will copy those questions here, and he can answer if he has the gall. I wont bar him.

Terry-- in that case can we expect in the fullness of time, that you will address the questions I have posed in respect of housing/homelessness, Trident, the Iraq war, Councillor pay-offs and deprivation (where's the pub, where's the bank, where are the jobs, where are the apprenticeships, where is the policing -- the police station hasn't opened its public office for months and even the police station sign is vandalised -- where is the cleansing dept--there is an old mattress lying in a lay-by not 50 yards off your own street in Drums Ave. and it has been there, to my sure and certain knowledge for at least 3 weeks, I pass it going home every day-- do the council's employees who pass sweeping the streets not report anything. Yes, Ferguslie Park certainly has a lot to thank Labour for.



Terry—I said I would do my own research into the housing situation after our last exchange, so here it is :-

April 1st .............. number on waiting list for council housing

2004 ............... 6534
2005................ 7465
2006................ 6719

in addition, in 2006 there were 2820 on the transfer lists.

Are you still pleased about the number of houses you knocked down and didn’t replace?



Terry- If as you say, 'There is only one etc.' then you obviously believe you already have my ID. For me to post it on your site would be to invite the same people who posted your full address on their site to do the same with me. I don't believe that we should do that. If you want to bar me then that's fine--I'll post on my own blog and be just as happy.


Juat added a new post on TK(Max) site:-
Reads



Terry—You’re just not getting it. The old mattress was a symptom of a greater problem, it wasn’t the problem in itself. Getting the thing shifted really shows how effective you are in exercising influence in the council. It might have been more believable if they had shifted the old tyres lying in the same lay-by for the same length of time, however, it’s the thought that counts, and you probably think you are effective.

Trident and the Westminster Parliament

So Labours paper tigers have roared (or should that be purred). 87 Labour MPs including 15 from Scottish constituencies trooped into the opposition lobbies to oppose Trident. Even as he is on his way out the rest of them are afraid to defy Bliar, but they say the most dangerous time to approach a wild creature is in its death throes. He's done the big clunking fist a great favour since he will not now need to address this problem in the early part of his premiership, but the issue will keep on returning until they can explain who we want to fight with this sort of weapon. It's not a hard question but the answer is hard to find.

To all those MPs who claim to be Labour, but found themselves in the same lobby as the whipped Tories, could you not look around you and see that you had done a bad thing just by the company you were keeping?

Shame on you all.

Trident and the Scottish Parliament

Its good to see the protesters from the base at Faslane (where the new Trident will be based if we are foolish enough to let them) bringing the protest direct to the Scottish Parliament by climbing onto the roof and unfurling a banner.

We know that defence is not devolved, but our own Parliament is the place for us to make our feelings known in the first instance if we are to get the message across, and the message for Labour is ringing loud and clear. If you go ahead with this ill-reasoned and despised nuclear escalation then you will be its first victims...at the ballot booths of the Scottish elections on 3rd May.

And to those in the Labour Party who believe that they can fight this policy from within that party, that's like sh*gg*ng for purity, fighting for pacifism, or joining the Ku Klux Klan to fight racism. It simply can't be done

Trident and the Labour Party

Well, today's the day all of the frightened rats have to make the decision whether to make a principled stance and risk the wrath of the great clunking fist or to follow like sheep through the lobbies and impose on the people of Scotland (because it will not be based in the Thames now, will it?) a nuclear weapons system they cannot afford and do not want.

We are in a real mess if we have to rely on the honesty and integrity of Labour to prevent us becoming a prime nuclear target, but we will find out around 7 p.m.

Trident and the Labour Party

Whoops, there goes another one...and a big splash too!!

Nigel Griffiths (deputy leader of the Commons) is the latest rat to leave the sinking 'Good Ship Trident'.

This is a policy in disarray. It should be abandoned now before the UK becomes a complete laughing stock. Our national defence based on American nuclear technology is a joke. Bliar's reliance on Bush is pathetic. How can we rely on nuclear technology provided by someone who cannot pronounce nuke-you-lar?

Trident and the Labour Party

Sorry this is a very short post. I can hardly concentrate for the sound of splashing as the Labour rats desert the sinking ship of Trident.

Trident and the Labour Party

Surely we aren't seeing an outbreak of scruples in the Labour Party? More likely is that the rats are fleeing the sinking ship of Trident.

We note that Jim Devine is not standing down from the Labour Party but only from the unpopular Labour Government in opposition to the policy on Trident. Why doesn't he get some bottle and do the right thing?

There must be an election due and we can look forward to more Scottish Labour party figures, both national and local, deciding that Trident policy is a threat to their comfy Westminster lifestyle. More and more they want to spit the dummy of Bliar but carry on feeding off the tit of Labour's former principled opposition to nuclear weapons. Their cynicism insults their electors.