Thursday 15 July 2004

Welcome back Alex

I was certainly surprised by this news:
Former leader of the Scottish National Party Alex Salmond is to stand in the contest to replace John Swinney.
I imagine that it's likely that Mr Salmond will be re-elected as SNP leader and won't stand again at Westminster at the forthcoming General Election. No doubt some SNP worthy will be persuaded to make room for Alex at Holyrood. I look forward to Jack McConnell's discomfiture.

2 comments:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

Joe (213.122.0.165)
No, I am not a member of any political party and never have been. And frankly nor do I wish to be. 
 
Thank you for your reply to my other point.

19 July 2004, 18:58:35 GMT+01:00
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Stuart Dickson (217.211.160.56)
Well done Mr King. 
 
And a very fine name you have too. (It happens to be my mother's maiden name! Sept of the clan MacGregor if those potted clan histories are anything to go by; and indeed her family did come from that area of the country.) 
 
No, you can't verify a name, but I find it an unecessarily pretentious convention of internet communications that everyone calls themselves "YazSpam43", "I've Started so I'll Finish" or "TheDarkAvenger" and such-like guff. It encourages people to say things that they would never dream of doing in real life. 
 
Isn't "Joe King" a much more mature way to present oneself. (Even if you very well may have been christened "Daniel H Q Defoe III" for all we know.) 
 
I don't claim to be anyone, except little old me. 
 
I very much doubt if Mike Russell would have beaten Ms Sturgeon to 2nd place, but we shall never know. However, I do suspect than Ms Sturgeon MSP will have a far longer and more fruitful career in politics than the prickly and older Mr Russell (ex MSP). 
 
As to young Nicola being anyone's "puppet", it is plain that you haven't encountered the bonnie fechter at close quarters. Eight years ago the ill-informed may well have described Nicola Sturgeon as Roseanna Cunningham's "puppet". Time has given the lie to that one! 
 
She may well end up being the Leader of the Opposition in our Parliament, and an excellent job she'll make of it too. Personally, I support the candidacy of Christine Grahame as Senior Vice-convener. 
 
Joe, we presume from your silence on the matter that you ARE a member of the Conservative Party.

19 July 2004, 13:18:33 GMT+01:00
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Joe King (81.135.130.197)
Pray tell Mr Dickson how you verify a name? 
 
I have no idea if you are whom you claim to be. 
 
However my full name was: "If nominated I'll decline. If drafted I'll defer. And if elected I'll resign." But - sadly - there wasn't space for it. 
 
Wasn't being bad tempered my dear Stuart, merely pointing out a fact, Sturgeon was all set to come third. Now she will probably be leader at Holyrood.

19 July 2004, 11:58:06 GMT+01:00
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Stuart Dickson (217.211.160.56)
If 
 
Big boys use their real name. Employees from Tory Central Office fabricate names. 
 
temper, temper

18 July 2004, 09:28:49 GMT+01:00
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"If nominated I'll decline. If (81.135.3.122)
Salmonds back because his puppet Sturgeon had bugger all chance of winning.

17 July 2004, 23:00:52 GMT+01:00
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David Farrer said...






Neil (195.93.34.10)
He has charisma. He is also economically literate which is something the SNP in particular & scottish politics in general could do with. He also opposed the Yugoslav war (unlike that slimey weathervane Swinney). 
 
Ultimately, however, he has to persuade most Scots that we would be better off separate.

15 July 2004, 20:06:50 GMT+01:00
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Andrew Ian Dodge (195.137.124.152)
Yeah, love him or loath him, you at least have to admit the guy is a character.

15 July 2004, 16:37:48 GMT+01:00
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Stuart Dickson (217.211.160.56)
Crikey. 
 
It is not often that anything much surprises me in politics, but this is a remarkable exception. 
 
"Welcome Back" indeed. Alex, your country needs you. 
 
I was led to understand, in the petty tittle tattle that follows such major events, that one of Alex Salmond's reasons for resigning was chronic back pain. His good humour, and sterling performances at Westminster, in the ensuing four years would tend to counterdict that gossip. Either that or he has an excellent osteopath. 
 
Either way, this spells big trouble for the Labour Party in Scotland.

15 July 2004, 14:20:44 GMT+01:00