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Happy Christmas,
War is Over?
So it's official. Wendy the whiz, economic genius, guru, saviour of Scotland, is unaware the reason most people live in Jersey is to avoid paying UK tax.
Maybe her defence is indeed true: Developer Paul Green just found it convenient to redevelop Pollok shopping centre 600 miles away in St Helier. Maybe Paul Green was simply intoxicated by the charisma of former Glasgow Council Leader, turned MSP and Wendo for leader sycophant Charlie Gordon. Alternatively, maybe multi-millionaire Paul Green was just overcome by his enthusiasm for the cause of democratic socialism - in Scotland (Pollok) in particular.
The Scottish end of the donation by proxy scandal - which really should see Gordon Brown resign - sees Wendy Alexander under increasing pressure. Maybe Paul Green just couldn’t afford that extra £50 top take his £950 donation over the threshold which meant his donation and his place of residence would have to be declared to the Electoral Commission.
OR Maybe Wendy is just remarkable stupid for a graduate of The Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD). Maybe the institute didn’t tell her Jersey is an independent country!
The speed at which Labour's UK General Secretary Peter Watt resigned in the wake of revelations that huge donations to the Labour Party from property tycoon David Abrahams had been channeled through bogus "donors" suggests there is much more to this episode that meets the eye.
We are expected to believe that Peter Watt alone knew of this arrangement, despite the start of secret donations predating his appointment in 2005. We are also expected to believe Jack Dromey, the Treasurer of the Labour Party and husband of Deputy Leader and Labour Party Chair Harriet Harman, knew nothing of this arrangement nor did any member of Labour's National Executive nor any cabinet member - this despite promises of increased transparency in the wake of the cash for honours scandal, and the fact that David Abrahams was the party's third largest donor.
Or here is another thought. New Labour is so intoxicated with power, institutionally corrupt, that it thinks there is nothing wrong with anything until you get caught. Then its all the fault of the lowest placed guy in the food chain that they can pin the blame on.
Blatant fraud. The police should be called in once more and this time some big heads should roll.
How could Wendy Alexander allow her special adviser Matthew Marr resign with a degree of dignity - when his boorish behaviour at the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards demanded that he be sacked uncermoniously?
Marr called Scotland's First Minister a c*** - a word that is deeply misogynist and offensive to many people, and not just women. Mr Marr also insulted other women at the high profile event including staff who couldn't fight back. The fact that Wendy Alexander hand picked this oaf (who was previously a special adviser to Stephen Purcell - Glasgow Council's Labour leader) is bad enough, but to delay sacking him until the fall out in the press became clear is shameful and worrying.
Matthew is pictured here in sobberer times, his graduation from Dundee University in 2001
Northern Rock
The government have done the right thing by bailing out Northern Rock - the only alternative was to stand aside and watch as the financial markets went into meltdown - but in the process it has destroyed Gordon Brown's hard won reputation for managing the economy - billions of pounds of public money will now be used to subsidise Northern Rock before it is finally sold off- but the real villain is the lack of proper control in the financial services market, which allowed Northern Rock (and possibly others) to borrow so recklessly.
Northern Rock's collapse is the same in essence to that of Farepak - yet Farepak customers will recover only 5p for every £1 lost while government looks the other way - the only difference is one of scale - in one case the government's moral compass isn't working - in the other the politics of the situation demanded action.
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Scotland's Lost Assets
Andy Wightman, Campaigner and author of "Who Owns Scotland" argues it's time to revisit community ownership.
Read his guest blog here
This Tuesday at the Stand Comedy Club, Edinburgh.
Show starts 20.00 (doors open 19.00)
Ticket details
