“The John Muir Trust takes the view that where major new pylon developments impinge on important and protected landscapes, they should always, without question, be contained underground.”
Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust
If you want to lodge your displeasure about the proposal to construct massive pylons through the Cairngorm National Park then go to the Cairngorms Revolt Against Pylons website.
The Labour candidate is Anne Picking, a shadowy and highly elusive character who reputedly succeeded John Home Robertson as MP for East Lothian in 2001.
Her selection for East Lothian in 2001 was a surprise as she was, and remains, largely unknown in the constituency. Even Picking’s election agent has failed to justify her prolonged disappearances, merely commenting in the local paper that Ms Picking was not available.
Picking’s attendance record in the House of Commons was the poorest of any Scottish MP, while her expenses claims were amongst the highest in the UK: she claimed ?39,744 for travel in 2004, more than any other MP in the whole of the UK. This can be compared to Alistair Carmichael in Orkney & Shetland who claimed ?27,366 for travel, while David Hamilton in neighbouring Midlothian claimed just ?18,883. Picking’s total expense claim in 2004 was ?148,818, in the top ten highest claims for the whole of the UK.Source: Scottish Politics
All the bold text is my own
I’m not a fan of this MP, this woman has shown she is incompetant since election and I thoroughly hope she doesn’t get re-elected, although that is unlikely as it is a Labour stronghold. I saw her on PMQs once and she was told to sit down because her question was neither a question nor was it about a subject relevant to Central Government.
It struck me that the election could be interesting in East Lothian due to the influx of people from outside the constituency and the redrawing of the boundaries. Since 2001 a lot of people have moved from Edinburgh to East Lothian for various reasons - namely better road links and an abundance of horrible cheap plastic new houses - and that could make a difference to the overall majority, but probably not a very big one as Edinburgh is pretty strongly Labour as well. Interesting to see though.
You get asked a few questions which could be taken any number of ways and they guess your political leanings. I’m not going to tell you if this is in anyway right but maybe you want to take the test yourself.
Labour -46  |
|
 Conservative 13 |
|
| Liberal Democrat 13 |
|
| UKIP 28 |
|
| Green 17 |
The first in what will probably prove to be a very short series
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
Bearing in mind the limits of a politician’s language then do they see no limit to the world they could rule over?
One Big Vote
A big mock election thing, go on, vote, just for my interest if nothing else.
Almost fifty years after they had the idea in South Africa, they’re now suggesting a Bantu Education style system in Britain.
BBC NEWS | Education | Black boys separate classes plan
The official election for the post of Rector for the University will take place today, I urge every student at Glasgow Uni to make that oh-so-long walk to the nearest polling booth to vote and make sure we get a rector this time around, having been with a student voice on the senate for about a year. You can see the candidate list here.
John Beattie is, I think, a fantastic choice in his own right, and alongside the other nominees he is miles ahead. Of course this election should have happenned last year but a failure by all the relevant uni bodies to publicise the deadline for nominations meant the students were left without a voice on the Senate for the first time in around 100 years.
The University of Glasgow :: Newsdesk - News and Events - Nominations for Rector 2004
Jenni Keenan Green
Plays ‘Heather’ in the popular Scottish BBC TV soap opera River City.The University of Glasgow :: Newsdesk - News and Source: Events - Nominations for Rector 2004
Come one! I’m all for a bit of humour in politics but there’s a real chance that students might actually vote for this woman, whoever she is.
And, doesn’t popular mean someone has to have been watching it and like it?
that’s what the BNP seem to be claiming.
Dr Phil Edwards, BNP press officer on the letter from the Muslim Council of Britain that urges Muslims to turn out and vote in the local and European elections:
“They are threatening the democratic process by trying to influence people to vote against a party”
Source : BBC News
If, for argument’s sake, I were to urge teachers and nurses to vote Labour because they traditionally spend more money on public services than the Conservatives, then presumably by the BNP’s logic I would be undermining democracy, wouldn’t I? In fact every time Tony Blair says ‘Vote Labour’, or Michael Howard says ‘Vote Tory’, or any other politician asks people to vote for them, then they are undermining democracy. Aren’t they?
Or maybe the BNP are a bunch of facists who should be locked up, or even better deported from the country, maybe to Guantanamo Bay.
There’s something that appeals to me about situations where people behave like they are a completely different age, like the Vauxhall advert that’s on now with the two kids talking like they are the adults, but what I really like watching is something I’ve never really had the chance to watch before, but this year I can because I’m normally at home at the time it’s on - lots of grown-ups gather in a big grand hall and shout and argue and jeer like children watching a playground fight.
I am of course talking about Prime Minister’s Questions. No matter where you stand it’s always fun to watch, especially since Michael Howard became Tory leader, (he’s an ex-QC isn’t he?) who always seems to have a good time picking at Tony Blair.
I think my favourite bit is the crowd mentality of it all, the cheering/jeering after anyone has said anything. No matter if he* makes a valid point, or even makes sense then his fellow party members support him by groaning loudly. I’m not sure if I’m going anywhere inspirational with this, I’m just saying, like. It makes me laugh.
* ‘he’ in the non-gender specific way, you understand, I’m not implying that only men get the support I’m talking about, now go away you smelly pedant.
