Labour to ‘ignore’ SNP during General Election
January 25, 2010 by Hamish Macdonell · 133 Comments
Jim Murphy
Speaking to Caledonian Mercury, Mr Murphy said the Scottish Labour party was going to concentrate solely on the Tories during the campaign – even though the Nationalists represent the biggest threat to Labour in most seats around the country and the Tories have only one seat in Scotland.
Mr Murphy, who will lead Labour’s election effort north of the Border, said: “We will focus on the Tories. The only rival we have to form a government is the Tory party. The Tories will be my number one priority, number two priority and number three priority.
“The people of Scotland know – or almost everyone in Scotland knows – that the SNP are not in with a hope in this election. They are irrelevant.”
Mr Murphy’s campaign strategy chimes with the message Labour wants to get across throughout the whole of the UK: that the election is a two-horse race between Labour and the Conservatives.
But it is an unusual one in Scotland where recent polls show that it is the SNP and Labour who are vying for first place, with the Tories a distant third.
The Nationalists believe they can win several seats from Labour this year so the strategy is a risky one. It could succeed if the electorate decides to vote for a party of government at Westminster but it could fail by allowing the SNP a clear run with their campaign slogans, without Labour producing anything in response.
Mr Murphy certainly believes he has the correct strategy, though. Indeed, he has already been delivering leaflets in his East Renfrewshire constituency with a simple anti-Tory message.
A poll over the weekend suggested that Mr Murphy would be one of several high-profile Labour MPs to lose their seats if the Tories secure the levels of support they have at the moment. Mr Murphy is one of the few Labour MPs in Scotland who is in danger from the Conservatives, rather than from the SNP.
But the Scottish Secretary said he was not worried about that. “The polls before every election say I’m going to lose my seat. If I lose, I’ll do something else. I have been the underdog before and I’m the underdog now. I like being the underdog.”
Mr Murphy has a majority of 6,500 over the Tories in what was once the Conservative seat of Eastwood. The constituency is certainly one that the Tories will target but they will still need a big shift in support locally to unseat Mr Murphy.
Mr Murphy said he did not believe David Cameron was popular enough to win seats in Scotland.
“A lot of people don’t love Labour but they absolutely know where they stand with the Conservatives. The party is hated by some and distrusted by many.”
The Scottish Secretary said that, if he had space on his leaflets, he would put a picture of David Cameron on them just to show voters the choice they had.
Mr Murphy published a document this morning which claimed that Scotland had benefited from a £76 billion “devolution dividend”, based on the difference between the amount of money flowing into the country from the Treasury and the tax take in Scotland.
This document was supposed to coincide with the publication of the Scottish Government’s Independence Referendum Bill, but the bill has been delayed for two weeks, leaving Mr Murphy’s rebuttal document out all on its own.
With the UK – and Scotland – expected to come out of recession as early as this week, there have been some suggestions that Labour might have to drop its opposition to the SNP’s referendum plans.
Iain Gray, the leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament, has said that it was wrong to have a referendum when the country is in recession.
With the country about to come out of recession, does this now mean the time is right for a referendum?
“No,” according to Mr Murphy. He said: “You cannot stop some people talking about these things but the public aren’t interested.
“The economists talk about the recession possibly being over but the recession has just begun for some people who have just lost their jobs. Now is not the time.
“Some people seem to think that the moment we come out of a recession that is the moment for a referendum but that’s not right.
“We have said, at some point there is a case for a referendum but that point is not today and it is not tomorrow. While the recession may be declared over, the difficulties that Scottish families are facing will not be over.”
The SNP dismissed Mr Murphy’s document claiming a “devolution dividend” was a “dodgy dossier”.
Scottish Finance Secretary, John Swinney, said: “The Scotland Office should change its name to the ‘Ministry of anti-Scottish propaganda’, given that its sole purpose these days seems to be issuing fantasy figures that do Scotland down.”
And he added: “Scotland’s oil and gas industry is the only thing keeping the London Treasury afloat – over the next six years, £50 billion worth of North Sea revenues will flow to the London exchequer. That alone represents over £20,000 for every household in Scotland.
“Jim Murphy and the Scotland Office’s spurious claims about Scotland’s true position are exposed by the UK Government’s own figures. These statistics prove, beyond any doubt whatsoever, that Scotland has been outperforming the UK, not just in recent months and years, but over a prolonged period of time.”
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Murphy is wrong. The Tories are a irrelevance in Scotland and Labour will go the same way eventually. Independence will be won at some stage, hopefully outwith the EU as in the case of Norway and Switzerland.
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Oh! The irony! Berating Murphy for wilfully turning a blind eye to the political realities in Scotland while you blithely disregard the political realities of Europe and the world.
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Here goes. I’m the first arivee from the Scotsman board and utterly disenfranchised by the reporting inthe Scotsman.
As for Murphys point of view? While he is entitled to it, it will spectacularly backfire!
The SNP election slogan could be – “We will ignore Labour this election, after all, Labour has ignored you for 12 years.”
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Afternoon ,Gary, agree with your post BUT “labour has ignored you for 12 years” only 12 years??
I would agree that we do indeed have a “devolution dividend” it is just not the same dividend that Mr Murphy wants to talk about!
My devolution dividend is more open government and the release of more and more of the politicians dirty wee secrets!
Sid
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Perhaps the SNP should make themselves impossible to ignore by contesting a few Labour-held marginals south of the border. Corby and Carlisle spring to mind and Berwick (where Labour are in third place) could also be contested on the basis that the people there recently expressed a wish to be part of Scotland again.
Obviously, it would be hard for the SNP to actually win seats in England but they could take enough votes from Labour to deprive Jim Murphy’s party of several key seats. A bit of guerilla action may be needed in any case if the unionist parties conspire to shut out the SNP’s voice from the proposed televised leaders’ debates.
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I know someone who would stand in Berwick……….
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It might just work. In much the same way as sticking a finger in each year and shouting “LA LA LA LA LA LA LA” might just work.
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Congratulations to Caledonian Mercury – hopefully some decent journalism for Scotland at last.
As for Murphy – he is the irrelevance, not the SNP. He will only be able to ignore them until the results come in!
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I wish this electronic newspaper the best.
Anything, really anything has to be better than the Scottish Dead Tree Press
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Couldn’t agree more. I’m so scunnered by the ridiculous bias shown by the printed, voice and mainstream TV media in Scotland. I’m not looking for propaganda for any one particular viewpoint, but just a decent reporting of the facts, not party press releases dressed up as “news”.
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If the upcoming GE was taking place in an independent Scotland then there would be no need for Murphy to concentrate on the Tories in that or any other Scottish election.It would be between the SNP and the post independence,pro-independence version of Scottish Labour.
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Ah well, what manna from heaven for SNP supporters – another ‘irrelevant’ opposition MP with his head in the sand, in the clouds, in many other places by the sound of it.
More power to the SNP elbow – at least they have the wit to recognise, acknowledge and rebuff others – and maintain an element of decorum and decency at the same time.
Rock on Wee Eck!!
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Murphy is obviously out of touch or in denial if he thinks that the Scottish National Party are irrelevant in Scotland!
The ignorance and arrogance of this man will lose him his seat.
Labour have already lost the election, so a vote for them in Scotland is a wasted vote.
We need a party who will stand up for Scotland in Westminster and Labour have proved it is not them. The only party in Scotland with only Scottish interests at heart is The Scottish National Party.
Since he’s running the election campaign will we actually see him interviewed?
Gone are the days when people only have the daily papers for news, we all have the net to check out the facts. I think Murphy & his party and the MSM forget this!
Labour vote against everything the SNP come up with,even when they know it’s the right thing for Scotland.
Labour are damaging us!
Lets hope this news outlet is not another Scotsman!
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If only it were true.
At least by ignoring the SNP we would be spared the incessant propaganda at public expense which emanates from the current Scottish Office hierarchy.
Opposition at Holyrood is a joke, it is based on the assumption that anything the SNP thinks is a good idea is by definition, the spawn of Satan.
Childish in the extreme and no help to the country at large.
I never thought there would come a time when I thought that the tories in Scotland were more constructive than labour……..then again…it is nulabour…there is a difference.
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It is typically arrogant of the Labor party to act in this way. Murphy however forgets to mention that not only will his party ignore the SNP, they will also ignore Scotland as a whole. The educated amongst us know only too well that the labor party in Scotland is only interested in the West of Scotland seats which help them towards their Westminster goal. Once they have secured there Weegee vote and have got in power they will continue to ignore Scotland like they and the Tories have done for the last 300 years! Can the people of this country not wake “man up” and start to believe in our country. So what if it takes a few quid more in tax each week! I’d rather pay extra tax and live in country free to make its own decisions and spend its taxes according to its own needs. The act of union is a marriage which has passed its sell by date! its time for a divorce!
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I wonder the odds William Hill would offer to cover that statement. We’ll Ignore the SNP – AYE RIGHT
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Firstly congratulations on the launch of this new Scottish newspaper, long overdue.
In terms of Labour’s strategy of ignoring the SNP this is just another example of showing utter contempt for the Scottish people. In effect they are saying that the largest and most popular political party in Scotland has absolutely no relevance in British elections and by implication large parts of Scotland and Scots are irrelevant. Neither Labour nor anybody else can predict the outcome of the British election and in particular the increasingly likely chances of a hung parliament. Given a hung parliament is possible then small parties become very relevant indeed, and for Labour to dismiss this just shows utter disregard for the basic principles of democracy. Also by inference one would assume Labour will also ignore the Scottish Lib Dems ? It is a complete farce that in Scotland the London controlled ‘Scottish’ Labour Party (although no such political party even exists) will concentrate on the Tory party which is 3rd or 4th in Scotland. Recent polls show ‘Scottish’ Labour and Tory Unionist together muster at most 50% of the votes – so basically ‘Scottish’ Labour is saying to disregard half or more of the Scottish people.
Just more democracy British Style apparently.
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Why don’t the SNP turn the tables on “Murphy’s Law”… and ignore Labour? Surely then they would be in the enviable position of running an entirely positive campaign – promoting their policies and view of an independent Scotland without getting into the mud-slinging fight the unionist-nationalist “debate” that Scotland’s constitutional future has become.
Relentless positivity? I suspect that may be a naive thought…
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Labour seem to keep changing their mind on the issue of what my vote is meant to do. Back before the credit crunch, when a politician could talk about constitutional issues without being accused of “not concentrating on the recession”, Labour’s policy seemed to be that they supported the continued use of first-past-the-post (and with hindsight would not have advocated PR in the Scottish Parliament), because that system makes it very clear that you are voting for a person to represent you in parliament.
By that principle, if I want an SNP member to represent me in Westminster, then I vote for that SNP member regardless of whether they can actually form a government. Now Jim Murphy is saying that that’s not quite correct – I should be using my vote to influence the choice of government. Well which is it? One vote can’t do both.
Personally, I would vote for a system of minority government if such a thing appeared on the ballot paper. It has worked very well for the SNP in government and it has worked very well for the Tories and Lib Dems in opposition. It is truly democratic in that, where the politicians involved are competent and not bloody-minded, compromise and agreement can be reached, and unpopular issues such as the cancellation of the Edinburgh tram project can’t be forced through by one party. Therefore I would like minority government in Westminster, and I don’t really mind who runs it.
Needless to say, this isn’t how it’s done in Westminster; one party is given an artificial majority and with it the power to bludgeon their policies through parliament for their five year term. Jim Murphy wants us to be able to suggest which party is to do the bludgeoning (Lab or Con only please), but no say in whether bludgeoning should happen at all.
I fear that my viewpoint would fall not on deaf ears, but uncomprehending minds. Oh well. The joke’s on Jim though – under the first-past-the-post system so lauded by Labour, my constituency is a two-horse race between the Lib Dem and Tory candidates. I won’t waste my vote on Labour.
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Murphy wants to ignore the SNP and in the process hope they go away. A nonsensical strategy and obviously more rhetoric than actual intent. Problem for the SNP is the Scottish printed press are in the habit of doing what Labour wants.
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From a Labour point of view, ignoring the SNP in a General Election is a perfectly sensible element of any election strategy but it’s hardly new. Alex Salmond won’t be appearing in the “Leaders’ Debates”, Scotland won’t feature in the main BBC or ITV newscasts throughout the election and the press in Scotland will really only allow the SNP the odd footnote in any coverage.
To all intents and purposes the fight will be presented as between Labour and the Conservatives. But this has always been the case.
Scotland’s Secretary of State, the self-styled “underdog”, reveals a great deal about his political sophistication in declaring such a far-sighted tactic.
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What!
Are you arguing that there is no possibility that we may be in for a hung Parliament? Are you suggesting that giving the SNP free reign might not turn around and bite Labour? Lost constituencies, whether in Scotland or England will hurt Labour bad.
Ignoring the SNP certainly seems daft to me.
I suspect that that strategy may increase SNP representation at Westminster. Possibly at the expense of Labour….
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Eh? Re-read my comment. I am not making it as someone who is too worried about Labour losing seats in Scotland or anywhere else
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John McDonald,
You really believe that?
Wow!
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Yer havin a laugh… Yes, I believe I am not too worried about Labour losing seats in Scotland or anywhere else.
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Why is there no Gaelic in the new paper?
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@Donald: Fàilte, there is no Gaelic yet
Stewart Kirkpatrick
Editor, The Caledonian Mercury
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Hi Stewart,no Gaelic yet. Why not just ask for some lol? You would need somebody to keep an eye on the content and perhaps edit but I’m sure there are people out there who’d be delighted to contribute. The Gaelic online community has quite an international dimension take a look at Fòram na Gàidhlig for example:
http://www.foramnagaidhlig.net/foram/index.php
Gur math a thèid leis!
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I prefer Jim Murphy with the Hitler moustache as potrayed in one of the tabloids recently. He thinks himself as a bit of a dictator does he not? This irrelevant comment has been coming from him for some time now. The thing is in an independent Scotland there will be no need for a lackey, sorry, Scottish Secretary. The post will be no more. I even wonder where Scottish Labour see themselves in an independent Scotland? So come on Mr Murphy the people of Scotland are well and truly fed up with your likes.
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So, if the SNP put the boot into Labour policies Labour will ignore it? Hard to believe! Unless… unless…, Labour are so confident the media in Scotland will ignore anything the SNP say that they won’t need to respond.
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Ooh, you terrible cynic, James 41!
Yes, you could be right there about certain media.
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Congratulations on the launch of the Caledonian Mercury – looks good.
I can think of no politician more irrelevant than Jim Murphy. Other than to denigrate Scotland’s elected government and the people’s aspirations what does he do for a living?
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Just had a look at a couple of your stories and the comments attached and liked what I saw. Hopefully this will provide another forum for discussion of Scottish politics – including of course the electoral choice of many Scots, the SNP (in spite of Murphy’s efforts).
It will be refreshing if the editorial stance can first and foremost remain unbiased and analytical and reject the tired old lazy journalism of some Scottish titles whose political bias mainly in favour of Labour has ensured that sales of these are now at rock bottom.
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I agree with JohnMcDonald and it is never good to underestimate your opponent. The political debate will focus on Labour and Tory, supported by the lame Scottish press and BBC, leaving the SNP struggling to get their message heard.
For Murphy himself his seat is pretty much a Tory/Labour fight, so it won’t do his own campaign much harm. Collateral damage may occur elsewhere where the SNP can challenge though.
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Clearly Jim Murphy is as wired to the moon as his southern counterparts..
Fuel at £1.10 a litre… Price of goods, services and getting to work being driven through the roof because of it. Country grinding to a halt.. People being priced onto the buroo, folk scared to try and heat their homes, an Illegal war, lies, deception, expenses scandals, stealth tax scams…
The country is a wreck!
I thought Margaret Thatcher and her crew were the most inhuman beasts ever to hold office and that she herself should have stood trial for treason over the Falklands. I literally wept with joy when their reign was finally over. My mood has mellowed on that one, for the breathtaking dishonesty of the Labour party sweeps much of what she did into insignificance.
Thatcher made sure the Tories would be evermore unelectable in Scotland and in other places. Teflon Tony and Paw Broon simply carried on exactly where she left off… Jim Murphy imagines the morally bankrupt shower he’s attached to can afford to ignore ANY alternative party??
We have the relatively sane and electable alternative of the SNP in Scotland. Far from perfect! But at least they’re not barking! I’m afraid Murphy’s arrogance simply reveals the sheer contempt he and the rest of the Labour party have for the truth and the electorate…
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So Labour disenfranchise yet another massive chunk of the Scottish people in favour of concentrating all their efforts on the English Home Counties.
This is shocking behaviour by Jim Muprhy who seems to have mutated into an arch-propagandist instead of a paid-for-by-our-taxes representative of Scottish interests at Westminster.
Why are we paying taxes to support a propaganda war against our own country?
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This is the first article i’ve read regarding the upcoming general election and it’s reminded me already about the thing I hate most about politics, negative campaigning.
Jim Murphy says, “The Tories will be my number one priority, number two priority and number three priority.” How about making the people of Scotland your number one priority, number two priority and number three priority?
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This speaks volumes about Murphy. His job is to represent Scottish interests in the government yet he openly admits that he’ll ignore the 31% of the Scottish public who voted SNP, and place the English Tories at the top of his list of priorities.
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I’ll bet Conan can give a good “Hootsman” with this article!
More power to your elbow Caledonian Mercury !
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Excellent idea. Best of luck!
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Firstly let me say that I welcome the Caledonian Mercury brave foray into the world of Scots news media. It is to be hoped that for once we will get news and opinions that are honest and unbiased for our democratic freedom of expression is under threat. News stories being regularly manipulated and distorted by a presently anonymous source in order to attack the democratically elected SNP government of Scotland and then circulated to supine Scottish newspapers who very obligingly print them in the form of a anti-SNP/pro-Labour prominent article whilst adding their own particular brand of pejorative terms and phrases.
As for Jim Murphy he is nothing more other than a propaganda meister for Westminster’s Labour party branch office in Scotland who is paid by the taxpayer to spend every day of his “working” life attacking the duly elected government of Scotland with every means at his disposal – nuff said!
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A new paper for Scotland – welcome to the Merc!
Mr Murphy apparently thinks that this is “not the right time for a Referendum”.
He probably also thinks it is not the right time for honesty, sincerity, integrity, justice etc.
Like many others, I do think that it is good to see someone sticking up for Mr Brown and Mr Gray – they really are poor wee truaghans.
Slainte Mhor
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As someone in the East Renfrewshire constituency I’d like to mention that I’m voting SNP. The country is still sore from the kicking the Tories gave us and Labour just rubbed salt in the wounds.
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My prediction is the tories will win at the general election but with a small majority. If that is the case then SNP MP’s will be able to negotiate power for the Scottish parliament. Worse case is Labour are re elected, either way SNP hardly irrelevant. Mr Murphy’s comment shows his & labours contempt for the views off Scots which can only be good for the SNP.
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More wishful thinking from Oor Jim. As for that fantasy piece showing a £77 BILLION Union Dividend to Scotland.
Murphy and co haven’t woken up to the idea yet that the Scots are no longer swallowing this kind of garbage.
On the Gaelic documentary on Scottish Oil (BBC ALBA) even arch unionist Bernard Ingnam admitted that Scottish Oil and Scottish Gas saved the UK from Bankruptcy….of course, he didn’t call it SCOTTISH Oil and Gas, in fact he chided us for our GREED for even daring to suggest that despite it being discovered in Scottish waters and designated Scottish by the Continental Shelve Jurisdiction Acts of 1964 (Geneva) and 1968 London.
No Mr Murphy, the day when unionists could bully Scots out of their inheritance are drawing to a close.
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Perhaps we should all take a leaf out of his book.
All of us should ignore ALL of them. Tories, Liebore, LibDums and the Crazed Nats. Worth a try, I suppose!
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Murphy is the Lord Haw Haw of the Labour party. Does he actually believe the rubbish he spouts? Actually, if you investigate his past, you will find that he says what he thinks will gain him personal advantage. So, not a man of principles then.
Is Murphy actually allowed to use Scottish Office funds for what is in reality political propaganda (and misinformation at that)? What other nation has a government department the remit of which is simply to talk that nation down at every opportunity?
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Hey, great to see this new online paper. I really hope it is going to be worth supporting and not just another nat-bashing media outlet. I’m totally sick of every newspaper in Scotland. I don’t buy any anymore just for the fact that they are all so one sided. Hopefully we see some reporting that is a bit more nutral and sees all sides of the story. Thanks.
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Wishing you every success in this new venture and, as others have said, hoping you retain the balance evident in this issue.
I don`t think anyone wants fawning sychophancy towards the SNP, just a level of fairness and objectivity in news reporting that is absent elsewhere in the Scottish media.
Just tell it like it is, and you`ll do well.
Oh and Hamish, how are you ? Better now ?
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All the best with this new venture.
As for Murphy, nothing would suit him better than the business as usual Labour/Tory double act.
Unfortunately for him Scotland has moved on & will deliver a bloody nose to the morally and politically bankrupt Labour party.
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More ramblings from Murphy. I predict another broken promise from Labour. There is not a chance in hell of them ignoring the SNP in ANY election.
Oh, and congrats to the Caledonian Mercury !
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Most impressed – Fair and accurate reporting. I have not read anything glencampblly. Well done to all concerned.
Regarding Mr murphy I assume this quote is as believable as the rest of the guff he spouts. The gloves will come off and labour will start fighting although they appear to have a dearth of money and activists.
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Is Murphy directing strategy to save his own seat? Hard to think why else he would have come up with this bizarre idea. There has been no Cameron bounce here, the Tories are just as irrelevant now as they have been since Thatcher. All that Murphy’s tactics will illustrate is that if the Tories get in it will have hee haw to do with Scotland. Well, I think we all know that.
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I would like to wish the Caledonian Mercury every success.
Mr Murphy comes across as a cartoon figure in politics, a London labour MP puppet version of MSP Elmer Fudd (of Slab) chasing the wabbit with hilarious consequences as time after time he fails miserably in action but succeeds in giving everyone a good laugh, at labours expense I may add.
Out with the labour party Murphy is unemployable, he realises this and will say anything to keep his ski slope in the westmidden trough.
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Wow a new Scottish newspaper!
I like so many others have stopped buying The Scotsman for it’s constant SNP bashing. I’m not a die hard nationalist, but I think the Scottish Government are doing the best job under the circumstances. I hope this new publication stays away from the normal proLabour stance of all the other Scottish press. I would even be happy to pay an online subscription charge to such a publication.
As for Mr Murphy, I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, but everyone knows Labour is now a lost cause.
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Best Wishes on your birth and (hopeful) long life from a cold Dumfries.Please try ,within resources, not to be too central belt-ic.
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I shouldn’t be surprised – I’ve had four years of Brownian self-destruction to teach me to expect things like this – but I am. I believe, wholeheartedly, in just saying it like it is in politics, and for this reason I have always liked Jim Murphy where I dislike most of his party.
Nonetheless, this is quite simply an astonishing declaration. It is a naked admission that Labour are resorting to the politics of fear – the big bad Tories – rather than debating any policy issues with the party of government in Scotland. Jim Murphy will stand at the head of an attempt to ignore almost eleven years of devolution, simply to rekindle the anti-Toryism that swept Labour to power in the 1990s.
Even John Major wasn’t this out of touch.
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Congratulations on the launch of your cyber news paper. It is badly needed, as long as it is not another unionist mouthpiece. Impartiality would be nice;o)
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Ignoring the SNP should be easy for them. After all, they’ve managed to ignore the whole of England since 1997.
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Great new site, thank goodness, let’s hope it goes well. It can only be better than the Scotsman.
I don’t think that Labour will be able to ignore the SNP at the General election, but they would like to. Is publishing an 8 age document cobbled together in a rush to try to refute the case for independence an early case of how they plan to ignore the SNP?
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Can I make an early, and possibly wrong, point about your comment column?
It seems to me that JohnMcDonald and I are arguing in a sort of elevator. We, our discussion or whatever, have now been replaced with genuinely interesting posts that have nothing to do with what we were talking about. That take precedence, whether they are ‘more interesting’ or not.
That doesn’t work.
Sidelining genuine debate, because of a cascade of other, irrelevant comments, is, I would suggest no way to run a web site.
I’d be interested in your views on this. It seems to me that it could allow a tidal wave of comment to over-ride something interesting.
Something that would be well served by others commenting on it. Which, as the seconds pass, becomes less likely.
Have you thought this through, and could you explain your thinking?
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This is reply 1.
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This is reply 2.
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The comment reply appears fine.
If you post a comment beneath another comment then replies to the topmost will push yours down the list.
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Congrats Caledonian Mercury. You are on my favourites and looking good so far.
Cant wait for May the 6th to see the back of Murphy and his anti scotland tirades. Never before has one man talked down the scottish people more. He should be utterly ashamed of himself. I feel nothing contempt for this man and the fact that people considered him a worthy representative in the house of commons unfortunately speaks volumes.
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oh and looking forward to an Caledonian Mercury Iphone App. I’ll give you a chance to get settled first!! I am just loving Apps
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I cannot imagine Jim Murphy having the ability to ignore the SNP.
It will, imo, only be a matter of time before he comes out with another load of nonsense.
It will also just be a matter of time before he comes out with another load of nonsense pertaining to the SNP and Scottish Independence.
It is Jim Murphy’s raison d’etre to ridicule Scotland, by the looks of it.
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The London Ambassador to Scotland said -”almost everyone in Scotland knows – that the SNP are not in with a hope in this election. They are irrelevant.”-
Lol. Labour are doomed in Scotland, in England, in Wales and in Ireland. Jim Murphy has contracted stupidity from Iain Gray. Ignoring the SNP is to ignore the Scots. More Labour democracy in action?
Broken promises for the English include Blair promising to complete a full third term as PM and Brown swearing to abolish prescription charges. The Scots have been treated far shabbier by Labour.
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For anyone who hasn`t already seen it, have a read of Robert Mcneil`s Holyrood Sketch. He was always as insightful as he was funny when he was at the Hootsmon, but he`s raised his game on here – a kind of “Rab Unleashed”.
Still rubbing the tears out of my eyes.
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Congratulations on the launch of the Newspaper, I hope it will give a fair and balanced view of events in our country.
With regards to Murphy, is he really going to ignore 300,000 plus voters? The arrogance of the man is astounding but lets be honest he is only reflecting how Labour view the voters of Scotland.
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Correction!
There were 412,267 SNP voters in the 2005 General Election.
Given that the SNP are currently ahead of their 2005 vote in the various polls, is Murphy really going to ignore all of us?
We know that Labour have never listened to the people of Scotland, now we have the proof.
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Love the CalMerc so far. Refreshing lack of Labour party press releases masquerading as news so beloved of the Scotsman/Herald combine…keep up the good work.
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NO PROBLEM JIM,
NO ONE LISTENS TO YOU ANYWAY.
YOUR TEA,s OOT & YOU KNOW IT.
SCOTLANDS PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER,THEY WILL GET THAT VIA THE SNP.
THE SNP ARE THE ONLY MAJOR PARTY TO PUT SCOTLAND FIRST,WITH NO SRINGS BEING PULLED FROM LONDON.
SCOTLANDS TIME WILL COME!
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Just like to say this site may be what I have been looking for for a long time.
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The SNP are indeed irrelevant in the General Election. The Lib-Dem’s are not worth bothering with. Therefore, vote Labour or Conservative. I know who will get my vote, and it won’t be the party I have voted for previously. It’s time for change. Time to have an elected Prime Minister. Not one who was left to mop up the mess from the previously elected PM. Consider it a protest vote, and by goodness is it needed!
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Hi John,
I think it’s interesting to note that the Lib Dems preside over some of the areas of Scotland with the highest quality of life, including Aberdeenshire which has the highest quality of life of all. The SNP also preside over parts of that area, so there you go.
If you value good governance at a local level, which all people do, the LDs are very much worth bothering about, as are the SNP. Both these parties have a better track record than any of the mainstream UK parties in Scotland.
I’m not trying to dispute your preference for who you choose to vote for, but I think it’s wrong to claim that the LDs or the SNP are not worth bothering about. At a contituency level they are far more effective than Labour or the Tories could ever hope to be.
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It’s great that your local level team are so wonderful. In fact, i’ve never heard such high praise for politicians, ever! Any chance you could send some of these dream Politicians to the central belt? Members of the party’s you mentioned are making a poor job of it down here, in stark contrast to the ones presiding over your area, allegedly!
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Nice straight reporting- not something I always associated with Hamish at The Hootsmon. Good luck everyone- how will you keep the commenters’ debate civilised though?
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Curious behaviour from Jim Murphy, we will ignore the SNP on the same day he relaunches a report from the Scotland Office thats sole intent is to attack the SNPs central stance. However this is not the first time Jim Murphy has done this sort of thing.
It feels to me like the actions of a desperate man, the SNP have been polling over 30% of the popular vote, yet he thinks to ignore them !!!!
Aye so he will
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Its telling that Jim Murphy’s first, second and third priorities are to fight the Tories, as you pointed out, he is one of the few Labour seats threatened by the Conservatives. This, in my view, reflects the historic approach of personal self interest of Scottish Labour Party members over the needs of the Scottish people, and their willingness at all costs to protect their feathered beds in Westminster at the expense of the Scottish people’s economic interests and future in favour of their UK agendy. This goes back many years, and a great number of the Scottish electorate I’m sure will remember only too the well how Labour’s ‘feeble forty’ who, with a huge majority in Scotland, refused to act during Thatcher’s economic scortched earth policy in Scotland during the early eighties at a time when Scotland’s North Sea Oil revenues were approaching a peak, contributing to Thatcher’s so called ‘economic miracle’, a Brent Crude miracle to be exact, which funded the strengthening of the infrastructure of the City of London with major works like the M25 and the Channel Tunnel. As a nation, we can only hope that the electorate will realise that Scottish Labour are interested in the personal success of Scottish Labour MPs, and certainly not in the future prosperity of Scots. Their, On this day of all day’s, I feel its rather apt to draw on the words of the Bard in naming Murphy’s clique, The New ‘parcel o’rogues’. Or for a more contemporaty approach we might simply say ‘Same Labour, different day’. This might strike more of a chord with Scotland’s crop of fresh new young voters.
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But the Scottish Secretary said “…if I lose I’ll just do something else.” Quite right Jim – I believe there’s quite a niche market out there for sinister whispering skulls especially come Halloween.
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hmmm, never mind the SNP being irrelevant….elections will be irrelevant when the second wave of the credit crunch, which is building like the tsunami in Katsushika Hokusai’s fine painting, in Alt-A and ARM mortgaged backed securities defaults in the USA, breaks upon a world filled with twenty to fifty times leveraged zombie banks, which are still reeling from the sub prime crisis and combines with new labour’s 1 trillion pound national debt, Weimar style money printing and budget deficit which is 12% of GDP. twice what it was in 1976 when the UK had to get bailed out by the IMF. Looks like the perfect erm ….’conditions’ to whoosh them right back into power……
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Welcome to The Caledonian Mercury -a grand old name for a Scottish journal. I look forward to jousting with friends and opponents, old and new.
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Is anyone taking bets on this man’s utterances, I am willing to put up just about
everything I have to say this won’t come to pass.
Well done Cal Merc, brilliant first day. Lang may yer Lum reek.
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Nice to hear the leader of the Thatcherites in Scotland saying that their priorities will be: 1 the tories, 2 the tories and 3 the tories.
In other words Labour will be fighting for every tory marginal seat in England. Tory marginals up here are as common as hen’s teeth. Shows where their heart lies though, doesn’t it?
I remember ‘Labour isn’t working’? Thatcher’s answer to ever lengthening dole queues? ‘make them stand closer together’…
Remember Honest Tony’s ‘Education Education Education (in small print -for those who are able to pay for it)’? and ‘Whiter than white’?
Aye, things can only get better!
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Meant to say: nice to see you CM.
Bye Bye Scotsman!
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congratulations on this ,like many other posters ,never buy a Scottish Newspaper any more .
I do hope you keep this reporting without grace or favour to any party.
As to the story , how arrogant can Murphy and Labour be to ignore 30%+ of the Scottish electorate is nothing short of disgusting.
i hope the people of Scotland give them their just deserts at the ballot box!
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I suspect Mr Murphy hopes to rally waverers who might vote SNP with the words “Only we can stop the Toriesd, you dislike us, but you hate them”
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Yes they have been doing this for years, it is their rallying cry, lets hope everyone remembers how much protection they were in the 80’s.
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What will the Oaffice boy of Ben Dover House, London, England do for a living when he is booted out of Eastwood? He has never had a proper job. or done a day’s honest work in his life. He has always been an agent of the British State or HM Lumpen Party. No doubt Labour will find him a crony job along with the rest of the displaced Labour refugees from the English Parliamentary elections.
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PLEASE can some one ask murhpy if he can find out how anne moffat is doing as we are starting to worry about the poor woman. (NOT)as she ignored the taxpayers off eastlothian she payed the price and her on party new she did and deselected her and I know the E.L.L.P will not ignore the S.N.P as it will be at there pearl.Any one selected by unison or the unions will not work in eastlothian again.BE SCARED NEW LABOUR BE VERY SCARED OF THE S,N,P WE ARE COMING FOR YOU.
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Oh well Labour taking their Scottish electorate for granted again! When have they done that before and what did Scotland get the last time ‘the feeble 50′ were up here while Thatcher ruled down there?
Labour have clearly have short memories of that time or maybe they have just learned nothing because they feel they have a god-given right to their featherbeds in Scotland? Hopefully the Scottish electorate don’t have such short memories.
This general election looks like a Tory win so once again Scotland will be ruled from England and Westminster by a party with no democratic manadate in the north.
The SNP has proven time and again that they WILL fight tooth and nail for Scotland and its people – especially against the disgusting quisling behaviour of the pro-Westminster Labour hacks up here.
In this UK wide election we will have a desperate need for a party to fight for our country and our national interests. A guide to future behaviour has always been past behaviour so we know that champion won’t be the labour party.
Are we just going to allow once again the truly massive Scottish energy resources and reserves to pay the debts of the corrupt unionist and pro-Southern English Westminster and past-it UK or take that enormous wealth and the historical talent of our people and strike out on our own. A free country with over a thousand years of history behind it already?
Iain
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Congratulations on your new project. Scotland needs fair and balanced reporting and we haven’t been getting that for years.
All the best.
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I feel sorry for the voters in East Renfrewshire. Auntie A has already said that Scotland doesn’t matter to the Tories and Skeletor shows his utter contempt for Alba every time he opens his yap. Maybe the Labour and Tory voters ought to think twice before throwing that Westminster seat away. Make your vote count for Scotland – it’s time.
Welcome Caledonian Mercury!
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Spud’s comments are no more than you would expect from a Brown lickspittal. I have his P45 already prepared, so you can ignore him. He is totally irrelevant to Scotland’s future.
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First of all can I just say how much I like the site and second how commendable I think your bold approach is to the challenges of modern news and of Scottish news in particular. Best of luck!
It’s tempting to think Murphy’s strategy is just to protect himself in his East Renfrewshire seat, but I think this strategy will work out quite differently. Rather than actually just ignore the SNP, Labour will in fact just say they are ignoring the SNP very very regularly. So really, “we’re ignoring the irrelevant SNP” is probably going to be the no.1 Labour message for Scotland.
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The usual vapid specious guff from Murphy. Yet another Slab westminster ingrate. Is his rhetoric really a reflection of how he regards his constituents? Unintelligent, uneducated and ill informed. A sitting Labour MP, fighting a Tory challenge in Scotland, claiming to be the underdog???? “I like being the underdog” Good job Murphy, because you always will be. Slab are reminiscent of post revolutionary France. Having to make do with what they have left, having run through all their talent.
Good luck Caledonian Mercury. Scottish journalism has become turbid and torpid. I hope CM sweeps through like a much needed hurricane. That said, can this report really be written by the same Hamish McDonnell from the Hootsman, who’s founding mission statement was to rail against the “unblushing subservience” of the established press? Why didn’t he write like this at the Hootsman?
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It is such a stupid attitude to take!
I really can’t believe that the Secretary of State for Scotland would want to show the world just what a fool he is!
Of course , if he is backed by a complicit , fawning ,biased media………..
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the Secretary of State for Scotland is meant to be our voice in cabinet sticking up for Scotland.
Not sticking up for the Labour vote in Scotland.
It is his sworn duty to represent Labour voters , Tory voters , SNP voters ,Liberal , Greens, even Scottish BNP voters ,loathsome though they are.
His duty is Scotland and its people ,he forgets in Scotland the people have always been sovereign not as in England/UK where parlilament is sovereign.
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Who is likely to take Jim Murphy’s seat ?
The Tories not the SNP.
He just hasn’t got the ability to fight on two fronts at the same time, so decides to ignore the SNP in the hope that they will go away. No chance.
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whatever happened to that nice doctor david kelly ?
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perhaps my fellow S N P supporters have forgotten how ingrained labourism is over great swathes of west central scotland .
i hesitate to denigrate any of mother scotlands bairns , but some of these voters are as totally illiterate on politics , as they are addicted to tribalism …..to expect them to switch their allegiances is too misunderstand the extent of their intellectual poverty …..sorry if i offended anyone west of falkirk
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Ooh, you’re not happy, are you? What’s wrong? Did someone west of Falkirk steal your scone? Was it the same illiterate person who stole your upper case key and your apostrophes? Very naughty.
You’re right: “tribalism” is not helpful. Now construct sentences using the words “pot, kettle, black” or “beam, mote, eye”.
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How dire is Murphy and Scottish Labour’s latest election strategy wheeze, it begs the question – what is the Scotland Office for, especially the politicians who stumble through the monthly pantomime that is Scottish Questions at Westminster? And can more than 30 folk twiddling their thumbs in a building at the West End of Edinburgh really be justified during a recession? As they are seconded civil servants they could be doing some useful work elsewhere, the building is leased so it could easily be disposed of.
Section 1.8 of 2009 Annual Report states – “The Secretary of State is responsible for maintaining close working relations with Scottish Ministers. This includes preserving the place of Scotland in the Union..”
Ah so that’s what Murphy is up to..
Maybe this could be a Caledonian Mercury ‘investigation’, I mean a real investigation, not just scanning online spreadsheets and quoting intercepted emails a la current Sunday Herald.
Oh, congratulations Cal Merc on creating the new blatt by the way [Useful note - pronounced ‘Cal Mac’ in Kelvinside/Morningside areas].
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Well Done Caledonian Mercury; I hope to read many more balanced and honest reports such as this one.
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In this new devolved world is there really any need for a Sec’y of State or a Scottish Office?
this just shows it is being abused to further the ends of the Labour Party,not for Scotland’s well being or good governance.
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I think you may have the wrong end of the stick there: Murphy is not our man in Westminster, he is Westminster’s man in Scotland (for an hour or so a day anyway)
Think Scottish Governor-General a la Canada, New Zealand, or Australia.
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Good to see birth of the Caledonian Mercury – here’s to its long life and success!
Like so many others, I have long since stopped buying newspapers as they have proven to be nothing more than Labour party propaganda sheets. I dont accept the freebie prop sheets handed out in the streets either. I look forward to humorous, balanced views of whats happening in Scotland, and hopefully to reading useful debate in comments sections, unspoiled by the anti-scottish jibes and insults from newspaper ‘plants’to persistently attack the impressive performance of a minority government which has worked hard, with integrity and determination to improve Scotland and the life of the people who live here. I’m not an SNP member, and dont agree with everything the Scottish Govt has done, but the sheer volume and viciousness of anti-snp attacks in the media since 2007, and the farce of that election with its cardboard ballot boxes!!!! speaks louder than words of which political faction is lying and manipulating, and it certainly isnt the Scottish Govt and the snp. Good luck Cal Merc – keep the balance.
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There are two major problems I have with this story. One, Murphy claims ” If I lose, I’ll do something else”. Like what exactly? Since leaving school he has done nothing except work for the Labour Party. He is the ultimate Party man; party first, last and foremost. I can only assume he is assured another Party appointment in the likely event of his lost seat in May.
Second, Partys other than Labour and Tory are only irrelevant if you believe the GE is only about who wins and loses the race for PM. It is not. It is more importantly about the electorate influencing the incoming government’s agenda. In the case of the SNP, if the SNP’s vote collapses then Scotland drops off the Westminster radar. If the SNP vote rises, Scotland and it’s priorities go to the top of the agenda. The fact that the SNP wont form the next Westminster govt is what is “irrelevant”. Mr Murphy knows this but is yet again putting his Party before the truth.
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First congratulations to Caledonian Mercury, a much needed breath of
fresh air in Scottish journalism!
As for Jim Murphy, I find his stance amusing to say the least.
I wouldn’t accept his comment at face value, Labour have a habit of
being two faced, in order to catch their opposition off guard.
Labour and Jim Murphy will not loose any time in attacking the SNP, north
of the border. The likelihood of the Tories doing remotely well, would be entirely fanciful. Perhaps that’s the world that Labour’s strategists work in, one of pure fantasy
The Murphy remarks also smack of arrogance in that he and Labour dismiss the SNP as a party not worth considering in Scotland, which is strange considering the SNP’s lead in the polls and the fact that they and not Labour are the Government of Scotland.
The other telling remark is his ‘I like being the underdog.’ Comment, this is another Labour ploy that was used too much effect at recent by-elections. Ignoring of course that Labour are not the underdog, not by any stretch of the imagination. But keep repeating that you’re the underdog, and the voter may think again and just put the underdog out its misery. As for ignoring the SNP, Labour may find that it’s the Scots voter that may end up ignoring Labour (well there the no hoper underdogs aren’t they)
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Are we really, finally going to be able to read Scottish news without the heavyhanded unionist slant? Hope so!
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“Tell us what you’re thinking…” I’m thinking that you guys have just sounded the death knell for the Herald and Scotsman.
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I’m thinking what your thinking. And so is the herald and hootsmon !
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I think I’m thinking the same as you both! It’s rather a pity, though, as I don’t really want to see the death of the traditional print media: I would like a decent spread of newspapers. However, I think the two mentioned have gone downhill somewhat, and seem to be doing nothing to keep what readers they still have. I feel a tiny bit bad to comment on here just to be negative about other outfits, but a healthy fourth estate (which in our case we have not got) can only be good for the nation, and the broader the better. Therefore I’m glad to see the launch of this new “Caledonian Mercury” as an addition and I wish it success.
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Now there’s the novelty, the Caledonian Mercury giving its potential reader/ customer/advertisers customers what they want, rather than preaching what they want them to think/believe.
Newsflash: Scotsman, Herald, Record, telling readers what to think is sooooo 80s.
One thing though, could you number these comments to save me reading them all twice to find my place again?
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What’s the matter, can’t you tell time? Just look for comment which are later chronologically than the last one you read and you shouldn’t have any problem finding your place.
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I agree with livi, they’ve went for the old style Herald comments, which means each succeeding reply is squashed into a smaller and smaller box.
The pre-Johnstone Press Scotsman setup was much better.
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Aye Neil, I can tell the time just fine, but cast your eye down the times against these comments, or even just this box, and try following the chronology of posts, you’ll find they don’t run simply 1,2,3 as you might have supposed.
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Loved the “Iain Gray says” line.
The heir preposterous speaks and everybody goes for a wee constitutional stroll round Balmoral, whilst Jim stays at home cutting out pictures of Davy boy for his book of scraps.
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:clap:
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Caledonian Mercury, just what we need: another forum for SNP marxists to threaten and abuse their “treacherous ” fellow countrymen. Notice that Osama Saeed’s propagandist, jihadi terrorist apologist and forum trasher “observer” has moved in already.
Just another East coast Nat blog…
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Congratulations on this new newspaper.
I trust the nod to history in the form of the title, is not a default setting of being thirled to the old Unionist paradigm that is dead on its feet but still the standing order – for the time being.
A suggestion on comment presentation for you to consider.
How about being the first ever comments column to have three options for the reader to provide feedback as to their response to comments.
I suggest the ability to register a vote three ways:
Agree
Disagree
Undecided (Not Proven?)
With barring of repeat recommendations by the same person for the same comment.
Benefits include:
Live feedback as to readership climate of opinion.
Increased interest for readers.
Ability to track trends over time.
Live feedback to contributors as to how well they articulate reader-supported views (or are off their tree)
I do so hope you take this one up!
Regards, Brian
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Livilion says
“One thing though, could you number these comments to save me reading them all twice to find my place again”
Yep please number the comments in order to allow us to refer to and answer them.
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Brilliant claim by Murphy that the SNP are irrelevant in the coming UK election.
Yes they are in terms of being able to get the 326 seats to gain a majority and ability to form the next UK government.
The SNP however only require 26 to be the largest party in Scotland and therefore have a legitimate call for an Independence referendum(even Thatcher admitted that if Scotland voted for a majority of pro independence seats that we would be justified in having a referendum.
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So Caledonian Mercury, why were we not treated to the real scoop headline of this story?
————-SCOTLAND MINISTER TO IGNORE SCOTLAND! ———–
It does beggar belief.
Labour are not ignoring the SNP or they would not appear at FMQs with stupid questions. Labour cannot ignore the SNP during the General election as the SNP will still be running Scotland for Scots during May 2010.
Mr Murphy actually said, [b]HE[/b] will be ignoring everything the Scottish government do when he has taken payment and a sworn pledge to work with the SNP and all parties.
You should be requesting his immediate resigantion.
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Labour has ignored socialism for generations.
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Of course Labour won’t ignore the SNP in any election that is held in Scotland, but let’s hope the voters take note of this person Murphy and his derogatory approach to a high proportion of the electorate as the SNP pulled in more votes from the Scottish votes than any other party in the UK for the first time.
If that happens in a UK general election, then it is game over for Labour in Scotland, and let’s face it. with the SNP controlling the most councils and the Scottish Government at the Holyrood Parliament, it is Labour who need to work for votes instead of these silly headline grabbing tricks directed at the SNP but claiming otherwise.
A great deal of contempt for the Scottish electorate has been shown here very clearly by Murphy.
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congratulations to the CM I am delighted to see no ‘SNP accused’ headlines and although someone who supports independence I still want the SNP to be brought to account for their policies that are contentious.
I simply expect a balanced view of Scottish politics and that so far I have that and more and so good to read Rab McNeil who so brilliantly describes events at Hollyrood.
Dammit i would go so far and say i would pay for this kind of reporting.
Keep up the good work and keep the posts clean and tidy.
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Mr Murphy seems to be promising to impose all the bits of Calman that could already be in place, had his Westminster bosses wanted.
A rather nice quote from Scotland’s man in the Cabinet.
Todays Times;
Mr Murphy went on to admit that the Labour Government had got its handling of Mr Salmond and the SNP government “wrong” after the Nationalist election triumph in 2007.
“They were already victors. We bashed them around the head and turned them into victims. It was the perfect storm for them of victory and victimhood.
“We [had] allowed Nationalism to become as attractive as patriotism. All Nationalists are patriots but not all patriots are Nationalists.”
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“All Nationalists are patriots but not all patriots are Nationalists.”
So what are the nay sayers who reflexively put down Scotland, Scottish ‘patriots’ and anything overtly Scottish at every turn, in case not to do so gives some comfort or encouragement to their mortal enemies – Scottish nationalists? I don’t just mean Scotland Office ministers.
You know, the ‘too wee, too poor, too stupid’ brigade?
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Jim Murphy himself is desperate to play the ‘victim’ card in his East Renfrewshire constituency.
His bizarre ‘promotion’ of the BNP was no more than a desire to have them react – and they did. He is portraying himself as a victim of this right wing party in the hope that it will bring him votes from ethic minorities in his constituency.
Take a look at Murphy’s website to see his cynical use of religion and related events.
Murphy is no intellectual but is no fool either. He has very quickly realised that the Scottish Main Stream Media are under orders not to scrutinise anything he says.
He is probably the only politician in the UK who can lie and never be taken to task.
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I echo the poster who said it is great to see truthful reporting, I am an SNP supporter but would not be upset if I did not agree with a story which was anti SNP and genuine. I just hate the other Scottish type of journo’s who think it is their collective duty to destroy everything they do, to benefit the unionist brigade. Roll on good reporting. Well dont Calmec.
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