Diary: Rabbiting on
February 19, 2010 by Hamish Macdonell · 107 Comments
Photograph by by ~ezs
SOMETIMES you have to wonder whether our political leaders think before they act.
This morning the Scottish Government issued a consultation on – rabbits.
The consultation seeks views on the welfare of rabbits kept as pets. This does not cover the welfare of rabbits farmed for food, oh no, that will doubtless be the subject of something bigger and more substantial.
In the scale of the Scottish Government’s £30 billion budget, it probably doesn’t amount to much more than a hill of lettuce leaves, but the fact that officials believe this is a good thing to be spending money on at this time does seem out of touch, at the very least.
Labour certainly seem to think so.
Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: “I don’t know why lemmings are so concerned about rabbits.
“We are coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Second World War but it seems to have escaped the attention of SNP ministers.
“Their job is to help get people back into work. Instead of cutting teacher numbers or cancelling vital capital investment, they are worrying about rabbits.
“They’ll probably want a referendum on the outcome of their consultation.”
Related posts:
Animal welfare is an important issue that requires serious legislation.
The Labour guy doesn’t think so.
What a shocking attitude.
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“Animal welfare is an important issue that requires serious legislation”
Surely you’re taking the p**s? Either that or another SNP lunatic.
Yes of course Animal welfare is important but I think you miss the whole point of the story!
SNP are wasting their time with stupid money wasting legislation like this (Oh and Independence), instead of concentrating on the factors that will genuinely help us humans, which I;m afraid come before bloody pet rabbits.
Sheesh.
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Just because we’re in the midst of the worst economic crisis since WW2, engineered by Labour, doesn’t mean that the government must suddenly abandon its full range of duties. To suggest such a thing is crass ignorance.
What you are saying is hogwash. Governments (both local and national) consult and legislate over a vast amount of issues (check the websites), some of which are extremely serious, some of which are much more mundane.
Just because this particular issue has been cherry picked for schoolboy ridicule and a cheap shot at the SNP doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be dealt with by the government through the proper procedures.
What this “news” story does is prove your ignorance and the waster attitude of some Labour stooge. Nothing more.
I happen to value the welfare of animals very highly and am glad to see the government taking measures to protect animals often kept as pets which, therefore, are placed in very vulnerable situations.
Many people who keep pets are subjecting them to terrifying and confusing ordeals without even being aware of it. That’s why the government have to create safeguards.
You might think this matters not a jot but all this does is demonstrate your failure, not the failure of the government.
It actually demonstrates the success of the SNP as a highly efficient governmental organisation who are able to attends to matters like this even during Labour’s orchestration of economic ruin.
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And just as surely, you must be a Unionist lunatic, who does not understand that this is a Consultation which is being undertaken across the UK? Every area in the UK has a parliamentary obligation to carry out this Consultation, but let’s ignore the fact that the Unionist lunatics are carrying out exactly the same kind of Consultation, because then you would not be able to make your unwarranted and unpleasant comments.
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Animal welfare is an important matter, though it beats me as to why the individual species and it being rabbits. Maybe it’s an indication that these single species legislations are to breed like rabbits in the near future, spiralling the cost to the taxpayer at a time the money could be better put to use.
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It’s simply part of a wider Animal Welfare Act introduced by Labour/Lib Dems in 2006 (no, this article doesn’t relay that important act, does it? nor does the Labour guy seem to be aware of it, conveniently).
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2006/asp_20060011_en_1#muscat_highlighter_first_match
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Hmm what a waste of space, just like the old days at the Scotsman the Hamish Labour Press Release automaton appears to be up and running yet again.
If this is seen as the most important political news just now then I’m afraid the CalMerc is just becoming another Brit Nat rag – which would be a terrible shame.
How about reporting on something important in politics like the massive Labour SPT corruption; or the massive UK budget deficit which now rivals Greece or perhaps what is Labour’s responsibility in this ‘worst economic crisis since the Second World War ‘ ?
Note to the editor: Stewart, I would suggest you switch Hamish from being a serious political journalist with Rab who has significantly more substance in his reporting.
Of course if the aim is to focus on trivia rather than the CalMerc’s promise of “To assert no falsehood and to hide no truth.” then I guess it is clear where this paper is heading.
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Why rabbitting on about rabbits?
The Scottish Government regularly consults about a variety of topics.
Not so long ago it held a consultation about cats and dogs.
The current bunch of consultations includes:
- reducing the size of the Board of trustees of the National Library of Scotland;
- Discussion Paper on Low carbon economy;
- Reservoir safety
- Inquiry on Future support for Agriculture
- Consulting on regulating will writers
….and many more.
This is what governments are supposed to do, no matter how insignificant the issue may be perceived.
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I can see the reasoning for the things on your list, though I have no idea why rabbits. It would be of great help if this rabbit legislation was shown to be of enough importance to warrant the time and expense on behalf of the taxpayer, and their pets.
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I had thought that other commenters were being a bit harsh on Hamish, but this criticism of the government is simply pathetic! As Ghandi said on more than one occasion, ‘the greatness of a nation and its moral progress is seen in the way it treats its animals’. Any society which condones the infliction of suffering on sentient beings for purposes ranging from exploitation to nothing more than ‘because I can’, is morally corrupt and thoroughly degenerate. It is well known that cruelty to animals is associated with cruelty to the weaker human members of society, children and elderly and infirm – if we take on the responsibility for caring for dependent animals or humans (how much distinction is there?)then we have an obligation to ensure their welfare. This is why the Cross-party group for animal welfare exists, and as its name suggests, it is in fact comprised of MSPs fromn all parties including Labour, as well as members of many different groups, police etc. If its recommendations were ignored by parliament, no doubt Gray, Davidson and cohort would be screaming about lack of moral fibre within the govt, yet they scream just as much because the govt proposes to look at issues of cruelty and suffering which the group, including their own Murray, has obviously identified and highlighted. I just feel sorry for ministers who are working so hard to create a caring, fair society yet are consistently subject to this type of cheap ridicule. Who is Macdonell anyway to suggest that vulnerable animals bred for human entertainment should be denied protection from unnecessary and wantonly-inflicted pain and deprivation – his ignorant and sarcastic opinions as stated here merely serve to indicate his lack of morals and singular failure to achieve greatness of any kind. Wee Wullie and all that!
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“Rabbiting on”
That headline was such a tease!! I like your sense of humour.
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As you point out Hamish, in the scheme of things this is not the most important issue.
Therefore perhaps you would like to explain why you are writing about it instead of about the problems at SPT, apparently caused by a number of Labour councillors?
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Why don’t the labour party just post their ramblings on their own blog rather than getting you to do it for them ?
Much more of this one-sided idiocy and I wont be back.
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“”“We are coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Second World War but it seems to have escaped the attention of the Political commentator in this newspaper”"”.
There you go “political commentator/analyst”…………..I’ve edited that comment to reflect the issues which concern those people with an IQ higher than that of a bunny rabbit.
I wonder if your Labour source is aware that Harriet Harman is being investigated for using £650,000 of taxpayers money to fund Labour’s “RoadShow” jaunts around the country? Strange nobody thought to send you a press release about that? probably doesn’t amount to much more than a hill of lettuce leaves to the troughers at Westminster, but it would have gone a long way to paying for Labour’s beloved GARL! I’ll bet Murphy and Andy Kerr could just crush a grape at that news!
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Is that the GARL scheme that Labour promised to complete by 2007? Is that the GARL scheme that Network Rail now say was badly costed and that the costs outweigh the benefits? That GARL?
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Perhaps you might find the comments were down to the current economic climate and not it’s viability once built. Network Rail has even been said to have offered Mr Swinney the chance to use its borrowing powers, to keep the plan on track.
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Surely people are concerned about the way taxpayers money is being spent on legislation. What will be next, Parakeets,Hamsters,Guinea pigs,Mice,Gerbils,Ferrets,Chinchillas,Geckos,Snakes,Fresh water turtles Frogs or Tarantulas etc…..?
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Maybe you will not be able to write political comments if you find no political comments by politicians to to help you on your way. You might find it impossible to write comments about what political parties are doing when you see no politician’s comments to measure what the politicians are doing. You really shouldn’t feel you don’t want to come back to the Caledonian Mercury because of such a minor thing which is really a benefit for debate.
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…. eh!!
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“rabbiting on” Please don’t tease the SNP. They tend to gnash and nip.
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You’re just upset that they didn’t ask for a comment from “Bunny” Goldie. I know she is an animal lover as she buys her bird food from the Lochwinnoch Bird Reserve.
See these journos who rush into print without asking you first!
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Perhaps if you should forget this you will succeed.
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I wonder if Hamish bothers to do any real investigative journalism ? Apparently not it takes but a few minutes to find out the following.
“Code of Practice for the Welfare of Rabbits ”
see – tinyurl.com/ygsulqr & tinyurl.com/yfksn2s
This was conducted in 2009 right in the middle of Labour’s recession the worst since World War II. Interestingly enough it is not in Scotland nor involves the SNP this is in Wales led of course by the joint Labour Party coalition.
I wonder what Ian Davidson and Hamish have to say about this apparent waste of time be their Labour colleagues.
Apparently in Brit Nat speak they can carry out this type of consultation without criticism but for the SNP to do it they are criticized by a Labour MP with no jurisdiction over Holyrood and a journalist apparently incapable of conducting his own research.
Stewart if you want Labour Press Releases directly in the CalMerc You could save some money and cut out middle men like Hamish out of the picture. You would then at least be more efficient, albeit still have non-worthwhile stories.
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Among the many people in charge of departments in the Welsh Assembly the person in charge of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Rabbits is one Elin Jones a Welsh Nationalist from Plaid Cymru. Perhaps when you look much much closer you will see many things you hate when you look at their nationalist way of time and money wasting. Maybe you will be open minded enough when you think about the money being wasted to realise you don’t have to experience a change of mined now and become disillusioned with the SNP to really not want Scots missing out when you see this type of petty politics being used. Things are not always as clear cut.
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Was that translated, badly, from Welsh? It is certainly unintelligible
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It is a very simple minded way to act on a political discussion board.
The guy just loves labour, he’d be better giving us a laugh by stating that and avoid more than three sentences in a row as they become incomprehensible.
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For shame! this is about as low as a “journalist” can sink.
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Early days yet!
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If Hamish bothered to check his facts he’d understand that governments throughout the UK committed to develop the animal health and welfare acts of 2006.
Governments have departments with animal welfare within their remit.
Should Scotland’s animal welfare department be concerning itself with the recession instead? No.
Short-sighted, narrow-minded thinking aimed at those who are easily led. Would not be out of place in the Daily Mail.
Newspapers/online media trying to tell us what we should think. Cal Mac not exactly doing itself proud just yet!
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Is this the best you can do Hamish. Why are you so bitter?
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I’ve just read this article again and I just cannot believe my own eyes. It’s the worst, most biased piece of gutter journalism I’ve seen in a long time. It’s really an astonishing piece.
Hamish, are you being a biased, bitter journalist on purpose or can you really not help it? Either way, it’s not good for the Caledonian Mercury.
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1. Fud; definition – Scottish Colloquialism for a Rabbit’s rear end.
2. Fudd (Elmer) aka Iain Gray; definition – also Scottish Colloquialism, Leader of the Labour Party at Holyrood, often found looking remarkably like a rabbit trapped in the headlights as the First Minister Steamrollers’ over him at FMQs.
3. Fuddettes; definition – shreiking women, whose natural habitat is the Labour benches, usually situated not far from Elmer’s Fud. (note the distinction between 1 and 2 there)
Thank you CalMerc, I’ve had a good laugh at the expense of your “serious” political commentator.
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A more tenuous link to this rabbit legislation a person would be hard pressed to find, via bunny – bugs bunny & Elmer Fudd to Fudd. Although come to think of it the legislation looks to be tenuous in its importance to the people of Scotland in these times the ordinary man and woman in the street are counting every penny to make savings. I would go as for to say Alex Salmond’s Government are on burrowed time being so off track here with reality. The climate out there is so poor for the Scottish Government at the moment imagine what slipping on their buns legislation might do for them. We are watching you when you too rack your thoughts and still you come up short.
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If you’d read the comments you would realise this is not SNP legislation but merely the continuation of Westminster legislation that all devolved administrations are required to proceed with. This ultimately comes from the Labour Party but here they (and you) are trying to con the Scottish people into believing this is an SNP policy.
Labour’s mantra;
Spin before substance, perception before reality and don’t let truth and honesty get in the way of a good smear
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Almost 8 hours and my two comments critical of Hamish’s posts are still waiting moderation. Looking more like just another version of the Scotsman day by day
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Patience Traquir, for your criticisms of Hamish would not see the light of day in the Hootsmon, unlike the CM.
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Tell me Traquir, do you imagine there are people watching your every move and toying with you from the shadows? I would’ve looked at the 8 hours as an achievement not an opportunity to self prophesise your own doom and gloom scenario.
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No, sir, SOMETIMES you wonder if journalists EVER think before they write.
This is a minor regulation put in place as a matter of routine by a government. All sorts of minor matters have to be regulated.
But journalists who will accept polls without the slightest research and report on the government continuing to regulate as though it was a scandal have lost all credibility.
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No need fur you to get yourself so angora-ee and carrot away. So your pet hate is anyone who doesn’t agree with something your political party has done. The polls are suggesting that’s a growing number all the time now.
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Is it a serious political issue to be reporting when there is various stories of fraud by senior Labour officials? I would expect to see this in The Sun! What a joke the CalMerc is turning into, shame
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Hush! The fraud was by Labour and Labour supporters. Don’t mention that!!
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The hyena tame journalist pack are more concerned with rabbits than the plight of the Scottish people.
They will be tel;ling us thaty Jasus came back as the Easter Bunny next.
Lettuce pray.
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Remember These comments Stewart?
“We seek to revive Scottish journalism by using the internet rather than railing against it. The Caledonian Mercury stands for intelligent reporting, informed analysis and raising the standard of debate in Scottish life.
This newspaper is an experiment in the evolution of media. It is a statement of belief in a better public life. It does not fear the possibility of failure and instead relishes the prospect of change.
Most importantly, it holds dear the pledge of its antecedent: “To assert no falsehood and to hide no truth.”
Inspiring, hopeful words. Not true though, is it?
The question for all of us who looked forward to what you promised and have manifestly failed to deliver, is what do we do next?
What purpose do we serve by posting here? There is no intelligent debate all we do is take issue with the crude anti SNP tone. Do our comments on Hamish’s tacky Labour press releases actually provide the balance we seek? Or are we in fact just providing website hits to enable the latest British establishment mouth piece to sell advertising revenue?
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We are doing nothing but providing the website with hits that will drive advertising dollors. It is impossible, I fear to provide balance to this tosh.
I have been giving the Caledonian Mercury a few more days to do SOMETHING to balance their coverage before I add them to the list of sites I will NOT visit because of that fact.
Every time someone visits The Herald or The Scotsman, you are adding to their revenue stream from advertisers. Do you really want to do this? I will soon be asking the same question about the Caledonian Mercury, sad to say, unless they provide SOME balanced coverage.
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We are doing nothing but providing the website with hits that will drive advertising income. It is impossible, I fear to provide balance to this tosh.
I have been giving the Caledonian Mercury a few more days to do SOMETHING to balance their coverage before I add them to the list of sites I will NOT visit because of that fact.
Every time someone visits The Herald or The Scotsman, you are adding to their revenue stream from advertisers. Do you really want to do this? I will soon be asking the same question about the Caledonian Mercury, sad to say, unless they provide SOME balanced coverage.
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Who would’ve expected so many bunny boilers on here defending this hare brained legislation.
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Intersting, I’m an Indpendence supporting poster who is critical of Hamish’s tendancy to recycle Labour press releases and my 7.21 post waits moderation.
However, obvious troll Kenny Durante posts at 7.47 and gets straight on.
Very reminiscent of the Scotsman forum technique of starting flame wars to generate website hits
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“Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: “I don’t know why lemmings are so concerned about rabbits.
“We are coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Second World War but it seems to have escaped the attention of SNP ministers.
“Their job is to help get people back into work. Instead of cutting teacher numbers or cancelling vital capital investment, they are worrying about rabbits.
“They’ll probably want a referendum on the outcome of their consultation.”
Is’nt this Mr Who Cares himself?
The man with the interests of Scotland sooooo close to his heart but many miles from his mouth and brain?
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Standards on this paper seem to me plummeting – so soon too!
Death wish??
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Someone said on the other thread that Stewart is on holiday, perhaps that explains the dearth of Labourite propoganda on here.
Leaving the ex Scotsman brigade in charge you were bound to only get stories from Labour HQ.
Come back Stewart all is forgiven!!!
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Also interesting that the different UK governments have agreed to consult on different animal welfare codes for different animals to avoid duplication and to ensure efficiency.
For example, the Welsh dept/Govt will develop codes for a certain number of animals, the English dept will develop codes for a certain number of different animals and the Scottish dept/Govt is developing codes for the animals it agreed to consider.
As a taxpayer, please do go ahead. You can tell how developed a Society is by the way in which it treats its animals.
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“Their job is to help get people back into work. Instead of cutting teacher numbers or cancelling vital capital investment, they are worrying about rabbits.
“They’ll probably want a referendum on the outcome of their consultation.”
Typical attempt to undermine the importance of the Scottish constitutional referendum, completely ignoring the fact that the Government could do much more to help people back to work if it only had the necessary fiscal powers devolved. With the referendum being the necessary first step. Of course ignorance is the hallmark of the Labour party in Scotland. Who brought about the growing mass unemployment anyway, but Brown and co. At least there seems to be no need for legislation to protect weasels, they are doing very well for themselves at the bottomless trough we all so kindly donate our taxes to. Of course this article is quite in keeping with protection of weasels, maybe thats why they are so hot under the collar about any move to help bunnies, after all, the government might intervene to help Glasgow sheep next, and they might end up trampling the weasels in their midst.
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Ah Ian Davidson, the chappy who shouted out “Who cares!” when Angus Robertson asked Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett which discussed matters would be taken forward from the Joint Ministerial Committee on Europe.
Wasn’t he also the feller that was rejected as a candidate for the Scottish Parliament by the Labour Party and has been a rent-a-gob spouting off unadulterated pish about the Holyrood ever since?
He also wished he had a bigger mortgage so as to claim even more taxpayers largesse.
http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/39Class-warrior39–MP-says.5288574.jp
Now, why would Hamish seek a bunny comment from Ian Davidson rather than a Labour MSP, surely one of them could find a burrow within which to start digging?
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Let’s take a lettuce leaf out of the rabbits’ book and at least give them unlimited burrowing powers.
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This “newspaper”, has only one thing to offer to the masses now;- Rab’s very, very funny column is something to look forward to every week.
The “Political” commentary and analysis (what a joke) have let the CalMerc down very badly. If you can find the time to tell us how laughable you find this Government Consultation, are you not actually guilty of exactly the same thing?
Still no mention of Harriet Harman’s £650,000 channeling of taxpayers money into Labour Party canvassing coffers? I’d have thought that would be of interest to everyone in the UK? It is no doubt one of the single worst frauds to have been exposed in the last year, with corruption being thrust in our faces on a daily basis!!. Not that you would know it from the MSM in Scotland.
Ian Davidson the only Labour “spokesperson” willing to comment on something which is clearly in the remit of ALL Parliaments, including his own??
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BROWN’S ACHIEVEMENTS AS PM AND CHANCELLOR, the legacy your families will pay for generations to come.
-22,500 of debt for every child born in Britain
- 111 tax rises from a government that promised no tax rises at all
- The longest national tax code in the world
- 100,000 million pounds drained from British pension funds
- Gun crime up by 57%
- Violent crime up 70%
- The highest proportion of children living in workless households anywhere in Europe
- The number of pensioners living in poverty up by 100,000
- The lowest level of social mobility in the developed world
- The only G7 country with no growth this year
- One in six young people neither earning nor learning
- 5 million people on out-of –work benefits
- Missing the target of halving child poverty
- Ending up with child poverty rising in each of the last three years instead
- Cancer survival rates among the worst in Europe
- Hospital-acquired infections killing nearly three times as many people as are killed on the roads
- Falling from 4th to 13th in the world competitiveness league
- Falling from 8th to 24th in the world education rankings in maths
- Falling from 7th to 17th in the rankings in literacy
- The police spending more time on paperwork than on the beat
- Fatal stabbings at an all-time high
- Prisoners released without serving their sentences
- Foreign prisoners released and never deported
- 7 million people without an NHS dentist
- Small business taxes going up
- Business taxes raised from among the lowest to among the highest in Europe
- Tax rises for working people set for after the election
- The 10p tax rate abolished
- And the ludicrous promise to have ended boom and bust
- Our gold reserves sold for a quarter of their worth
- Our armed forces overstretched and under-supplied
- Profitable post offices closed against their will
- One of the highest rates of family breakdown in Europe
- The ‘Golden Rule’ on borrowing abandoned when it didn’t fit
- Police inspectors in 10,Downing Street
- Dossiers that were dodgy
- Mandelson resigning the first time
- Mandelson resigning the second time
- Mandelson coming back for a third time
- Bad news buried
- Personal details lost
- An election bottled
- 2 referendums denied
from ‘Order Order’, yesterday.
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Is this yet another Labour party press release?
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Indeed it is, but it beats working for a story!
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You misunderstand me I think. I meant the list of Labour’s achievements above provided by Ratzo, not the feeble non-story from Hamish.
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Hamish could equally well have written something like this
“HARMAN’S A GAME BIRD
SOMETIMES you have to wonder whether our political leaders think before they act.
Today the UK Government ended a consultation on – game birds.
The proposed code of practice would provide rearers of gamebirds with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their animals. This does not cover the welfare of the birds as they are blasted from the skies with shotguns, oh no, that will doubtless be the subject of something bigger and more substantial.
In the scale of the UK Government’s £671.4 billionbudget, it probably doesn’t amount to much more than a hill of grit “in adequate quantities and of the correct size and type”, but the fact that officials believe this is a good thing to be spending money on at this time does seem out of touch, at the very least.”
It would, of course, have been a totally inappropriate piece as well. Taking a cheap shot against the mechanism of Government and mocking the party that happens to be in power. All that does is to further increase the contempt for politicians. Ian Davidson is well capable of doing that all by his little self.
But Stewart, how do you justify the inclusion of that quote from Ian Davidson? On any basis it is a partisan comment. Please elucidate how this fits with the stated policy of the Mercury.
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Hamish, if I wanted to read rehashed Labour press releases, I could go to any existing Scottish paper. Where does this leave the Cal Merc? And where does it leave those of us looking for a paper that can offer us more intelligent reporting and analysis? I think I’ll stick to the blogs for now.
You may also be interested in this Labour ‘news’ release:
http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/labour-takes-steps-to-better-protect-seals
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Well well well,the Scottish cringe in full flow.I’m sure if we had a look through the discussions at Westminster we could find topics that would seem equally mundane but necessary.
This whole story has got the SUN written all over it.And roll out Ian Davidson that well known hater of all things Holyrood.
If this is Mr Macdonells idea of revenge then its petty and cringeworthy.
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Oh well, that was a nice month of thinking there was a proper alternative to the biased Scottish press. Shame it’s over now.
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Hamish biased? Nonsense, it is all of us who are complaining about him. Same as the whole platoon out of step but our wee Jimmy.
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Eh?
Mr Macdonell surely doesn’t think the same part of the Scottish Government deals with the same thing. A body of civil servants and Ministers is like an octopus, where different tentacles grasp different issues.
In this case, I’m guessing some section in their environment branch deals with stuff like rabbits and the like. Their education branch will deal with education issues. Their finance branch will deal with capital investment.
This is sort of Government 101, so I feel slightly confused by what the point might be here.
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Does Ian Davidson just phone Hamish up?
“Psst Hamish. Me n Elmer have just dreamt up another bit of Unionist drivel. Could you be a good fellow and print it for us? Thanks very much. Your invite to the next Red Rose Dinner will be delivered by wee Jack – before he goes to Malawi.”
Slainte Mhor
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May I suggest that the tone of this article makes the writer of the article, and the editor of this “Newspaper” who allowed it, a laughing stock.
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You can suggest it as often as you like (I have done!) but the Editor will just come along and insist it is all of us who are wrong, and his political commentator has no bias whatsoever.
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I can understand an editor providing some protection for a journalist who carries on in his traditional style without understanding the market he is now writing for.
Equally, I would expect such an editor to seize him by sensitive parts and kindly suggest that publishing propaganda for the same party that dominates the dead tree press was an inappropriate action.
Like many people, I was hoping that the Mercury would be a paper that provided balanced reporting – criticising the Scottish Government at times, but not being partial to it or against it.
I reckon, I’ll give the Mercury another month. If it doesn’t provide balance, I’ll stop giving it internet hits.
ADVERTISERS PLEASE NOTE!
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This old nat agrees with Oldnat above. There is no point in allowing Hamish carrying on the way he has being doing or the CM will go down the tubes. We were given fine promises when this venture began which a majority of readers think have seriously not been met. They are not prepared to bother reading anti SNP and even anti Holyrood stuff to the exclusion of views.
What is happening to the newspapers will happen here also. The CM must serve its readership to survive.
Mr Kirkpatrick is the man in charge. He has to consider taking some tough decisions. Enough people have said the same.
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Well said OldNat. The sand in the hourglass is most definitely running out for CalMerc.
Be prepared for virtual tumbleweed, Stewart, unless this quality control issue is tackled soon.
Regards.
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Boy, those labour politicos sure do hate those wascally wabbits! I guess this is where the CalMerc “jumps the shark”, to borrow an internet term for destroying your own credibility. What possible explanation can Stewart give for publishing this one-sided, ill-informed piece of guff? I just can’t think of any justification for an article which would disgrace the lowest tabloid. I thought we were going to get quality journalism from the CalMerc. What happened?
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Dear all,
I’ve read all the comments above and I like to point out that the story is meant to be light-hearted. It’s a diary piece and should have been headlined that way to signpost that. That was an error on our part and I apologise for it.
As I posted on the – more serious – Sun poll story. I would strenuously deny that there is an anti-SNP tone to this paper. Sure, some articles may report things that Nationalists may not like but we equally carry stories that are critical of the opposition parties.
As for SPT, yes, hands up, we’ve not covered that in the way that we should. That was a question of allocation of resources – not of bias. That particular buck also stops with me. We will be rectifying that situation in the very near future.
“What purpose do we serve by posting here”? Unlike other papers, we take reader feedback very seriously. This does not mean that we will shy away from criticising the SNP (or any other party whose supporters post here) but we do listen.
Stewart Kirkpatrick
Editor, The Caledonian Mercury
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So the dodgy Sun poll story and this were deemed more important than the SPT story?? Two have a dig at the SNP and the big story about SPT and Labour councillors is missed to be looked at a later date! OK sounds balanced to me!!
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Even as a Diary piece, it wouldn’t have been light hearted! It could have been written that way (still inappropriate to mock the civil servants in Scotland who are sharing the work of developing the details of the UK legislation – but that’s another matter).
The concern is that this was written as a political piece criticising the SNP Ministers as if they were uniquely wasting taxpayers money on trivia. My game birds piece above would have been just as accurate and as inappropriate.
The inclusion of that bit from Ian Davidson (whose comments would be just as appropriate/inappropriate applied to DEFRA and his own Labour Government) was the real giveaway, however. It was wholly unnecessary in the context of a pretendy wee light hearted Diary piece. The obvious conclusion is that the whole thing had been fed to Hamish by Davidson.
It is that aspect that is most unacceptable.
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Indeed. Should we check through the rest of the CalMerc’s light-hearted diary pieces to find out how many of them include angry quotes from MPs attacking their political opponents?
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Any chance someone could find the time to look at Harriet Harman’s admission that the Labour Party used £650,000 of taxpayer’s money to fund their “Away Days”??
She is already being investigated, so a phone call should suffice for even the laziest journalist to find out what the current position is?
Thanks in advance.
Brusque
Critic, The Caledonian Mercury:-)
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Who funds the Scottish Government’s “Away Days”? I actually think they could be quite a good idea. Governments should tour the country and meet a cross section of the people. But didn’t the SNP have an “Away Day” in the Garngad during the build up to the Glasgow North East by-election? Or was it just a coincidence?
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Depends on the Awaydays. The Cabinet has their summer tours as the Scottish Gov’t, but I think any particular Nat awayday would be funded by the Nats.
Doesn’t necessarily mean Ms Harman and her lot did anything wrong though. She’s probably entitled to various protections and bennies just because she’s a Gov’t minister, and their Code may have differences from ours.
It’s a bad idea to mix up Ministerial and Party responsibilities.
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Stewart Kirkpatrick, thanks for posting a comment in the threads. I don’t think you have anything to apologise for by the way, it was obvious this was a lighthearted article, and its telling that the vast majority of posters who complained have had a collective sense of humour loss. Most people got the joke and appreciated it. Please don’t let the overwhelmingly biased SNP collective who have been posting in your threads bully you into changing the style on your endeavor to give Scottish political coverage a fresh look. Its good, and its working. As usual, the SNP posters will dominant and drown out any other voices in the threads. Its a shame really, it kills debate stone dead, and it will skew the full political picture in Scotland in the upcoming weeks as we head to a GE.
By the way, the last thread only withered on the vine when YouGov did publish the data on that Scottish Sun poll. It suddenly went quiet.
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Fitlass said;
By the way, the last thread only withered on the vine when YouGov did publish the data on that Scottish Sun poll. It suddenly went quiet.
No. It went quiet because it had run it’s course. The published YouGov data did nothing to disprove anything that had been said about it being wholly unrepresentative and dubious in the extreme. Especially when Sunday’s ComRes poll put the SNP 7 points ahead of Labour. Strange that no media outlets covered that poll … maybe
Your post was nothing but Labour spin over substance. Standard Labour mutterings.
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Stewart
Do you really expect us to believe that this was meant to be a “light hearted diary piece” This was another anti SNP rant, worthy of The Scotsman or any other tabloid.
Why did you need “who cares Davidson” to comment on a diary piece?
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Could be worse , could have been Lord Foulkes.
I am afraid that your excuse ” light hearted diary ” piece won’t wash.
There is no visible humour in the content only a very visible attack on the SNP.
To be honest I am so sick of the media of Scotland and I was so looking forward to some fairness , balance and integrity that perhaps I expected too much of this publication.
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That was quick thinking, Stewart! The Cal Merc just about lives to fight another day. I’m more inclined to believe that Hamish isn’t a serious political journalist – he’s a churnalist and a very naughty boy!
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Stewart,
Firstly thanks for at least recognizing an error that this should not have been categorized as real political story, which is is something a paper like the Scotsman would never do so at least shows a level of difference in the CalMerc editorial style. However, to dismiss this as light hearted fails I believe on two points.
. Firstly if just the first half of the article had been printed and categorized as a light-hearted diary entry then the assertion that this was a fun piece would be credible. However the second half with one of the stock verbatim vicious quotes from a Labour mouth piece destroys that assertion completely or do you seriously think that Mr Davidson was in on the joke ?
. Secondly, it is appreciated that the CalMerc is very resource constrained, but that is all the more reason to maximize the bang for the buck with the small pool of talent that you have. To waste time on throw away ‘fun’ articles whilst ignoring ample serious topics is gross inefficiency that the CalMerc can scarcely afford. You already have an excellent journalist in the shape of Rab who shows amazing talent professionalism in covering the ‘fun’ angle more that adequately. I would suggest that the ‘fun’ angle is already more that sufficiently covered and further if you really want to expand it further then it is not a strength that a journalist like Hamish possesses so you have made the wrong choice in the use of his talents.
I have read and still believe that the promise of the CalMerc is to represent Scottish interests as the top priority rather than British or English or indeed any one political party be in SNP or Labour. I think that you are still on track to achieve this, but the couple of articles recently from Hamish have not helped this , and have in fact damaged that goal. I still wish the CalMerc the very best in becoming a paper that represent Scottish interests before British interests.
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Mr Kirkpatrick,
Thanks for replying. I’m enjoying the Cally Merc a fair bit and it’s a pretty good idea to have journalists of different opinions reporting
The only thing which confused me about this piece was the logic. To be honest I like it when you take a kick at any of the established parties, even in jest
but this one wasn’t even like satire, or blaming anyone for anything they could be responsible for. Of course legislation on rabbits, if it exists, doesn’t prevent civil servants working on other things…because that’s like complaining that the Department of Work and Pensions doesn’t have a policy on nitrate vulnerable zones. Different bureaucrats work in different areas!
It wasn’t a lighthearted bit of fun because that would require a complete lack of comprehension about how government operates. And I bet anything Mr MacDonell is way sharper than that!
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Stewart would you consider me pedantic if I asked you not to refer to SNP supporters as Nationalists? I accept that it is an accepted term for supporters of Scottish Independence indeed it’s widely used in SNP circles. However, it’s only fair to point out that supporters of British nationhood ie Unionists are also, by definition, Nationalists. They just promote a more acceptable form of British Nationalism.
Can I also stress that I am in no way attempting to associate British Unionists with the repellant politics of the BNP. I would leave any attempts to link mainstream Scottish politicians with Fascism as the politics of the gutter.
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This is of course a great piece of anti new Labour legislation after all the bunnies have to be protected from Gordon Brown.
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for those who prefer fact to fiction, the only platform worthy of the name “journalism” in Scotland can be found in NEWSNET SCOTLAND. Here you will find facts which critisise the S.N.P. where critisism is due ,but will also expose the Labour party to the truth, which is most definitely not being addressed in the Scottish media,including the B.B.C.
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I highly recommend the Newset Scotland stories. They are well written, well researched and clearly report from a Scottish not a British perspective.
Here is a suggestion though, given the CalMerc and NewsNet have many of the same goals and both are very resource constrained how about combining forces e.g. have NewsNet be formal contributers to CalMerc politics section ?
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Traquair, just received Newsnet 8 and you are correct. Cracking leading article on the abuse of his powers by the Secretary of State for Scotland (or is that Governor General?).Well researched, well written and factual. All is not lost!!
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I think Jim prefers viceroy.
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Judging by the amount of newsnet links and posts on here they already are a combined force albeit by default.
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It’s not any more exciting to read news from a Nat perspective than it is to read news from an antiNat perspective. And online I’ve never seen the adherents of Newsnet Scotland be critical of the Nats.
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Perhaps you need to pay more attention
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Or, I dunno, you could show me? If it’s not too much effort.
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There’s no two ways about it the Scottish Government is wasting the taxpayers doe and needs to be brought to buck.
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Stewart,
It is one thing to say we will not “shy away from criticising the SNP”, it is quite another taking a poll from the Sun of all people, which polled 18 or 19 people from Glasgow North East and using the result as one of your main stories.
I am afraid you have some distance to travel before you have convinced me.
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Next, you’ll have a story blaming Nationalist rabbits on the line for derailing Labour-dominated SPT, whilst all the time the gravy train came off the rails because it was too full of freeloaders! Will we have a full enquiry? Only, I suspect, if it is found that Nicola Sturgeon wrote a letter in support of the Chief Ececutive!
Come on guys, we’re supposed to be into grown-up politics up here in the land that Westminster forgot. Let’s have some good-old-fashioned broadsheet journalism, and less of this ‘red-top’ keech!!
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For those of you who asked for coverage of the SPT expenses story, Hamish has now filed one.
Stewart Kirkpatrick
Editor, The Caledonian Mercury
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“Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, said: “Their job is to help get people back into work. Instead of cutting teacher numbers or cancelling vital capital investment, they are worrying about rabbits.”"
So hang on – this Labour dimwit doesn’t think the SNP should be worrying about rabbits, and he thinks they should be doing important stuff like cutting teacher numbers and cancelling investment instead?
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This the same dimwit who thinks it is OK to shout “who cares,” in the UK Parliament when a question relating to Scotland was asked.
That about sums you up Davidson, you are a disgrace to your people and your nation, begone.
Cromwell’s thoughts on Westminster are even more apt today than they were in 1653.
“…It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.
“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?
“Ye sordid prostitutes, have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d; your country therefore calls upon me to cleanse the Augean Stable, by putting a final period to your iniquitous proceedings, and which by God’s help and the strength He has given me, I now come to do.
“I command ye, therefore, upon the peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. You have sat here too long for the good you do. In the name of God, go!”
A version of Oliver Cromwell’s speech dismissing Parliament
20 April 1653
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Actually, speaking as someone with pet rabbits……rabbits in particular get a raw deal with care, even by people who are trying to look after them. They should be indoors in the winter – yes, they normally live outside in winter – but their burrows are six feet underground in fur lined nests, not in 2ft by 4ft cages in the back garden with some hay (if they’re lucky) to keep them warm! They should also get stimulation by toys and company – and that doesn’t mean a guinea pig (which will do even worse than the rabbit in an outdoor cage in winter…. They are sometimes also turned loose if the owner gets bored with them – not a happy prospect for an animal with little experience of anything except being hand fed.
Rabbits might not have many rights – but they are harmless wee pets that need looking after and aren’t getting it. I’m NOT saying the Scottish Govt should be spending a puckle of money on the reasearch – but neither should they be scoffed at in this way.
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Seriously lack of the phrase ‘hopping mad’ in the above trail.
I once ordered a ham toastie and a chese toastie but was told I was mixin ma toasties.
Geddit???? No? Ach well.
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I don’t know about rabbits, but this is an 18 carrot disappointment.
What a load of nonsense.
The article writer has made a fool of himself, particularly by quoting the godawful ‘quip’ courtesy of some token labour dodo, and if he is payed by the article he will never be a million-hare.
Give us a break, Labour want to spend 12 billion on ID cards because of the terror threat that Labour caused by having a rubbish foreign policy, and few people eat rabbits nowadays and keeping pets probably matters to somebody somewhere.
I will look forward to some labour pamphlet writer telling us that the Scottish government are going to introduce orange coloured bananas next and some brilliant quip set up for the labour spokesman.
The journalist should get his priorities right since he is talking about ‘budgets’ (actually our taxes) and what is a waste of time-like this, er, ‘political article’ and I don’t think the journalist’s career will have a hoppy ending.
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“This the same dimwit who thinks it is OK to shout “who cares,” in the UK Parliament when a question relating to Scotland was asked.”
I remember that awful comment that shows the belligerence of Scottish labour MP’s in westminster towards Scotland. A disgrace that this person can think he is able to point the finger at anybody, even a rabbit would laugh at his ignorance.
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