Happy St Andrew's Day!

Question Time again

Well, since I'm in the mood for such things, I sent in a complaint on this evening's Question Time. I thought I might as well be consistent!


"During last week's edition of Question Time, Nicola Sturgeon was reminded by David Dimbleby that the programme was for a UK audience. This week University funding in England was discussed at length and it was not made clear that the discussion had no relevance to Scotland, where tuition fees have been abolished.

Later in the programme, there was a discussion on the politics of the USA. While this may have been topical, it certainly would not have been directly relevant to the daily lives of the UK audience. It seems entirely nonsensical to deny debate on Scottish issues, where this is at present a constituent part of the United Kingdom, but then debate at length the implications of the midterm elections in another nation some distance from our shores.

I look forward to your explanation for pursuing these issues in your 'UK-wide' programme."

Another good reason to get out of the UK

There are many many good reasons to get out of the UK, but another one emerged today, with the release of the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index. Following the expenses scandal, the UK has dropped to 20th and now rates at 7.6.

By contrast, a group of relatively small, independent states, where elected representatives are closer to the people have come out on top:

"Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are tied at the top of the list with a score of 9.3, followed closely by Finland and Sweden at 9.2."

I wonder how Scotland would fare if taken out of the UK - i's certainly a shame that our reputation around the world is being tarnished by association with the Westminster regime.

Iain Gray - not a statesman!

Something to consider for the Scottish Parliamentary elections next year: Iain Gray isn't much of a statesman.

Regardless of whether the Scottish Parliament is independent or not, it's surely a matter of common courtesy and respect not to demean other nations for party political gain. Again and again, Labour politicians are more than happy to slag off other nations in order to demonstrate how poor, wee and stupid they believe Scotland and her people really are.

The trouble is, these other nations might hear Mr Gray. They might not be too impressed. If Mr Gray was in charge of Scotland, such public denouncements might even result in damage to Scotland's trade and diplomatic relations. After all, would you want to deal with a man who clearly has no respect for you?

Mark Coleman, the Economics Editor with NewsTalk in Dublin and columnist with the Sunday Independent, can be heard on the iPlayer (around sixteen minutes in) giving his rather pointed reaction to Iain Gray's comments at this weeks FMQs. He says:

"...Looking at 10 years of Labour leadership has left Scotland unfortunately with a GDP per capita that's significantly lower than the EU average and the EU, so perhaps the credibility of that remark should be filtered through that simple fact.

"All I will say is that Ireland's population is a million higher than it was 14 years ago; we have a quarter of a million more employed, a quarter of a million more in work than we did a decade before; we have a quarter of a million people in Ireland now working from other EU countries, a GDP per capita 30% higher than the EU average...

"...Have we taken a blow, we certainly have. Are we still standing, we absolutely are."

Labour's argument is painfully backwards - it's obvious that despite their current difficulties, Ireland isn't interested in rejoining the UK, Iceland isn't going back under the wing of Denmark, and for that matter none of the small successor nations of the former USSR are looking to cede their hard-won sovereignty back to mother Russia. Yes, some nations are facing hard times but none of them are questioning their independence.

Managing your own finances is just one of the many things that normal independent nations do every hour of every day. Scotland is not uniquely incapable of doing the same, despite what Labour would have us believe. The main barrier to independence is Scotland's own self-doubt.

Until independence comes around, we need someone to fight Scotland's corner, to win friends and gather as much support for the development of our nation and our economy. Building solid relationships with our neighbours and other smaller independent states is a good start.

I've decided to reproduce Iain Gray's questions from FMQs. You can judge for yourself whether this man is capable of leading Scotland.

Iain Gray: It was one of those clear autumn mornings this morning when we feel like we can see for miles. Where should we look for the First Minister's arc of prosperity today: Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Iceland or Ireland?

The First Minister: I think that we should take a variety of international examples in following best practice in Scotland. As Iain Gray knows, I recently visited Norway and made a number of announcements about renewable energy and collaboration in Scotland. One thing that particularly impressed me as I visited Norway was the £200 billion oil fund that that country has accumulated by having access to its own natural resources. Would that Scotland had been in the same position over the past 30 years.

Iain Gray: The fact of the matter, of course, is that Norway's oil fund has been built up because Norway—

Members: Is independent.

The Presiding Officer (Alex Fergusson): Order.

Iain Gray: It is because the Norwegian state still owns its oil and gas industry. If the First Minister is proposing to nationalise the oil and gas industry, he should probably tell us. [Interruption.]

The Presiding Officer: Order.

Iain Gray: It is no surprise that when the First Minister is asked about Ireland nowadays, he talks about Norway. The First Minister once said:

"I am sure that most of Europe's Finance Ministers would give at least one limb—possibly more—to have Ireland's problems".

Today, the cost for Ireland of bailing out the Anglo Irish Bank reached €34 billion. The finance minister warned that its failure would destroy Ireland's economy.

Which limb would the First Minister give to have that problem?

The First Minister: Iain Gray will forgive me if I correct him on his understanding of the Norwegian oil fund. The Norwegian oil fund was built up from

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revenues from oil—not just from Statoil, the Norwegian state oil company, but from all the major oil companies exploiting oil in the Norwegian sector. It is unbelievable! I thought hitherto that Iain Gray opposed the concept of Scotland benefiting from its own natural resources because he wanted Westminster to have them. I now realise that it is because he did not even understand the proposition. I will send Iain Gray a paper on the Norwegian oil fund. Given that so much is changing in Labour and given that new Labour is buried, despite Iain Gray's attachment to it, if all the policies are changing, who knows, maybe Labour will be in favour of an oil fund before long.

I point out two things to Iain Gray. First, on direct capital investment in the Scottish banks, currently the Treasury is making a profit, given the current share price of Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland. [Interruption.] That is a fact nonetheless. Secondly, Ireland, like many countries, has substantial economic problems at present, but I note that its wealth per head is actually higher than that of the United Kingdom.

Iain Gray: It was an Irishman who said that there are none so blind as those who will not see. Ireland is teetering on the edge of collapse, and Scotland's banking sector is 10 times the size of Ireland's. The Royal Bank of Scotland alone had a balance sheet 15 times the size of the Scottish economy. The investment in saving those banks was £470 billion. Will the First Minister admit that, in an independent Scotland, RBS and HBOS would have collapsed and the Scottish economy would have collapsed with them?

The First Minister: Just as Iain Gray confused Statoil with the Norwegian oil fund, he is confusing capital injections into banks with general support for the financial and monetary system. The capital injection into the Scottish banks is now making a paper profit for the UK Treasury.

Iain Gray says that the Irish economy is on the brink of collapse. Judging from Labour's conference, I thought that it was the UK economy that was on the brink of collapse. The Labour Party has argued, with some justification, that the UK Government is risking a double-dip recession because of an approach to an austerity programme that goes too far and too fast in its cuts in public spending. I agree with that proposition on the basis of the evidence from Ireland. If that is the argument that Iain Gray is putting forward—that, unless an alternative policy programme is agreed, the UK risks moving into a double-dip recession—does that not support the argument that we should look to European countries such as Norway, which have avoided that by mobilising their natural resources to power

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their economy forward? I would that we could do the same in Scotland.

Iain Gray: Support for the Scottish banks was £470 billion—£70 billion capital injection, £100 billion special liquidity scheme, £100 billion credit guarantee, £200 billion asset protection scheme and £10 billion in fees. The Government may get some of that back, but if it had not had it at the time when it was needed, we would have suffered the consequences. Everyone in Scotland knows that, in a separate Scotland, our two biggest banks would have gone and, with them, all the jobs, savings, pensions, mortgages and salaries. Everyone in Scotland knows that we would have tipped over the edge on which Ireland teeters today. Is Alex Salmond the last man in Scotland who does not realise that his personal obsession with independence is daft, deluded, deranged and downright dangerous for this country?

The First Minister: Alex Salmond realises that it is only with economic powers for this Parliament and this Government—the economic powers that would be delivered by independence—that we will have an alternative to 10 years of despair and public spending cutbacks in the United Kingdom.

As they also say in Ireland, if I was going there, I would not start from here. That applies to Iain Gray's questions. He has confused the capital injection into the banking sector that is taking place in Ireland at the moment with general financial support for a monetary system. The two things are entirely different. It is not me who claims that there is a profit to be gained from the capital injection into Lloyds and RBS; that is in the Treasury documents—not just the Treasury documents of the new coalition, but the Treasury documents that were produced by Iain Gray's old boss, Alistair Darling.

Ed Miliband evoked a new atmosphere of consensus at the Labour conference when he said that he would not attack policies to restrict short-term sentences and say that people were being soft on crime. As Ed Miliband moves in a sensible political direction and supports the SNP Government's policy on crime, which has been so successful, will not Iain Gray eventually realise, in that changing atmosphere, the obvious, inarguable point that only in our having economic powers and growing the Scottish economy is there any alternative to being at the mercy of coalition cutbacks, two thirds of which were started by his own party?

Leading the debate in Scotland

Commenting on the Leaders’ Debates which took place tonight, SNP Leader Alex Salmond said:

“All the debate confirmed was that the London parties plan deep cuts to Scotland’s budget and public services. That’s why Scotland needs local and national champions in the House of Commons to break through this cosy Westminster consensus and win a better deal for Scotland.

“Over half the debate should have been captioned ‘Except for viewers in Scotland’.

“It was billed as a historic event but we got was three Westminster politicians looking the same, sounding the same and saying nothing of relevance to Scotland.

“From Wick to Whitburn, viewers would be turned off by television which simply didn’t address the issues which matter to them.”



Excellent pre-debate comment from Lallands Peat Worrier.

Scotland needs Champions

As reported elsewhere, we launched our election campaign this morning in Edinburgh.

I spent today campaigning in Glasgow East, both canvassing and leafleting, and received an interesting response on the doorsteps. There's a genuine warmth for John, even among those people who aren't SNP supporters. People recognise the work he does, and appreciate the regular newsletters they receive. John is a natural champion for the area - hardworking, tireless, patient and kind.

What I also heard on the doorstep was a disaffection for politicians, borne of the expenses scandal. They see Labour and the Tories as just being the same, and some people have now become so disillusioned that they don't think they'll vote this time.

The Westminster politicians who abused our trust have done what seems like irreparable damage to the fabric of our democracy. I wish I could get a hold of them, these duck-pond owning, first-class travelling, hospitality abusing, money grabbing fools; I don't think they have any comprehension of what they have done.

Their selfish actions have also had a knock-on effect those who do work hard, who do their best and see their job as being a servant of the people. It's not right that the diligent get lumped in with the dilettantes.

I hope that, as the election draws closer, we're able to get that message across. It's difficult, especially in a Westminster election with the usual built-in media skew, but I hope, with every door I knock and every leaflet I deliver, I can remind people of the good work being done by our local champions. They set the standard for all our other candidates; it's about representation, being there for your constituents, and standing up for a better deal for Scotland.



I thought it might be of interest to those who missed it to publish Alex's speech. The capitals are original for emphasis - I'm sure everyone who has ever heard the First Minister speak will hear it quite clearly in their own heads!



At this election, more than ever before, Scotland needs champions.

And so on polling day, we are not just choosing MPs in the House of Commons. We are choosing national champions to stand up for the people of Scotland.

National champions and LOCAL champions, who will offer communities across our nation the voices that they need.

Have no doubt the outcome of this election is in the hands of the people.

The people will decide whether Scotland is the winner.

And the London parties would do well to remember that.

Any party that takes the people for granted – any party that says Scotland's votes are irrelevant will pay a heavy price on polling day.

Labour, Tory or Liberal - they have come together to try to cut Scotland and the SNP out of the election debates. Just as they are trying to carve Scotland out of this election.

The pundits and London politicians think they know what is going to happen on polling day.

They say it is all about Gordon or David, Labour or Tory, tweedledum or tweedledee.

But they are wrong.

These are the people’s elections and what will matter are the people’s votes.

And the seats we are fighting, the constituencies we look to represent. These are not Labour seats, or Liberal seats or even SNP seats. They are not the possession of any one party.

THEY ARE THE PEOPLE’S SEATS.

AND IT IS THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY WHO WILL DECIDE.

I remember last year how the pundits were so certain who was going to top the Christmas charts. All bets were off. The X-factor had it sewn up.

The system, the slick PR, the prime time TV shows, would make sure of it.

But then the people decided they would have their say. They would decide.

They raged against the machine.

They voted - and they won.

There is much to make us rage with politics today.

Westminster expenses, greedy bankers, an illegal war, the deepest recession since the 30s.

And the obscene decision to waste £100,000 million on new nuclear missiles while public services are under real threat from the consequences of recession.

That alone, that one choice, tells us everything we need to know about the today’s Labour Party.

THEY HAVE LOST THEIR WAY, FORGOTTEN THEIR ROOTS.

THEIR PRIORITIES ARE NO LONGER THE PRIORITIES OF THE PEOPLE

There is rage at the metropolitan political consensus. A consensus of cuts that has left the ordinary people of this country out in the cold.

Decisions taken in London that impact hard on families and communities.

This is the Westminster machine and people are raging.

Against a system that favours the few and ignores the many.

Against a way of politics that leaves the people on the outside.

I SAY TO THE LONDON PARTIES – THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE BUSINESS AS USUAL.

AT THIS ELECTION THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND WILL BE HEARD.

AND THEY WON’T VOTE FOR JUST POLITICIANS. THEY WILL ELECT LOCAL CHAMPIONS.

Around our shores, in our universities, colleges, in our successful growth companies, there is so much potential.

Across our country talent we can build on, energy, determination we can unleash.

There is too much at stake, too promising a future, to let the wrong decisions, the wrong priorities stand in the way.

WE MUST NOT LET OTHERS HOLD SCOTLAND BACK.

So have no doubt, Scotland needs champions.

National champions and local champions.

We meet here today in Edinburgh East a seat the SNP is working hard to win. And you heard earlier from George Kerevan. Someone who has what it takes to be a local champion.

And you saw SNP candidates from across the country – from Dundee, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Moray, Ochil and Perthshire. SNP candidates talking about the local issues they care about.

Setting out how they can make a difference for the communities they come from, the communities they are working hard for, the communities they represent.

That is what is important today and for this next parliament.

At this election we can elect a team of MPs who will champion the causes that matter.

Working hard for the people they represent not only when elections are looming, but every day and every week. SNP members in parliament and in our council chambers.

People’s politicians. Local champions.

Scotland needs more of them.

We are told that the Parliament might be balanced with no majority. Good. If so then let us balance it in Scottish hands.

We are told that the UK debt is now a crippling 1 trillion pounds. But Scottish north sea oil and gas reserves are worth a trillion pounds and yesterday just yesterday it was revealed that the Norwegian oil fund has increased by $100 billion dollars in a single year.

Some people say that the lights could go out in the UK through energy shortages. But offshore Scottish renewables could produce 10 times our own electricity requirements.

The London parties say that Scotland shouldn’t get the chance to vote on our own independent future. Apparently they already know the result. Well why don’t we let the people speak.

Because the threat to Scotland is real and pressing. Recovery is fragile. We all know the pressures people are facing.

And yet, at a time when government should be doing all it can to help, the London parties – Labour, Tory, Liberal – have the axe sharpened and poised.

That is the biggest current challenge facing us as a nation – as a national community. A challenge that is about more than budget lines. Because the London axe is poised not just on Scotland's budget, but on Scottish jobs.

On lifeline services.

On our health service, schools and police.

Poised on these things that really matter in our lives and for our communities at a time when £100 billion - £100,000 million - will be spent on new nuclear bombs.

Whether it is Gordon Brown or David Cameron sitting in No. 10, the next London government is ready to unleash a sustained attack on Scotland and our public services.

Tory or Labour the prospect is just the same and it is depressing, dismal and desperate.

They plan immediate cuts. New cuts this year. Early cuts, deep cuts even cuts targeted on Scotland.

Further cuts in the year ahead that Scotland's councils have warned could be 'catastrophic' for the services communities rely on.

The shared agenda of the London parties is a threat not only to our economic recovery, but to so much that makes Scotland what it is today.

To the social democratic ethos that means we as a community know the value of looking out for each other; the value of investing in education, in housing and in health.

WEALTH CREATED, WEALTH INVESTED AND WEALTH SHARED.

The London parties talk about cuts as though it was all about numbers on a balance sheet. But we know different. Behind those cuts will be real people, real services, real jobs.

At this election, the choice is clear. We must do all we can to protect those people, those services and those jobs.

Thus Scotland needs champions. Now more than ever.

SNP MPs who will be at Westminster with a clear purpose – as national and local champions. Working to win the best deal for our nation.

Giving the people in communities across Scotland the strongest voice.

The more SNP MPs elected the stronger Scotland's position will be.

Because at this election the message is simple.

MORE NATS MEANS LESS CUTS.

At this election people across Scotland have the opportunity to do more than just vote for a politician.

THEY CAN ELECT A CHAMPION – A LOCAL CHAMPION, A NATIONAL CHAMPION

Today we launch an election theme.

BUT IT IS MORE THAN THAT. IT IS A CALL TO ACTION.

A chance to take that London script, Rip it up and create something better, something bolder.

THE LONDON PARTIES ARE ENGAGED IN A PHONEY WAR. THE REAL FIGHT, THE REAL FIGHT IS FOR SCOTLAND.

Where's my candyfloss?

So Labour's latest slogan is "A Future Fair for All". The first few splutters on Facebook were about this future fair, and whether we could expect candy floss and bumper cars. Another friend suggested that re-electing Labour could be a fête worse than death (sorry!!!).

I don't get Labour at all. They've had thirteen years to make a fair future a reality, and to suggest they need more time smacks of desperation.

Children starting primary school in 1997 are now of voting and working age - do they see a world which is fair? And are they even likely to vote in this, a real election, rather than the X Factor or Strictly?

Yes, it takes time for policies to work through, and the early actions of a government might not be seen for several years. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's study from last year on Poverty, Inequality and Policy since 1997 examined the details and found a mixed picture. While some progress has been made towards a more equal society, there is still a long way to go and, more worryingly, from around 2003, the momentum seemed to peter out.

"Notable success stories include reductions in child and pensioner poverty, improved education outcomes for the poorest children and schools, and narrowing economic and other divides between deprived and other areas.

But health inequalities continued to widen, gaps in incomes between the very top and very bottom grew, and poverty increased for working-age people without children. In several policy areas there was a marked contrast between the first half of the New Labour period and the second half, when progress has slowed or even stalled."

It seems to me to be difficult to argue that the Labour rollercoaster will pick up speed again. I am really not keen on a Conservative Government in Westminster, but I feel just as strongly that Labour don't deserve another term in office.

I see independence as a genuine alternative to this punch and judy show - a chance for Scotland to try to make our own impact on the inequalities which scar our society. The report notes that devolution hasn't made a great deal of impact, and really that should be obvious. We have no control over the levers which would tackle inequality - taxation, benefits, employment - these remain reserved to Westminster. The Scottish Government can take many actions to help alleviate a few of the symptoms of poverty and inequality, but only independence allows us the chance of finding our own cure.

I was out on the doorsteps on Saturday working for Patrick Grady, our candidate for Glasgow North. It's always interesting speaking to voters, and I enjoy the questions and debate you get faced with. I think though, in terms of strategy, there's a lot to be done to give people a reason to vote. I don't mean to vote SNP, but to vote generally.

An SNP vote in the Westminster elections can't change an unequal society overnight - but neither will a vote for any other party. What it will do is put Scottish issues high on the agenda, and allow our Government to have greater leverage. Sending a bunch of Labour MPs - an increasingly inexperienced and unknown bunch too, given the number standing down - to Westminster will not do this. They will end up as anonymous backbenchers in a Labour opposition, biding their time. We send our MPs to get the very best deal for Scotland at every opportunity; to settle up, not settle down. Who else can say the same?

Platform performance

When I went to visit my in-laws between Christmas and Hogmanay last year, I was pretty appalled at the state of the trains and the stations. I don't spend a lot of time in English train stations as a rule, but I do spend a fair amount of time in Scottish ones. It seems there's more of a distance between them than I thought!

Anyway, to get to Derby, I had to change at Crewe. The journey hadn't been great up until then; the train turned up several carriages short, leading to fractious disputes about reservations, luggage everywhere, no food, and some badly behaved wean deliberately trying to open the loo while I was in it. And then I arrived at Crewe. It was dilapidated, dirty, the cafe was expensive and the food poor. The chocolate brownie I chose had all the appeal of nibbling on a charcoal briquette. I'm really not surprised to see Crewe up there on the list of dismal stations, and I hope investment comes before I need use its platforms again! What interests me is a remark on the difference in Scotland:

The champions argued that Scotland had avoided the problem of poor stations by organising funding more effectively over a number of decades.

A welcome comment on Scotland's way of doing things. Our major stations are quite nice: Waverley, Central and Queen Street have had a lot of cash spent on them, and they look the piece. Once the Central hotel project is completed, Glasgow Central really will be the jewel in Scotland's railway crown. I don't mind waiting at Stirling, which is pretty, with a proper waiting room and vending machines. Stations along the Perth-Inverness line are very picturesque, and those in the central belt pretty functional.

From recent visits, I feel Perth and Inverness could do better; I've not been in Aberdeen or Dundee for some time, so I can't comment on them. Most stations I use are well kept and clean - there's a guy at Alexandra Parade most mornings ensuring there's no litter. The stations can be a bit glum though. Most don't have waiting rooms or indeed any kind of ticket office (which is fair enough given the number of people who go through them) and they're not much to look at. I think the notion of community involvement where appropriate could be a workable one, particularly when you see the work of groups like Friends of Walkden Station. This shouldn't be about maintenence on the cheap of course, but stations could be made a bit prettier.

I have four train stations in my ward - High Street, Bellgrove (where the name of the blog originates!), Bridgeton and Dalmarnock. The latter two are the more dilapidated, although there are plans to spend significant sums of money on Dalmarnock as part of the Commonwealth Games regeneration. I believe Clyde Gateway are also hoping to improve Bridgeton station. These are very different stations, and could all do with a bit of investment. I'd be happy to hear from constituents who have any ideas for improving them.

Weekend of football

I've had a pretty enjoyable, if busy, weekend of football. Saturday of course was Hampden - for me, every Scotland game is a huge must-win game. Macedonia was particularly so.

I love going to Scotland games, and can't stand watching them on the tv. The atmosphere can be breathtaking, and I had a weird feeling as the team ran out, and as we sang Flower of Scotland, that everything would be ok. It took an agonisingly long time for the goal to come (and yet longer for McFadden to find the back of the net), but I was satisfied with the result. I can't wait 'til Wednesday night.

I got back home, and watched some of the England game with my husband, then went out for dinner with my mum and auntie Carol at Celinos on Ally Parade. I love going there, and I'm delighted they've started opening late Thursday - Sunday. I watched the second half of the Denmark - Portugal game when I got back.

This morning, I decided to forgo a Sunday morning lie-in to head out and see my Gran in Wishaw. My Gran White served in the Wrens in the Second World War, but had never been in contact with them after she was demobbed. An item in a Committee paper had led me to discover a contact for the Wrens Association in Glasgow, who had kindly dropped off some info for my Gran. She was very excited to find out they were still going, and I hope to take her along to their meeting on Thursday.

After a quick pit-stop back home for lunch, I headed down to Glasgow Green Football Centre, where I had been invited to the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to the memory of the founders of Rangers FC. The plaque was unveiled by Heather Lang, the grand-daughter of Peter McNeil.

Speaking to some of the attendees, it was interesting to find out that relatively little had been known about the roots of the club and that even Heather wasn't aware of her family connection. The investigative work of journalist Gary Ralston and club historian David Mason had brought a lot of the history to light, culminating in a book and the beautiful plaque itself. The plaque is obviously engraved metal, but this should give you an idea of what it says!



Later in the afternoon, I attended the finals of the UK Asian football championships at Celtic Park. This event was organised by the Scottish Ethnic Minority Sports Association, and was contested by Sporting Bengal and Punjabi Wolves. The very competitive match ended in a 1-1 draw, and went to penalties. Sadly for Punjabi Wolves, their final player to take a penalty missed his second of the afternoon, and the trophy went to Sporting Bengal.

It was a really nice event, well assembled by Dilawer Singh, President of SEMSA, and Culture and Sport Glasgow. To give the players even more credit, many of them were fasting for Ramadan and had also played in the preliminary games yesterday and Friday. Not many professional players would cope with that! There are so few players of ethnic minority origin in Scottish (and English) football, but given the talent on show today, I'm sure there will be plenty coming through.

Just the ticket!

I booked tickets for next week's Scotland - Netherlands match yesterday morning with some trepidation. I usually go and buy football tickets in person, or get someone I trust to buy them for me.

I wasn't confident that my £1 booking fee would allow the tickets to wing their way to me before kick-off, and had a vision of me stalking my postie all week.

I'm very chuffed to report that my worries were completely unfounded!

When I got home tonight, there they were, two crisp and lovely Scotland tickets. Hats off to the people at ticketlink. Simple service, done correctly. I wonder though, if I'd paid £5.50 for the special delivery option, would James McFadden have dropped round to hand them in?

Second homes and new opportunities

Tonight, I attended the launch of Refugee Week tonight at the Tron. I've attended every year since I was elected, and really enjoy celebrating the contribution those coming to Scotland make to our society. It's important to take the time to celebrate, as well as protest when things go wrong. The theme this year is Home, chiming with the year of Homecoming.

There were speeches by the head of the Scottish Refugee Council and Alex Neil, Minister for Communities and Housing. There was a reading by a wonderful poet, Iyad Hayatleh, who spoke movingly in Arabic and English. There was a snippet from the play Home Sweet Home, and a musical and dance performance by Maryhill Integration Network.

The speech which brought tears to my eyes was made by Amal Azzudin, one of the Glasgow Girls from Drumchapel High who stood up against dawn raids. What moved me was that she spoke about the Scotland I want to see, the experience I wish people coming to this country to have. She's been living in Scotland for ten years, and has seen a great deal in that time. Amal spoke about how her life had changed, how different her life had been if she wasn't here, and about the sense of hope that children of asylum seekers and refugees now have; she said that the places they had come from was their past - Scotland was their future.

The Scotland I believe in is welcoming. It's about learning from each other, and building together. It might sound corny, but I was glad to hear it said out loud at a public event, by a non-political figure I have a huge amount of respect for. I want all citizens of Scotland to feel that Scotland can be like this: make time to go to an event this week. Enjoy.

Norwegian generosity

I noticed amongst my news feeds during the week, while the G20 were fretting over the future of the world economy and the UK Government starts to consider calling the IMF, there was a small article on Reuters which gave an indication of where some of this bailout money was coming from.

Oil-rich Norway said on Saturday it was ready to offer up to 30 billion crowns ($4.56 billion) to support the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and called for the fund to play a bigger role in supervising financial markets.

Fancy that. Labour have been gleefully gunning for the arc of prosperity, but here we have cast iron evidence of how a small, oil rich nation can contribute to the world. Norway have invested their oil wealth, rather than squander it across the decades. $4.46 billion is pocket money in a fund worth $300 billion. Remarkably, this generosity comes at a time when their oil fund isn't even in the peachiest of health.

How much better off would we be as a nation if North Sea oil had been invested in this way? What do we have to show for striking black gold? As a Scottish Nationalist, you would expect me to argue the It's Scotland's Oil case. And yes, it's ours. The McCrone revelations showed that our only mistakes were underestimation of our potential wealth, and stopping our campaign too soon. I believe that we have been incredibly lucky to have oil. The majority of nations have not been so fortunate, but not having oil hasn't hindered their independence.

I have heard the SNP accused by unionists of various political persuasions of being selfish and greedy for even trying to ask for our fair share of our oil revenues to spend or invest. Who's to say that if we had taken a truely prudent approach back in the seventies that we wouldn't be able to give our neighbours a helping hand?

Norway's example of how to make the most of a finite resource should be an example to the UK government. It's not too late.

Bashir

I was in the pub on Friday night with the usual suspects, when Bill got a call from Sandra. He left us to answer it and came back to tell us Bashir had passed away suddenly. None of us could quite believe it. How could a man who had been out visiting constituents that very afternoon be gone?

The rapidity of customs in Islam meant that Bashir was buried yesterday less than twenty-four hours since he died. I can't begin imagine how traumatic that must be for his family and close friends, but I saw from the people at the funeral yesterday that everyone will support one another. The shock on the faces around me was plain to see. The funeral was packed; it was a great testament to Bashir that so many came to see him off.

It was so strange to see him in his casket - I couldn't get my head around how small he seemed. In life, he was a generous, kind gentleman, and always seemed larger than life to me. For me, it was the small things that he did that characterised this; dropping off boxes of mangos to the rooms in Glasgow East, making sure we were all being looked after at Osama's adoption. He inspired the next generations to join our cause, and for that we cannot give enough thanks.

Scotland and Glasgow will never be the same. He will be missed.

Unionist tactics

It's like reading their minds... (with thanks to Steven Marwick for flagging this up to me!).

Happy Burns Night!

Just about to go cook my Haggis, so thought I'd wish you all a good Burns night. The Burns supper is an event I really enjoy, and I'll be attending one tomorrow night. Enjoying warm comfort food, a dram, good company and good entertainment is perhaps not particular to Scotland, but the national (and international) celebration of a poet is definitely remarkable.

My own understanding of Burns came from the passion of one particular english teacher, whose enthusiasm for the bard had our Higher class transfixed. He could explain all the nuances, pick out the strengths and weaknesses of each poem, and make Burns' work relevant to a bunch of teenagers from Carluke. I'm incredibly grateful to him for this and always remember his teachings, and in particular his Tam O'Shanter, at this time of year. I hope he's performing somewhere tonight; I'm sure Burns would have liked his rendition.

Unhappy household

Both halves of the Thewliss - Wright household are united tonight in our individual grumpiness and gutted-ness.

Since neither Scotland nor England are going to Austria and Switzerland next summer, perhaps some alternative tournament might be worth having? It would be a useful warm up for the World Cup Qualifiers, and Scotland are now good enough to stand a chance of winning such a tourney... ;-)

Scotland - Italy

Gutted about the result today - I was at the game, and the boys played like heroes. I was crying after Italy scored that last minute goal that should never have been. I really believed and hoped there was a chance that we could qualify, so I'm drowning my sorrows tonight.

I suppose the best thing for the team to do now is regroup and work towards the World Cup, but it's still hard to take after such a fabulous campaign. Almost every minute was nail biting, but it's been phenomenal.

Does it matter what Borg thinks?

OK, so back to my thoughts on EU Commissioner Borg's thoughts on why Scotland would have to apply to join the EU.

To set this in context, this Commissioner is from the EU's smallest Member State, Malta. Malta has a population of 0.4 Million - roughly the size of Edinburgh and representing 0.1% of the EU's population. Mr Borg is a former Foreign Minister of Malta. Mr Borg is appointed by his Government to work in the interests of the EU as a Commissioner, and is responsible for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, issues of vital importance to Scotland.

You would think, as someone who has come from the perspective of a very small nation in Europe which successfully acceeded to the EU, Mr Borg would be far less sceptical of the probability of Scotland's membership. It may have taken the accession countries some time to join, but many were coming from a very different position than that of Scotland for a number of historical reasons.

Scotland is already subject to EU laws and is a constituent part of an EU member state. There would not have any significant adjustments made to prepare for membership; we are in a sense already there. In addition, Scotland would is of significant value to the EU in terms of land mass, industry, oil and security. In reality, on what grounds could an independent Scotland see EU membership withheld or delayed?

Some thoughts on flying the flag

I don't really see myself as a small minded, narrow, flag waving nationalist - for a start, I don't own any flag bigger than the wee paper ones from Letham SNP (as stylishly modelled by my potplant!). I do, however, get some satisfaction from seeing the Saltire flying in the breeze above the City Chambers in Glasgow as I walk across George Square. It makes me think that, as in other independent nations across the world, a flag flying above a public building is a subtle sign that you exist.

I don't think we in Scotland should take the whole flag-flying thing too far, nor do I think we actually need to, because we have a fairly strong sense of who we are. I feel when nations have to continually wrap themselves in the flag, there's some latent doubt in society over identity. The United States is a prime example - a society which is huge and diverse, where children salute the flag each morning at school, and ordinary citizens take incredible pride in flying flags from their homes. When I was last down in England, the Flag of St George was flying from nearly every car and window - which is a real sign that people there are starting to think of who they are and who they want to be as a nation.

At a debate in the Council last week, many Labour Councillors were queueing up to say how proud they were of British institutions like the BBC, and how they felt equally British and Scottish; yet I don't see them falling over one another to hoist the Union Flag up the City Chambers flag pole. Gordon Brown, on the other hand, believes that the Union Flag should be flown from public buildings as often as possible, and has changed some old rules to let this happen. It might win him some votes in Middle England, but falling back on to the flag smacks of desperation to me.

Brown also talks of wanting to "take on" those people who don't conform to his sense of what being British is. He talks of terrorists, and of extremists. Does this mean me? I would never claim to be British, not out of any sense of animosity, but because I don't identify with the concept or feel I belong. When ever I go to London, I feel like a tourist in another land. Even small towns in England feel foreign to me: people don't understand me, I have to speak slower and more clearly. They reject my currency, they don't know anything about my politics (one friend of my boyfriend's parents asked me "what's an MSP?").

One of the positive things I did take from the BBC article linked to above was that David Cameron has come out with an unexpectedly sensible take on the matter:

In a speech last year, Conservative leader David Cameron accused Mr Brown of wanting to "institutionalise" being British, arguing it was possible to feel "multiple patriotism" with loyalties not only to where you live, but also to where you were born.

"I think we should realise that Britishness is a concept that, if grasped too hard, slips away," the Tory leader added.

I wouldn't deny that there are some people who have attachments to the Union flag, just as there are people who have attachments other flags or none. None of us should be forced, however, to fit into a stereotype of subjects in Brown's green and pleasant land or be branded terrorists.

PQs on Defence and Scotland dual role

Today's Scotsman included a report on Parliamentary Questions asked yesterday by Robert Wilson, Reading East MP, and James Gray, a Scots-born Wiltshire MP regarding the "part time" Defence/Scottish Secretary. Now it seems that Des Browne's "two jobs" won't be part time at all - he'll be giving over his Scottish Secretary duties to David Cairns.

Why bother with the title, if the role means nothing? Does Gordy not trust David to do the job without having someone to hold his hand?

The report also stated that:

"A source close to Mr Browne dismissed the concerns about the dual role as unjustified. They added that the Cabinet minister had already made clear he would work as hard as he had to to take on both roles "even if he has to get up an hour earlier".

A whole hour? Lucky us!