IndyGal

Indygal here. I’ve been catching up with the news back home and I was angered although not at all surprised to hear about the stushie the possibility of the SNP getting into power caused amongst the unionists last year. Ming Campbell’s autobiography apparently reveals secret talks with Gordon Brown last year about forming a third Labour-Lib Dem coalition “to stop the SNP”.

Latest revelations are that GB (in a desperate attempt to cling on to GB) ordered the Scottish Labour Party to support a Tory First Minister if necessary - so long as they “kept the SNP out”.

I wonder why. Did they really think the SNP would be that bad at government? Proved them wrong if that’s the case. Don’t think it is though - think it’s the opposite. They obviously thought (knew) the SNP would make such a good job of it that people would wake up and smell the coffee and realise that there is no reason in the world for Scotland not to make its own decisions.

They must be horrified right now at the good deal we’re getting from the SNP government. Scotland doing well? We can’t have that! Stop it now before they give them a referendum - what if the people of Scotland exercise free will, put their brains in gear and actually vote for NORMALITY?!

And that is what’s wrong with these power crazed British politicians in the Unionist parties across the UK - they don’t actually believe in democracy, they believe that they are right but worst of all, they will do anything to deny the people of Scotland the right to decide in a referendum. The idea that Labour would support the Tories in government is abhorrent. All credit to Jack McConnell for refusing but shame on Gordon Brown - he has lost the plot!

I am still quite shocked at the illegal donations row and amazed that Wendy Alexander is hanging on in there. I suspect it is correct to say that Gordon Brown is putting pressure on her to stay. I’ve felt for a few weeks that Wendy is not comfortable in the role of Labour Leader in Scotland. She can’t seem to find her feet, which is odd given that she’s (rightly) widely reputed to be one of Labour’s best politicians. And she’s had more and more and yet MORE problems with staff in the short period of her leadership.

But the thing for me is this: she has two tiny children and when she’s spending another day dodging the press or psyching herself up to face the opposition in parliament and continually being asked about the prospect of ending up with a criminal record when she has always prided herself on her integrity, thinking of those little kids is unlikely to give her strength. It’s more likely to make her think “what on earth am I doing here?”!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t underestimate the seriousness of the situation and this situation is very very wrong. But on a personal level, just as one human being to another, I wouldn’t put myself through this if I didn’t have to and I don’t think she should. I think she should do herself a favour and take a back seat. Gordon Brown can look after himself. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Time to start listening.

Can’t believe it. Breaking news is that Gordon Brown has decided not to go for a 2007 election. I am shocked, I have always believed it would be this autumn/winter. Part of me still thinks it’s an elaborate hoax and on Tuesday he’ll pop up on the news going “kidding!”. Unlikely I realise but you never know. The one thing we should ALL have learned from this is that it’s time Westminster caught up with the rest of us and had fixed terms for elected governments. Then we would all know exactly where we stood. Talk now is of a 2009 election and what’s to stop all this hype and uncertainty carrying on until then?

Here’s my best guess. The date of the Westminster Election will be Thursday (it’ll def be a Thursday) 1st November, the day after Hallowe’en. Gordon Brown couldn’t have gone for it this week - not on a day where the Tories announce popular new policies and he announces rises in petrol costs. However … he also has to be careful not to let the Tories steal a march and the longer the campaign, the more chance they have of doing that. I know most folk are betting on 8 November but I have a sneaking suspicion it truly will be a SNAP election. We shall see …

I am convinced we are going to hear shortly that Gordon Brown has chosen 2007 for the Westminster election. I will never understand why an individual gets a “honeymoon” period when they’ve been an integral part of the government for a decade, but they do. And he’s still on his. If he’s any sense, he’ll not wait for the voters to figure out that he’s no different to Tony Blair and he’ll go now. Yes if he hangs on now, he could hang on for 3 years or so but he’ll always have the question of the election hanging over his head. If he goes now and wins he has five years and he personally has a mandate to rule Britannia. David Cameron’s honeymoon period has been over for a while so the Tories are unlikely to be a huge threat. But as all weddeds know, the magic can always be recreated given a little time. No, I think GB is not stupid, I reckon he’ll go for it now and win. He can then move forward without the distraction of an election. My money’s always been on this autumn / winter. All may be revealed later …

I didn’t blog on the fact that Gordon Brown met with Thatch recently. I didn’t blog because I didn’t think it meant that much. Maybe he was being civil although I’d not find that one easy. Perhaps he wanted to know how not to do it. I just didn’t think it necessarily meant anything and thought the headlines about their political closeness were a bit OTT. However, I’ve just read that this Labour Prime Minister has commissioned a portrait of the former Tory Prime Minister who presided over the worst misery this country has known in modern times. It’s not a protocol thing, he’s only having 3 portraits on display - Lloyd George, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. To me that speaks volumes. And I don’t like what I’m hearing!

Good title for a children’s book that - “Gordon Grows up” - but unfortunately we’re talking about adults here although you’d never know it. Still, it may have taken four weeks but at least Gordon Brown has finally made contact to congratulate Alex Salmond on winning the election in Scotland. Mind you it took not just the aforementioned four weeks but a lot of pressure from others including, it has to be said, some fellow Labourites. But at least it’s done now. Alex is still behaving impeccably and said of the conversation: “We both agreed the interests of Scotland were more important than any political differences, and will work towards those ends”. I look forward to posting the headline “Tony’s Tantrum Over”.

So there you go. GB has announced his intention to rule GB. And it’s all change from now on. He’ll be completely different to Tony Blair. So all you Labour voters who strayed because of the war, for example? You can all come back now. Safe in the knowledge that GB under GB will move in a new direction.

Because Gordon voted AGAINST the Iraq war didn’t he? Er no. OK so he spoke out against it surely? ‘Fraid not. Had a word in Tony’s ear? Nope - more like told the world TB and the other GB (jnr) were the saviours of Iraq.

Now, however, as he pads about marking his territory (love Iain McWhirter’s constant comparisons to Macavity) he’s telling us that “mistakes have been made”. Well they were as much his mistakes as anyone else’s in that Labour government. He talked today of a “shift of emphasis” in Iraq and moves toward “political reconciliation” but that’s not new, that’s what was allegedly on the cards anyway.

Don’t let this man fool you into believing that his leadership somehow wipes the slate of the last decade clean - he was right at the heart of government for all those years and if he thought Tony Blair had it wrong he should and would have done something about it before now. What is it they say about it taking just one good man to say nothing?

 Got a call from my sister the other day. She is not a happy bunny. She’d just received a letter from Gordon Brown and Jack McConnell asking her if she was really prepared to risk her family’s financial future by voting SNP. It did its best to play on every emotion from guilt to fear but all it produced from her was anger. I just hope all other recipients are equally outraged at the nasty deceptive scare mongering that’s going on. There was a PS - we luv Trish Godman, gonnae please vote for her.

PS I think Bill Wilson will be much better when he’s elected.