Tuesday 27 September 2011

"SCOTLAND IS NOT BLOODY SLOVENIA"; A GEOGRAPHY LESSON FROM SPUD

Mr Murphy, one time Scotland Secretary and now Shadow Defence Minister has complained that when David Cameron comes to Scotland he behaves like a foreign dignitary visiting a Balkan country. (I'm not sure why he chose Slovenia, or indeed the Balkans, for his little rant and he doesn't go on to explain it. Why not, I wondered, a Scandinavian country, like...erm...Norway? Oh no, wait a minute. That will be because we are nothing like Norway, for obvious reasons.)

Mr Murphy, described by the Telegraph as the most high profile Scot in Labour's ranks, was talking about the future campaign against the SNP's independence plans (which shows what they think of Iain Gray or the great administrator, Tom Harris).

Murphy has ruled out standing on a platform with David Cameron, whom, he says, comes to Scotland and stands in front of a Saltire and a Union Flag, and little else. This stance was echoed by the less well known, Iain Gray, who said that Labour would make its own arrangements to show why Britain is better. (Can't wait for that!)

Spud has got a point though. Cameron doesn't engage at all with Scots. He doesn't begin to understand the situation here, and I shouldn't think he cares. The country returns one Tory MP, and that's only Fluffy! It's hardly worth the effort.

He has made a few visits north of the border, but nothing of any real note. He has made a flying visit to the Tory conference, and of course there was the famous visit to the Queen's private estate when he kept her, and the National Anthem, waiting while he politicked with the crowd, and then left early the next day, giving the impression that the atmosphere had been frosty. (Added to which his wife wore an unsuitable trouser suit which she had borrowed to advertise the designer's work. I'm sure the Queen would have been thrilled that the traditional weekend she has to spend with the prime minister was being used as an advertisement for someone in the rag trade: "Paul Smith Clothing Company: Making clothes fit for a [visit to a] Queen"!

Fluffy Mundell, the Under Secretary at the Scotland Office, however, has some idea that all that is a show of respect by his leader for our country. Oh well, Fluffy, I suppose you have to say that, don't you. Otherwise you'd lose the very junior position you hold in government?

A spokesman for the First Minister responding to the comments from Murphy, noted that the unionist parties were fighting each other like ferrets in a sack, and the the FM had no desire to intrude upon the grief of the unionists who were losing the place and fast losing the constitutional debate in Scotland.

Pic: Jim (Spud) Murphy... what will happen to him when he loses his looks?

15 comments:

  1. Spud was on Sky News and was allowed to slag off the coagulation about the loss of manufacturing jobs following BAE's 3,000 job cuts ( O/T Sally Bercow tweeted 'this was good no ? as it stopped us selling arms - err someone else will do it instead Sally but 3,000 families will be without a breadwinner now).
    Spud even criticised the coagulation for giving the new train carriage contract to the Germans. Totally oblivious to the fact that the contract was actually awarded to Seimens by the last Labour government. Causing the loss of thousands of jobs at Bombardier. Mind you Sky were clueless as well and let him waffle on without ever challenging him.

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  2. Yeah Monty. That's Skelator at his happiest. An ignorant interviewer who hasn't got a clue and lets him ramble his nonsense.

    I heard someone on radio this morning suggest that in the case of BAE, with all the suppliers, not to mention the shops and stores that will lose the custom of these highly paid workers, the ACTUAL loss of jobs is likely to be 5 times the 3 000 reported by the company.

    Love the word "coagulation" btw.

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  3. He's probably been (mis)reading a recent post of mine. If that *is* where the reference to Slovenia came from, apologies all round! Velvet Revolution notwithstanding ...

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  4. I would have thought that the most senior person in the Labour party in Scotland should be (if not their pretendy leader in the pretendy parliament) should be the shadow Scottish Secretary Anne whatshername...but rather like Johann Lamont from 2007-2011 she is like the invisible woman.

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  5. Ah Mil, I should have realised that it was your influence on him...

    ;¬)

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  6. :-)

    Thinking the unthinkable, don't you know.

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  7. tris

    'Cameron doesn't engage at all with Scots'

    Thats so untrue another one of your Nationalist slurs.............

    Camnerons third under-gardener young 'Hamish' was a flame haired scot and cameron remarked to him once.

    He had 'performed a whizzo job of demoling the front lawn'

    Course young 'Hamish' committed a right faux pas by politely answering Cameron back red faces all round Cameron just gave a forced grin made no reply and walked on.

    the following Friday they gave young 'Hamish' his notice (the social norms must be upheld you know)

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  8. Well, it's not unthinkinable that he reads your bog, Mil. It's just that he'd find it a bit above his level, I should think!

    I did seriously wonder why he chose Slovenia ... or indeed why he used the adjective "bloody" to describe it (particularly unjust, as, if I'm not mistaken, Slovenia managed to leave Yugoslavia without any blood being spilt!).

    Nonetheless he did, and he did.

    Who could account for Spud?

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  9. Ah Niko. Us nationalists are weel known for our slurs.

    Why, we may even said that Iain Gray was a bit of a boring old intellectual lightweight. Can you imagine?

    I mean if we can say that, why, we can say anything!

    I'm needing a gardener. Send him over to me.

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  10. It's normal practice for Labour Scottish members to slag off other nations Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Montenegro, Slovenia and quite probably many others.

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  11. Ah yes, CH. The man who would be prime minister but thinks he can't because he's a Catholic. Bwa, ha, ha. That isn't the reason Jim. It's coz you iz thick and you has a tendency to put your foot in your mouth when it comes to other countries, innit?

    Silly Nob!

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  12. Perhaps Spud want to be the Queen (he's not, is he?) of an independent Scotland and thinks his religion could be a draw-back!!

    As for the North British branch of the "Letting Down Niko Big Time Party" I cannot think of a better candidate for leader than our own wee Cathy whose seductive wiles could have converted Attila the Hun to socialism. Mind you, she'll have an even more difficult task trying to do the same to NewLab.

    Never mind Tom Harris, darling, come to the real thing*!


    *Niko, I'll explain later!

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  13. Oh Lordy, whit a thoucht John.

    Yes, well, it Tommy can do it from the confines of Westminster, I'm sure wee Cathy can, just as easily.

    And let's face it, she'd start with a convert in your good self, wouldn't she.

    Soon you'd be singing 'God save the Queen', supporting Rangers and buying red white and blue stickers and GB plates for the car ...

    I shouldn't tell Niko about Cathy and you, John. He might track you down and kill you...

    Oooops... did I say too much?

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  14. A bit late to comment - but Monty is correct, "coagulation" produces clots.

    Clarinda

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  15. Hi Clarinda. It's never too late to comment... :¬)

    LOL And it's a good one too... heaven knows the coagulation is full of clots... and now we know why. It's a medical certainty!

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