In reality, although they did elect Johann and Anas as their leaders, any matters of importance are dealt with by London, where the authority lies.
And even before the referendum if is unlikely that they were Scotland's largest party. Prior to Friday the SNP had just over 25,500 members. Although Labour won't tell us how many members they have in Scotland (apparently it's a secret) someone on Twitter guestimated that they might have around 13,000-14,000, or just over half the SNP's number.
Since the referendum and Mr Miliband's assertion that there are more important things to do than bother with the vow (what is he doing, competing for the Nick pledge broken promise prize of 2014 or does he just want to find out if Gordon Brown has lost his Nokia aim, now that he's been made to be a liar?) the SNP's membership has soared to over 60,000 (Just heard from Roseanna Cunningham ast 22.00 hrs).
Labour tells us that they have had a few hundred people join in the last few months though, so it's not all bad for them...
The only way they can be Scotland's largest party is if we are talking about British Labour with a couple of hundred thousand members... but in that case, aren't Milibean and Harperson their leaders?
They just cannot' stop the lying, they've been doing it for a 100 years or so.
ReplyDeleteJimnArlene
Doing what comes naturally?
DeleteEd Miliband delivers an 80m speech without discussing macroeconomic policy. This from a chap wanting to be First Lord of the Treasury.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone takes Labour seriously anymore. To my surprise, more Scots 'trust' Cameron than Miliband. How damning is that for SLAB?
Hello me old China.... :)
DeleteI read somewhere that Labour is so unpopular here and membership cards are being torn up with such regularity that there will soon be more Tories and pandas in Scotland than Labour.
Ed seems to have completely given up on his vow. The vow that convinced 20% of the Yes voters to vote No. And his policy of minimum wage of £8 an hour in 6 years time, paid for by cutting pensioners' and children's benefits together with being even harsher of the sick, will not have been buying ordinary people.
He may impress the bankers, but I see a sticky election ahead for him.
Oh, and...going to war no longer unites the country, Ed. We just all assume that you lot have vested interests in the arms business.
Remember Ruthie on the night saying that they were confident of the No vote because they looked at postal votes? Well, the Herald are reporting that the Electoral Commission has referred complaints about BT to the police.
ReplyDelete"It has been confirmed that the Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog, has referred a number of complaints it received to the police as the allegations may be of a criminal nature."
Kickboxing would be a useful skill to have in the slammer :-)
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/elections-watchdog-calls-in-police-over-no-camp-postal-vote-claims.25423662
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
DeleteThe trouble with having a very inexperienced leader on tv is that she says things she should have known to keep quiet about.
Well, after the queen has roasted Cameron's backside for tittle tattling about her telephone manner, I'm sure he'll give Ruth the same treatment.
More conspiracy theories? Just accept the democratic expression of Scotland: 'We're still British'.
DeleteNot really conspiracy theories. She admitted that they were doing something illegal on tv.
DeleteThe police are investigating, not on behalf of the Yes Campaign, but the electoral commission.
Tris
ReplyDeleteFor my sins and to add to my stopping smoking difficulties, the referendum result, the Dees getting pumped in two derbies, I have been watching some of the Liebour Conference. Yes, I know what a terrible week to stop smoking but they are a bunch of lying wankers. I have a couple of twitter debates with members who churn out the same old crap, corporation tax, pensions blah blah. Once you point out their inaccuracies they disappear. What a total sham of a party and there is no way they are getting elected next year, the polls can say what they want when push comes to shove they are vacous bunch of no marks.
Bruce
What a week to choose bruce... but I salute you for trying and I'm really glad your hanging in there.
DeleteAs for Labour, there is no excuse. To make themselves popular in the South East of England where half the population lives, the simply have to abandon any pretence of decency towards the poor, old, sick...
They are like a music hall act, past its time, making an appearance at a rock festival.
One might say Labour are the Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson of Scottish Politics.
DeleteBefore your time probably? Petula was a young sprig in them days.
Ahhh David.... there are acts that disappear like sna aff a dyke. I guess Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson may have that in common with Labour.
DeletePetula, on the other hand, just reinvents herself for every generation that comes along. Amazingly after 70+ years in showbiz, her new single Cut Copy Me gets into the top ten favourite videos of the year alongside Lilly Allen and Lady Gaga.
http://popbytes.com/popbytes-top-ten-favorite-music-videos-of-2013/
Amazing that British Labour was stupid enough to follow the Lib-Dems and get into bed with the Tories. What on earth possessed them? Surely the Westminster bubble isn't that opaque?
ReplyDeleteYou would have thought that someone somewhere would have been bright enough to see that getting into bed with the Tories was about as smart an idea as throwing water on a chip pan fire.
DeleteRed Tories.... well, they are.
I actually think that the bubble is that opaque. I think they don't see what they did wrong.
The surge in SNP and Scottish Green Party membership figures is very encouraging.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking this morning about how the SNP is now the third largest political party in the UK in terms of membership, and how this should make it more difficult to exclude the SNP from any televised debate during the general election.
This led me on to wondering if it could be worthwhile for the SNP to extend their campaign for increased powers for the Scottish Parliament into one for less London-centric policies generally, and on that basis put up candidates in selected constituencies in the North of England. (Of course, it would have to be made clear that there is no wish to incorporate any part of Northern England into Scotland.)
Alternatively, they could encourage some of the people in the North of England who have expressed their support for Scottish independence to set up their own anti-London party, which could be allied to the SNP and Plaid Cymru.
Either way, I am sure that there are some people in the North of England who would be glad of the opportunity of casting a protest vote as long as it is not for UKIP.
I think, form discussions with friends who live in the North East of England, that there is a place for some sort of party which would fight for de centralisation of powers from London.
DeleteI know many of them feel closer to Edinburgh, geographically and politically, than the distant and estranged London, but many of them are proud and happy to be English and don't want to change that.
So, yes, I think that that is an excellent idea for there to be a party for the North. I don't think the SNP would fly and of course it would give the impression that Scotland was intent on taking parts of England back, which we aren't. But a separate party, yeah. Trouble is with only 6 months to go, it's a tall order to get any kind of organisation in place.
I am not surprised to see the SNP winning a huge amount of new members over the last few days. The so call "vow" has been dropped and left for "later". So they lied about a timetable and anything new. They lied.
ReplyDeletethey always lie even when they want to tell the truth.
this should be made clear to everyone. And never slacking from saying so.
I spoke to two No voters and they both wished they had said YES. They were unsure of many things but thought more powers was a must. They are spitting fumes now. And to be honest it's not nice being lied to by anyone.
Labour have no idea what's happening around them . They think we can all get down to GE business and as usual vote them in. Deluded fuds the whole shower.
We , Wings, Bella etc are organising to put indi MPs in the GE at the expense of Labour seats. We have only 6 months to do this but going by most comments even ardent unionists are having trouble voting for them.
So if your watching Jolo, jackie, Curren and Murphy .
You destroyed the democratic process through lies and fears.
You destroyed the trust the people have in any of you.
We will destroy the Labour party in Scotland in the GE and SE.
Wait and see.
Well said.
DeleteThey did ths for their own selfish reasons. They knew that poorer people would be better off in a Nordic model Scottish country.
But they also knew that in the sort term that means Labour had to chance in the UK, and with it went lordhoods, damehoods, knighthoods, rubbing cheeks with important people in power and LOADS of money for them.
They told poor old people lies so that they could have their place.
Despicable.
We'll win in the end.
Labour voters are waking up to answer that question.
ReplyDeleteAu contraire, Miliband knows why they are still poor.
Deletebecause the moment they become tich they turn to the Tories, so the name of the game is to keep them poor while appearing to try to make them rich, never forgetting the process of self enrichment.
They are still poor because that suits Labour.
DeleteJimnArlene
Without the poor Labour would have no purpose...
DeleteTrue, but Labour seem to think their purpose is, to keep the poor poor and down trodden; while slyly promising jam tomorrow. Always jam tomorrow, but no bread to put it on.
DeleteI don't know if it comes across, but I really hate those baisturds. Selling out the hopes of a nation, the aspirations of the masses for a fekin party machine.
JimnArlene
Absolutely. They have to been seen to be doing something for the poor.
DeleteMaybe this time the poor will see what they are doing for them.... Zero!
Banksy. How much longer can they survive the BBC that is?
ReplyDeleteWell, if no one is paying their licence fee... not much longer I suspect.
DeleteThey are going to have to find another way to live high on the hog.
Excuse me but I know this isn't a political site there is something in the air.
ReplyDelete64, 600+... wow. It's going to have tripled within the next few days.
DeleteIt may end up being the 2nd party of the UK.
Wow!
ReplyDeleteJimnArlene
Exactly!
DeleteDo you think that westminster is going to leave their spin machine underfunded?
ReplyDeleteThere is always money for spin, and there is alwyas money for war.
DeleteThey still think that wars distract the mind of the average joe from the squalor and misery they are living in, and form all their broken promises.
They live in another time and place.