Johann Lamont made an appearance on The Sunday Politics Scotland show today, in which she denied ever using the phrase "something for nothing".
Here, however, is the quote, taken from her speech:
"Alex Salmond is quick to point to the high levels of welfare in Scandinavia but those universal benefits are paid for by high levels of taxation. Scotland cannot be the only something for nothing country in the world". Johann Lamont, 25th September 2012.
Here, however, is the quote, taken from her speech:
"Alex Salmond is quick to point to the high levels of welfare in Scandinavia but those universal benefits are paid for by high levels of taxation. Scotland cannot be the only something for nothing country in the world". Johann Lamont, 25th September 2012.
(The speech itself has now been removed from the Labour Party's Scottish website in order to spare her blushes, but an archived version can be found at the link above.)
We know that the press will not pounce upon her for what is an out and out lie.
They may not even mention it at all. But the removal of such a major speech laying outEd Ball's sorry Ms Lamont's thoughts on social security and welfare, from the Labour party website is an admission that she was being economical with the truth.
So if you don't read it anywhere else, at least you can read it online.
Of course it is possible that Ms Lamont did not intent to lie. Maybe she simply forgot that she had said it. There were a few press articles at the time but Ms Lamont's a busy woman and she may not have had time to read them. I remember it particularly well because I was stung by the insult which came on or around the same day that MsDavid's Daughter sorry Davidson said that far too many of us were dependent upon the state.
Alternatively Ms Lamont may just think that we're such a set of half wit Jocks who wouldn't remember what she said in a speech made over a year ago, what with all that running between the brew, the bookies and the pub.
I do know that the Labour Party in Scotland is not overly blessed with computer savvy people since they lost their new technology tsar Bomber Sneer Harris when he used his first excursion into online politics on behalf of the party to depict Alex Salmond as Adolf Hitler (bright as a button that bloke!). However, one would have hoped that they had at least one person who knew about archived pages.
Clearly not.
I wonder if Ms Lamont will own up that she "misspoke" and reveal to us whether this statement and the whole welfare cuts agenda that she was laying out to please her London masters was in fact just a sop to the Eds or whether it is Labour's Scottish/UK policy.
Just for once I'd really like to know what Ms Lamont actually believes in, if anything at all.
We know that the press will not pounce upon her for what is an out and out lie.
They may not even mention it at all. But the removal of such a major speech laying out
So if you don't read it anywhere else, at least you can read it online.
Of course it is possible that Ms Lamont did not intent to lie. Maybe she simply forgot that she had said it. There were a few press articles at the time but Ms Lamont's a busy woman and she may not have had time to read them. I remember it particularly well because I was stung by the insult which came on or around the same day that Ms
Alternatively Ms Lamont may just think that we're such a set of half wit Jocks who wouldn't remember what she said in a speech made over a year ago, what with all that running between the brew, the bookies and the pub.
I do know that the Labour Party in Scotland is not overly blessed with computer savvy people since they lost their new technology tsar Bomber Sneer Harris when he used his first excursion into online politics on behalf of the party to depict Alex Salmond as Adolf Hitler (bright as a button that bloke!). However, one would have hoped that they had at least one person who knew about archived pages.
Clearly not.
I wonder if Ms Lamont will own up that she "misspoke" and reveal to us whether this statement and the whole welfare cuts agenda that she was laying out to please her London masters was in fact just a sop to the Eds or whether it is Labour's Scottish/UK policy.
Just for once I'd really like to know what Ms Lamont actually believes in, if anything at all.