Tag Archives: snp

Opinion: How do we answer the West Kensington question?

By Paul Edie | Published 25th January 2012 - 3:55 pm

I swore blind that I would not get drawn into what promises to be a long running battle over Scottish independence but Simon Hughes’ call for an English Parliament to answer the West Lothian Question has prompted me to pen this piece.

Scottish Nationalists wrongly claim that there is an easy solution to the West Lothian Question – independence for Scotland. They fail to remember that we still have devolution in Northern Ireland, Wales and the London Assembly. Independence for we Scots doesn’t make the issue go away for others.

We still refer to it as the West Lothian Question but it …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged independence referendum, Scotland, west lothian question | 28 Comments

Opinion: No is not enough; Scottish Liberal Democrats must embrace independence referendum

By Graeme Cowie | Published 18th January 2012 - 11:53 am

Alex Salmond’s SNP have a political mandate to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence. With an unprecedented majority in the Scottish Parliament and a manifesto pledge, the question is not if we have to confront this issue, but how.

Leaving aside arguments about the Scottish Parliament’s legal authority to legislate on an independence referendum (this can be resolved amicably through Westminster legislation) the Scottish Liberal Democrats must engage with the merits, not just of independence, but also “devo-max”.

Although Liberal Democrats generally support the Union, not all members are so-minded. Some (myself included) are ambivalent or notionally support Scottish independence, …

Posted in News, Op-eds | Also tagged alex salmond, independence referendum, Scotland, willie rennie | 23 Comments

Liberal Unionism in 2012

By William Hobhouse | Published 13th January 2012 - 4:00 pm

There’s no escaping history in our party, and current debates of nationalism, unionism and secession should prompt Liberal Democrats to delve back into the Gladstonian past.

The Liberal Party split over the Union. Gladstone favoured Home Rule for Ireland, Liberal Unionists didn’t, and ultimately joined the Conservative Party. This cemented the Conservative Party as the party of the Union, and it is a position the Conservative Party still holds.

The purpose of this article is, however, to challenge the Conservative Party’s stranglehold over being British.

The existing Conservative argument goes that a Conservative Britain is a Britainthat stands proud and takes no nonsense …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged conservative party, european union, home rule., scottish independence | 26 Comments

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism special: Dramatic independence referendum duel in London and Edinburgh

By Caron Lindsay | Published 11th January 2012 - 3:58 pm

It’s been a torrid few days in Scottish politics.

Since the SNP won an overall majority in the Holyrood elections last year, there has been much talk of the independence referendum they pledged to have in the second half of their term. They have been tight-lipped on their plans.

There has been uncertainty on the legality of such a referendum. Even respected legal blogger Lallands Peat Worrier, himself an SNP supporter, has expressed that the terms of the Scotland Act may not allow it. And amid all the bluster of this blog post from senior SNP strategist Stephen Noon is …

Posted in News, Scotland | Also tagged alex salmond, conservative party, david cameron, haggis neeps liberalism, independence referendum, labour, michael moore, nick clegg | 17 Comments

Opinion: Pity the Scottish school-leavers when English fees rise

By Ewan Hoyle | Published 30th October 2011 - 2:10 pm

I’m a candidate in a council by-election in the Hillhead ward in Glasgow. I’m a Liberal Democrat, and the ward has a big old university slap bang in the middle of it. You’d think I’d be bricking it, wouldn’t you? After the tuition fees betrayal, students hate the Liberal Democrats, don’t they? Well they might do, but I’d like to explain how the real villains in Scotland are the SNP.

The SNP are in fact imposing thousands of pounds of up-front fees on each and every Scottish student and their families. “But the SNP have preserved free tuition!” I hear …

Posted in Op-eds, Scotland | Also tagged higher education, tuition fees, universities | 36 Comments

The SNP’s new electoral software is well worth a look

By Mark Pack | Published 10th April 2011 - 8:55 am

When talking about the party’s plans to move to a new election database package I made reference to the advantages the Labour and Conservative packages bring their parties. However if instead of dealing generally with the electorate you look at marshalling and motivating supporters and members, in some ways it is the SNP which is now setting the yardstick by which the Liberal Democrat packages should be judged.

The SNP has just bought in to a new service from the US called NationBuilder. As one informed commentator (Mick Fealty) has said:

I like it because, 1 it didn’t cost a

…

Posted in Online politics | Also tagged mick fealty, nationbuilder | 4 Comments

SNP ends legal challenge over election debate

By Mark Pack | Published 25th June 2010 - 8:49 pm

The Press Gazette reports:

The Scottish National Party has dropped its legal challenge against the BBC’s decision not to allow its leader Alex Salmond to appear in its televised debate in the run-up to the general election.

A judicial review of the matter was scheduled to be heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

You can read the full story here.

Posted in News | Also tagged bbc, leaders tv debate | 1 Comment

Second police investigation into publication of postal vote information

By Mark Pack | Published 2nd May 2010 - 9:20 pm

During the week Alex Foster blogged about the case of Bristol East Labour MP Kerry McCarthy who is facing a police investigation following a tweet giving voting figures from a postal vote opening.* She subsequently deleted the tweet and apologised but we await the outcome of the police investigation.

I now hear there is a second police investigation taking place, this time into a Scottish blogger who published information that was apparently supplied by the SNP based on postal vote opening in several constituencies. The post (subsequently removed) appeared on SNP Tactical Voting and made reference to three different …

Posted in Election law | Also tagged postal voting | 18 Comments

Ofcom rejects SNP/Plaid objection to TV debate

By Mark Pack | Published 28th April 2010 - 7:20 pm

A message from Ofcom brought this news today:

Ofcom today announced it has not upheld complaints received from the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru about The First Election Debate broadcast on ITV1 at 8.30pm on Thursday 15 April 2010. The political parties complained that the programme was not impartial and was also misleading.

The complaints were adjudicated by the Ofcom Election Committee which may consider complaints during an election period where it is considered that a substantive issue is raised and where the complaint, if upheld, might require redress before polling day.

The Committee considered all the submissions and evidence before it, in …

Posted in News | Also tagged leaders tv debate, ofcom, plaid cymru | 6 Comments

Will the Tories do a deal with the nationalists to freeze the Lib Dems out?

By Sara Bedford | Published 28th April 2010 - 10:40 am

According to this morning’s FT, the Conservatives are so anxious not to have to work with the Liberal Democrats that they are eying a post-election deal with the SNP, Plaid Cymru and even the DUP. Worried that Cameron will fail to gain an overall majority, Tory strategists are drawing up contingency plans with almost anything on offer to avoid having to face up to electoral reform.

Both the Scottish and Welsh Nationalists have made it clear that their price for working with any of the three main parties at Westminster would be a relative increase in the funding allocated to Scotland and Wales. The DUP are likewise going to seek more money for the Northern Ireland Assembly. This will not be easy for a government attempting to reduce the country’s huge deficit, whilst attemping not to upset its shire heartlands.

Posted in News | Also tagged conservative party, dup, plaid cymru | 15 Comments

Why Vote … – the other books reviewed

By Mark Pack | Published 22nd March 2010 - 11:15 am

I’ve already reviewed two of the titles in the new seven book series from biteback: Why Vote Liberal Democrat and Why Vote. But what to make of the other fives titles – covers Labour, Conservative, Green, SNP and Plaid? (Although a UKIP book was also publicised, it never got published as UKIP failed to produce the necessary copy.)

Both the Labour and Conservative books are ‘unofficial’ in the sense that they are by prominent party members, but ones who have no official role in the party’s policy or campaigning decisions – Rachel Reeves, Labour …

Posted in Books | Also tagged adam price, angus robertson, conservative party, danny alexander, green party, labour party, plaid cymru, rachel reeves, shahrar ali, shane greer, ukip | 1 Comment

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #14: As a liberal republican sees it

By Kevin McPhillips | Published 2nd March 2010 - 1:20 pm

Last week, Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, launched the Referendum (Scotland) Bill consultation. The SNP has few aspirations, beyond independence for its own sake. I can’t help but think of them as someone courting a reluctant bride. They keep asking, and keep cajoling, hoping that eventually the electorate will say yes, and let them take them up the aisle.

On Friday, Nicola Sturgeon, who faced parliament about her own troubles earlier in the week, said “this isn’t about what the SNP wants, it’s about what the people of Scotland want”. Well, she’s wrong. This consultation actually is …

Posted in Op-eds, Scotland | Also tagged alex salmond, nicola sturgeon | 5 Comments

Controversial Scottish blogger arrested

By Mark Pack | Published 23rd January 2010 - 8:40 am

From the BBC:

The former aide to [SNP] Education Secretary Mike Russell, who left his post after a row over an internet blog, has been charged with breach of the peace.

Mark MacLachlan, 47, quit his role after it emerged he had used the blog to smear political rivals…

It is understood police took the action in response to emails allegedly from the blogger to his former boss.

You can read the full story here.

Posted in Opposition watch, Scotland | Also tagged blogging, mark maclachlan, mike russell | 7 Comments

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #12

By Caron Lindsay | Published 1st December 2009 - 5:53 pm

Yesterday was St Andrew’s Day, a special day of celebration in Scotland. If Iain Smith, Liberal Democrat MSP for NE Fife which includes the town of St Andrews had his way, it would have been a full public holiday, not just the half day that civil servants can take if they want that the SNP have delivered in Government.

There’s a lot going on in Scottish politics at the moment. Here are just a few snippets:

Posted in Scotland | Also tagged alex salmond, ashay ghai, calman commission, devolution, fiona hyslop, iain smith, mike russell, scottish independence, tavish scott, tax | Leave a comment

Daily View 2×2: 30 November 2009

By Stephen Tall | Published 30th November 2009 - 7:45 am

Welcome to a new week, and the anniversary of the end of the invasion of Iraq … first time round, that is – Operation Desert Storm officially finished in 1995. And happy birthday to David Mamet, Billy Idol, Lorraine Kelly and Gary Lineker and Gael García Bernal. On with the day …

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Richmond Park: Lib Dem Hold (Jonathan Calder)

… some will ask how [Zac Goldsmith's] extraordinary personal wealth can be squared with [his’ talk in

…

Posted in Daily View | Also tagged alix mortimer, iran, iraq, jonathan calder, scottish independence, tavish scott, zac goldsmith | 6 Comments

Tag Archives: snp

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

Search

Poll