Bye Bye Peter MacMahon!

So it's bye bye to Peter MacMahon, moved over to the Scotsman's business desk from the politics. That the Scotsman imagined this guy was a suitable political editor when he was previously working directly for the Labour party says a lot about the paper.

They were never interested in genuine political journalism, instead they preferred to get an Ex Spin Doctor to spin lies and half truths about the SNP. Now it appears even they are sick of him, maybe they think their new Lib Dem supporting hack is more subtle, who knows?

Good riddence to MacMahon anyway, you won't be missed.

Festival is (not) key terror target

This from the hootsman:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Festival-is-key-terror-target.3723328.jp#2425482

Headline: Festival is key terror target

Actuality: "I don't have specific intelligence that Edinburgh is going to be the next target."

This is typical of the dishonest reporting of this newspaper. If there needed to be a headline at all it would have been much more accurate (but less deliberately alarming) to say:
"Policeman warns of possible threat to Festival"

There is a very thin line between warning of possible dangers and actively encouraging it.

Unfortunately since the Glasgow attempt it is obvious that we are a target but it is also equally obvious that we shouldn't be since foreign policy is not controlled in Scotland. Until we are an independent country that can make our own voice heard internationally we will continue to pay the price for intemperate actions and language by senior politicians in the UK and US.

This claim which has no obvious basis in reality is designed to stoke up fear and encourage people to agree to further removal of human rights and democratic safeguards. It's a bit like the UK Government who have in writing admitted that ID cards have nothing whatsover to do with combatting terrorism yet despite this regularly suggest that they might do so.

This British Government is a disaster, it doesn't represent the views of most Scots and without independence we will always be in danger both from terrorists and from right of centre politicians who are desperate to grab more police powers.

Scotland has to fight for a fair deal on new oil negotiations

by former SNP leader Gordon Wilson (writing in the Sunday Herald)

ON THE face of it, this was very good news. After losing the benefits of the oil in the North Sea, Scotland could have a second chance in the eastern Atlantic. Until recently, this has been legally impossible; only the Continental Shelf could be developed. Now the UN has opened up new frontiers in deeper waters - provided the adjoining nations agree.

If Scotland were independent, we would be negotiating the division of 162,935 square miles of sea bed forming the Rockall/Hatton Basin, deemed to be oil-rich. But Scotland is not a negotiating party along with Ireland, Iceland and Denmark (acting for the Faroe Islands) who all have claims. Our seat is occupied by the British government in London. So what's the problem? Surely it will look after Scotland's interests?

But will it? The evidence is that the British government has a habit of ignoring the interests of the Scottish people if they clash with imperial priorities. In the early 1970s, the Heath government sacrificed the needs of the Scottish fishing industry to get into the Common Market. The Common Fisheries Policy surrendered Scottish waters to European competitors. Ever since, Britain has treated fishing as an unimportant British issue.

Evidence from government records, recently issued after 30 years, shows that Westminster governments conspired to deceive the Scottish people as to the value of Scotland's oil, in order to retain the oil revenues for the British Treasury.

Be careful Scotland! We can't trust the Foreign Office to look after our interests. The four negotiating countries are not bound by law on the setting of boundaries, and can mutually agree deals - deals which may not benefit Scotland. As with fishing, Scotland can be ignored. And didn't Downing Street recently do a deal on prisoner transfers to Libya without consulting the Scottish government? Yet we're asked to trust them.

We'd be mad to do so. I have written to Alex Salmond about these negotiations, advising that the Scottish government become involved. We must know what's been agreed in our name and hire lawyers and oil experts so we can ensure any deal is fair. If he is blocked by London, it should be made clear that independent Scotland will not accept a damaging treaty.

Mr Salmond should alert the Danish, Irish and Icelandic governments. I am sure the Faroese, represented by Denmark, will be consulted and this will be a powerful argument for the Scottish government to use.

Gordon Wilson is former director of the It's Scotland's Oil campaign

http://www.sundayherald.com/oped/opinion/display.var.1945357.0.0.php

Plot to damage support for Scottish independence

I believe that the so called Scottish National Liberation Army (SNLA) is a mythical organisation invented to damage the cause of Scottish independence. Any Scots supporter of independence would be aware that any terrorist action would and could only damage our cause which is reliant on convincing the majority of Scots to vote for normal powers for Scotland.

It seems more than likely that this bizarre plan did not emanate from any person who lives north of the border. Someone unknown has recruited a nutter from England to attempt to damage our cause. Any Englishman who wants to kill his fellow Englishmen is quite clearly mad and he has obviously been manipulated by someone else.

I suspect the hidden hand of the British secret service in this plot and in all the other activies by the one man letter bomber Matt Busby which have been reported at convenient times over the years (ie any time support for independence is on the rise). Mr Busby seems to be allowed to act as an extremely convenient bogey man despite the fact he could have been arrested quite easily by Britain years ago.

Man accused of poison plot for Scottish independence
Press Association
Monday January 7, 2008

An Englishman sent poisoned drinks to public figures as part of a plot to try to force the British government out of Scotland, a court was told today. Wayne Cook, 45 also threatened to kill English people "with no hesitation or compunction" by poisoning water supplies, Manchester crown court heard. Cook, of Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, is charged with two counts of using noxious substances or things to cause harm and intimidate, under anti-terrorism legislation.

Americans will welcome Scottish independence

It was a pleasure to see Floyd McKay address the historic events unfolding in Scotland ["Scot free," guest commentary, Jan. 6].

Last spring, Scots elected the first government in 300 years that wants Scotland to rejoin the international community as an equal and independent partner.

Perhaps more importantly, First Minister Alex Salmond is the country's first leader who trusts the people to decide Scotland's future in a referendum.

McKay correctly wrote that "there is little question that Scotland is capable of handling its own affairs." There is no need to use negative words like "separation" or "breakup," however, when far more apt words would be "independence" and "international engagement."

The democratic deficit always struck me, as an American who worked at the Scottish Parliament and government, as curious. Scotland is an immensely wealthy nation — rich in education (with first-class universities), natural resources (including much of Europe's oil), and industry (with enviable financial and biotech sectors). Why shouldn't Scots consider independence, just as their neighbors, Ireland, Iceland and Norway, have done?

If Scots choose independence at the ballot box, Americans should welcome an old friend to the community of nations. After all, independence has worked well for us.

— Jennifer Erickson, Washington, D.C.

From the Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004120603_sunlets13.html

Peter MacMahon - The backstabber who worked for Labour

Here's a few interesting archive articles about Peter MacMahon who despite working for the McLeish Labour administration, the Scotsman still thinks we should listen to his opinions as a journalist. Just how thick do they think we are?!

In fact MacMahon still tries to put his most positive spin on everything Labour does and attacks the SNP at every turn. Is he inspired by guilt? Taking the Scotsman's 5K to rat on his old boss who despite his faults still actually appeared to have some small ambition for his own country something which was obviously lacking in his successor Jack McConnell. It was amusing to read of McConnell being abused in London by his political masters but it also showed the contempt they have always had for the office of First Minister (Brown has only ever phoned Alex Salmond ONCE it was revealed this week). no doubt McLeish's job was hardly helped when wee Wendy used to go above his head to Gordon Brown, nor no doubt was he helped by being advised by Peter MacMahon!

Ian MacWhirter lays out the facts:

The backstabber; It was the ultimate kiss and tell. Peter MacMahon's

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020127/ai_n9626593

and the Sunday Herald's opinion on it:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020127/ai_n9626608

Who knows, who cares if MacMahon's slavish pro Labour pieces are due to guilt over his past actions, what's very clear is that Peter MacMahon is in no way a non biased journalist (if he ever was one in the past) and as long as the Scotsman employs him they show that they have as little interest in the truth as he has.

Happy New Year!

The idea that Scotland is well served by the union is an absurd one. The fact is that (as Wendy Wood once memorably pointed out) England is far larger than Scotland and has far more Westminister MP's and if the analogy was a football match then England would have over 100 players to our eleven!

Our unionist 'friends' appear to believe that's just dandy that it's some kind of honour and privilege to have a poor rate of growth in the economy and to give up taxes on oil revenues, that it's great to be a nuclear target and have nuclear weapons that Scotland does not want or require to prop up a relationship with the US which benefits only one side. Brown's Britain might psychologically require a nuclear virility symbol to maintain delusions of grandeur but Scotland does not need or want such rubbish, what we do need is the international representation that membership of the UK denies to us.

There is a clear choice nowadays between those who want normal powers for our country and those who want to see a situation continue where we have a pocket money parliament which lacks crucial political powers. Between those who want no Scottish representation at the UN or the EU and those who want proper representation.

Between those who want to hold a conversation about self government and those who just want to provide the bare minimum of powers that won't upset their party leaders in London.We know where Labour stand and it's not in Scotland's corner. If they are getting cuffed in the polls then it is well deserved.

When the Tories ignored Scottish opinion they achieved long term pariah status. labour deserve the same and their former junior partner the risible undemocratic liberal party deserve to go down as well.

Happy New Year all!

Last year was the year when for the first time the largest group of Scots voters voted for a party that believes in Scotland. I'm very proud of that achievement particularly when the press coverage was so ridiculously biased against the SNP.