Welcome to the arena, Mr Scott

One day in, and the Lib Dems are a flip-flopping. Am I suprised? Not a jot!

Am I worried that this new era for the Lib Dems will have any effect on my life? Nope. Not a jot!

But come on Tavish, you are either deliberately trying to make the Lib Dems 'the big story' in the press, which isn't a good idea when your first move of note, as leader of the nineteenth most popular party in Scotland, is one that has to be clarified, but still leaves us with a...

"So what does he want to do?" feeling.

Silly, silly Tavish.

But maybe, just maybe, there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon, because he's not come out the blocks saying "We will be a major force in Scottish politics" or any fantastical nonsense about taking power in the next election. No, his first move of note, hinted at cooperation with the biggest party, cooperation on a referendum issue, to give people a choice on ALL the options.

They may not say it publicly, but we all know that Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems are pretty embarrassed by their unashamedly childish 'limits' to the scope of the Calman Commission. It's not a referendum if we haven't got all the main options, it's more of a toss of the coin than a democratic decision-making process.

So, although it's muddled, and was tied in with a rather predictable attack on Salmond, who you don't like personally, I'm glad to see that somewhere in your Northern head, there is enough space, consideration and professional maturity to have thoughts of cooperation in running our country.

Because the Scottish Parliament runs our country, Tavish, remember that, not the SNP. The Scottish Government has a numerical head-start, sure, but the Parliament is where you are, and not through parties, not through the Government, but through cooperation, working together, for Scotland and doing what we all pay you to do, is where progress can be made.

But please, please get a clear message, a communications strategy. It's so hard to attack you guys if even you don't know what you're talking about.

Dear Tom Harris MP...

...yes, the Labour Governments have, undoubtedly, done some truly excellent things and anyone who claims they have not is full of blind political tribalism.

You mention the minimum wage, which at the time I was extremely sceptical about? YUP! Cracking piece of legislation. And that's not the only thing you guys have done, not by a long way and on those things I applauded you well, and I am certainly not a Labour fan.

But your post is just ridiculous, it embodies what the Labour party, New or old, left or centre, has become. You cannot deny that Labour is 'not what it once was', but when the Labour Party's only campaign and argument is "Remember how bad the Tories were?", then you're really running out of juice.

Labour are the party that had the slogan "Forward not back", yet all Labour party does is either say "Look what we did 7 years ago" or "Look what the Tories did 20 years ago", and what a shite argument these have both been.

"Forward not back"? Your whole post focuses on a "Remember the..." mantra! Well unfortunately for you guys, you've been in office long enough to have your own "Remember the..." comedy of errors.

Here's just some of them

Remember the...
fucking up of the housing market
2p tax screw up which hit the poor
renewables announcements followed by plans to increase nuclear which was subsequently followed by announcements on new COAL fired power stations
doubling of inflation on Labour's watch
Home Office that wasn't fit for purpose
keeping of Sir Ian Blair after Jean Charles de Menezes
mess surrounding Northern Rock
high flying oil price
election we were all ready for but someone's leader didn't have the stones
time when the country came to a standstill in the fuel protests

FUCKING IRAQ WAR...

...in which some soldiers died SOLELY because of underfunding leading to lack of proper equipment
Government that converted politics into a media spun circus
introduction of PPP into our state education system
whitewashed the Hutton report
Millennium Dome...

...?

So when you talk about "all the things what those Tories 'ave dun", then answer all of these questions before you open your mouths, or shut the fuck up, talk about the future, what you plan to do and impress us that way.

You cannot rest on past successes when you are asking us to vote on how you should run this country in the future. So yes, you've done some great stuff IN THE PAST, but you've also fucked up, royally, in the past.

Nottingham Forest no longer consider themselves to be part of football's European Elite, but under your rationale, because on May 30, 1979 they lifted the European Cup, we should all be calling them powerhouses of the beautiful game. Following your under-used "Forward not back" idea though, you might just realise that they are washed up, not as good as they once were, with a crap man leading the line.

Sound familiar?

So look forward and just fucking do something (and if you can try make it something good, that'd be a start).

(I've spent 45 mins trying to resize that font and it just isn't happening so my apologies)

The flag

Well here's one for the CyberNats to go over-the-top on...

China has banned the flying of the Saltire (along with many other world flags, ie Tibet).

The Nats will have a field day, but to be honest, why?

If a competitor is taking part representing Britain, he/she is obviously not disgusted at being a British representative, so should have no NEED to fly the Saltire, desire maybe, but need, no.

And if they are so afronted by not being able to fly the Saltire while participating as a British competitor, then just fly home now. I'm Scottish and proud. But like it or lump, we are also British, and that is what you are when you are at the Olympics.

I look forward to the childish tantrum that will inevitably ensue from our SNP bloggers, so that I can pity them. Soon enough, we'll have independence anyway, and then, and only then, will we be able to fly the flag, and thenm, and only then, will the Nats stop moaning about stuff that really doesn't matter.