And Another Thing…

Tom,

Will your leaflets at the election be giving prominenece to GB? will that be considered an asset?

Well you've certainly got time on your hands, Tom.

So given that *you have all this time on your hands), perhaps you would like to comment on what the Blessed Gordon has done to private pensions in the UK. From your friends and mine, the Taxpayers Alliance

Key Findings

Shockingly, some public sector organisations, including Parliament and the BBC, refused to release details of how many MP and BBC pensioners have million-pound pension benefits, despite the fact that both organisations are likely to have large numbers of extremely well-rewarded retired staff.

Jesus Tom, were you stuck for something to blog about? It's a letter for goodness sake. And a picture paints a thousand words…

Why didn't Gordon Brown visit Glasgow East last summer Tom?
hint….electoral liability….ring any bells?

In that case, that picture of Cameron paints about four words – five max.

desperate stuff. how many pics of GB u planning for ur election address?

Its because unlike Labour there are candidates that think for themselves and do not need a bully boy Brown person. Labour is just so weak in putting up with a leadership that is not fit for anything I can think of.

I will be voting for my MP not David Cameron as if he does not shape up he will be changed.

I know its hard for you Tom to understand but you have ended up with a dictatorship.

You've got to ask why Davena Rankin, a self-described trade unionist (and branch secretary no less) is in the Tory party. Bizarre.

I would encourage you to use a pic of Gordon Brown on your leaflet – the bigger the better. Nail your colours to the mast and go down with the ship.

Well I shan't be voting for her. I've met her, and she's not that likeable either.

Scotland makes up a small part of the UK electorate – although their representation in Westminister is disproportionately large. (Hopefully that is something that will be rectified after the next election). Still, I think you'll find there will be a reasonable number of non-socialist Scots happy to vote for a Conservative Party led by Cameron.

On the other hand, Labour NEEDS to win marginal seats in the midlands and southern England in order to stand a chance of re-election and that isn't likely. Gordon Brown is as welcome as a dose of the plague in most of England. If Labour MPs don't find a bit of spine and get rid of him beforehand, come the election, I doubt if his gurning features will feature prominently on campaign material. And if they have the guts to go canvassing they will no doubt be disowning him on every doorstep they visit!

Oh, and it's not a letter, Iain. It's a four-page leaflet – I've only reproduced the back page. There's no reference at all to Dave anywhere else in the leaflet, and barely a mention of the Conservative Party!

"(Scotland's) representation in Westminister is disproportionately large."

On what basis did you conclude that? It was certainly true up until the 2005 election, but since then, with a reduction from 72 to 59 seats, Scotland has constituencies with the same average number of electors as seats in England.

You are scoring a lot of own goals at the moment, aren't you. Decrying cronyism in the Tory Party, as if the practice hadn't been taken to hitherto undreamed of heights by New Labour; poking fun at Cameron's inner circle, when Brown just wished he had an inner circle; and now Scottish Tories not pushing the Cameron factor, when we all know this will be the first election where the governing party MPs will be begging the PM not to visit their constituencies in the run up to polling day.

Except you, of course, Tom. You're so enamoured of Brown after all. What was it you said? Oh yes, “We can win the next election, but only if we have a new leader.”

Classic, mate, just classic.

Maybe your new maxim should be “Less is More”.

Tom Harris – I'm surprised that as an MP, you do not know that Scottish MPs have far smaller constituencies than English MPs. Nor do Scottish MPs at Westminster have even a quarter of the constituency work that an English MP has.
Scotland now has more MPs than it did pre-devolution, when you take the Scottish Parliament into account.
You're just not value for money, old man. And neither is Scotland.
Plus – Labour are liars. Margaret Beckett promised an English Grand Committee in 2000. She lied, too.,

And another 129 MSPs to boot. Clearly not over-represented, then.

Scotland has a devolved Parliament, which has the power to legislate on a variety of matters which only affect Scotland. Scottish MPs should have been reduced still further in Westminster to reflect the fact that much of the legislation and business carried out has no relevance to Scotland.

We should only have MPs who are representing English Constituencies voting on English-only matters with a small contingent from Scotland, Wales & NI to vote on UK-wide matters.

But you didn't address my main point – Gordon Brown is as welcome in the greater part of England as a dose of the plague ….. you may be featuring him on your General Election material, but I doubt very much that many of your English colleagues will dare (unless they want to lose their deposits, anyway).

Supposing Scotland had half the MPs it currently has, would that mean you would drop your objection to us voting on everything that comes before the House? Okay, don't answer that, I think we both know the answer to that.

And your point about Gordon Brown only serves to prove the point I was making in my original post: are Tory candidates reluctant to feature Dave because they fear he's a vote-loser?

Please don't tell me not to answer. You may decide not to publish it – it is your blog after all, but I do reserve the right to reply if I want to.

I certainly would have no objection whatsoever to MPs representing Scottish constituencies in Westminster voting on everything that comes before the House …. providing MPs representing English constituencies have the same rights in Scotland.

Otherwise, it should be English (Constituency) MPs only voting on English-only matters. I guess that's what you expected, but unfortunately when Labour passed legislation on the devolved Scottish Parliament, it omitted to resolve the 'English' question.

What I find surprising is that Scottish Constituency MPs feel they have the right to vote on English-only matters. Seems a tad unfair, doesn't it?

Please note: I am not anti-Scottish (I am a quarter Scots) but I am anti the unfair devolution settlement.

I've actually only read aghast to the end of the leaflet. Did Ms Rankine really just write that the Conservatives have "won an extra 1,000 police officers and cut business rate for small businesses"

since when did the Torys get into power in either holyrood or Westminster???

last time I checked it was the SNP Government who delivered these, the Torys are in cloud-cuckoo-land

A bit churlish of you Tom, perhaps she feels she doesn't need to campaign on her party leader's coat-tails. Now if there was a party leader I wouldn't want on any literature to my constituency it is Brown. For your sake I would avoid him like the plague when campaigning, even in sunny Scotland.

Th west Lothian question will need to be resolved soon. It is inherently unfair on the English (And this is coming from a welshman!) that Scottish MP's can make decisions that will have no effect on their constituents. Since the present PM won't take action to make the system fairer, maybe Scottish MP's should voluntarily abstain from legislation which only affects their counterparts south of the border. It would be an honourable thing to do.

obangobang
Tuesday 28 July 2009 at 3:52 pm
You are scoring a lot of own goals at the moment, aren’t you.

*****************************************

Quite.

Time was Tom used to at least go outside his greenhouse before starting to throw stones.

Now he doesn’t bother.

Perhaps she is trying to explain to the electorate of Glasgow South what she believes and why you should vote for her.

Her name will appear on the ballot, not David Cameron.

Ah yes, West Lothian rears its head again. Certainly, had it already been answered, James Gordon Brown would not have been able to lay waste to MY country.

In a very few areas, I suppose that David Cameron could be considered a vote loser.

Gordon Brown, on the other hand, could be considered a surefire vote loser in every election.