Camping Weekend!

Off down to sunny North Yorkshire this afternoon for our annual camping get-together - we're using the same site as last year (near Settle), which has little or no mobile-signal ...

... truly wonderful!

Blogging may be light ;-)

Edinburgh Open Space Strategy

Edinburgh South West Neighbourhood Partnership sub-group meeting this afternoon - Transport and Environment Group - which received an interesting presentation on the Open Space Strategy for Edinburgh ...

... all the background details can be found here; and you'll note that the Strategy is still open to comments up until next Friday 21st May.

The proposals for potential new allotment provision appear to be generating most comment!

Coldest May since 1996 ... indeed :-(

This just about sums up the 11th May 2010 for me:

According to the BBC Weather Centre, last night was the coldest May night since 1996, with temperatures dropping to -6C in the Scottish Highlands, -4C in Wales and 0C in London.

Basically - I'm simply afraid this programme for Government just doesn't fill me with much hope for those many people who need most help from the state ...

... and even on the 'constitutional reform' front, I'm increasingly at a loss to understand why the Libs have signed up? The Tories will pass the bill for an AV referendum and then use every ounce of state-muscle to set it up for failure :-(


P.S. One minor, but potentially important, point that seems to have passed without much comment is that the next UK General Election will be on Thursday 7th May 2015 - same day as the next, but one, Scottish Parliament elections ... I can see that causing all sorts of political machinations?

Onwards to 2011

Feels like I've got a really bad hangover this morning - and alcohol didn't touch my lips at all last night ... honestly ;-)

... more seriously - just had it confirmed that the 'Join Labour' section of the Party web-site crashed around 11pm last night under the sheer strain of business - apparently, mostly from disgusted Lib-Dems.

I joined Labour in mid-1992, soon after the Neil Kinnock defeat, when there was a huge resurgence in Party activity - I do sense some aspect of that history repeating itself right before our eyes.

Onwards to the 2011 Holyrood elections ...

"We are united" ... ?

What can I say ... from my admittedly biased viewpoint, pretty damned sickening to see a Tory re-enter Downing Street as Prime Minister :-((

... if that wasn't bad enough, he's younger than I am ;-)

And to make things worse, I've just watched Nick Clegg give a brief, early-morning statement saying that his Party and the Tories "(we) are united" ...

... question is, for how long?

Vote Lib-Dem get Tory

Looking increasingly certain to me now (as at late Tuesday afternoon) that it's a Tory/Lib-Dem coalition which is going to form the next UK Government ...

... so a 'probable' referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV - which is not a proportional voting system) within which the Tories will campaign vigorously AGAINST the adoption of AV;

... is being accepted over and above an immediate legislative guarantee of AV with a following referendum on a true PR system (possibly Single Transferable Vote - STV).

I wonder what Lib-Dem activists will make of that? ... there's really only one way to sum it up, and it's a phrase I suspect we will all be hearing increasingly over coming months:

Vote Lib-Dem get Tory.

Policy and Strategy Committee

Policy and Strategy Committee meeting today at the Council - the full agenda can be found here ...

... important as some of the reports are, I sensed that much political attention was elsewhere this morning :-(

That said, it does feel - to a great extent - like a return to normal business within the City Chambers today ... with no shortage of local work to catch-up on, I can assure you!

Sweden showing the way?

Well, its certainly put the cat-amongst-the-political-pigeons ...

... Gordon Brown announcing his resignation (as from September?) has frankly blown wide open the possibility of an alternative to any Con/Lib arrangement.

And to all those who would argue that the Party who comes second in a General Election can't lead a working-Government, then I'd simply ask them to look at Sweden (or many others continental examples) and its 2006 national election result ... do the Tories really believe that Fredrik Reinfeldt has no legitimate right to be leading the Swedish Government?

I'm not making the 'political' argument for, or against, any Lab/Lib arrangement - but to argue, as many appear to be doing, that such an arrangement is somehow not constitutionally viable (here in the UK) is just plain wrong.

Allotment therapy ...

Therapy for election-obsessives finally achieved ...

... a relaxing couple of hours spent down at the allotment late this afternoon and all potential coalitions were obliterated from my mind as I watched our pond for signs of life?

... no metaphor intended ;-)

Roll on 2011

I know I need to stop obsessing about election results - the sooner I get back down to that allotment the better frankly ;-)

... but, indulge me and have a look at the local paper's prediction for Edinburgh West here, which was made last Wednesday - a perfectly rational prediction that read:

Edinburgh West
The Lib Dems have little to worry about in the seat which gave them their second biggest majority in the UK at the last general election. Ex-policeman Mike Crockart is certain to take over from retiring MP John Barrett. The only question is whether the current 13,600 majority will drop below five figures.

Then have a look at the result - here!

An 11.4% swing from the Lib-Dems TO LABOUR ... with their majority being reduced from 13,600 to a mere 3,803 (somewhat short of 5-figures!).

This was the second-safest Lib-Dem seat in the United Kingdom ... but on Friday morning it became their second-worst result of the 2010 General Election campaign.

In many ways, despite the stunning outcomes for Labour in the other Edinburgh seats, the result in Edinburgh West is possibly the most remarkable?

Roll on 2011.

Rough ride ahead

Whilst suffering total obsession with the national General Election results over the last day or two, the English Local Government election results had passed me by until this morning ...

... you really should look at the BBC table here!

After 13-years in power at Westminster and Labour still manage to GAIN control of over a dozen Councils, increasing their number of individual Councillors by OVER 400 ... incredible!

Just imagine what these figures could be like with a minority Cameron Government running the country??

I really do sense a truly tumultuous 12-months ahead.

Edinburgh Labour overall result

I just can't resist posting this picture ... the Liberals have been so smug in the last few weeks about Labour's apparent
'predicament' in Edinburgh: well I suggest they humbly look at this picture and calmly reflect on the city-wide figures below:

• Edinburgh Labour - 37.1%
• Lib-Dems - 28.5%
• Tories - 19.1%
• SNP - 12.4%
• Green - 2.2%

That's a 'predicament' I can live with ;-)

What's the hurry?

Seems to be an interminable amount of media-debate about the urgency of resolving the hung-Parliament outcome from the General Election ... I just don't get it at all?

Sure; a bit of clarity around 'process' needs to be offered by the various Party Leaders ... and I sense that is now happening ... but if the final outcome takes a few days, as opposed to a few hours, then I fail to see the real problem?

Most of the rest of the world manages such electoral outcomes every month of the year.

What a night in Edinburgh!

Well, clearly I'm completely delighted at Alistair's result ... all the details can be found here.

But have a look at the other Edinburgh results - all linked from here.

There are only one group of political activists smiling today in Edinburgh - despite the emerging national picture :-(

Frankly, these results are a truly damning indictment of the current (Lib-Dem/SNP) Council Administration and offer no crumb of comfort to the local Tories either.

I sense some serious celebrations later tonight, once we've all had a bit of sleep!

Alistair endorsed

So busy in the last couple of days, didn't have time to mention Wednesday's endorsement of Alistair in the local paper ...

... all the details here.

Last week!

'Last-week' materials now being delivered in huge numbers ... I simply cannot remember such sheer dedication from Party activists in any recent election.

Heroes/heroines every one ;-)

Campaigning Sunday

More of those beloved lamp-post posters put up today ...

... final election mailings all completed and dispatched/delivered by early evening.

Lamp-post posters :-(

It's the Saturday before the election, therefore it must be lamp-post poster time ...

... the job that everyone loves :-(

Alistair also out campaigning in Currie, Gorgie, Chesser and Hutchison.