Dear All
As one of Scotland’s top political bloggers
I was lucky enough to go along to the 100 day launch at Better Together in
Glasgow.
So, here is the low down from your trusty
on the scene blogger.
The event was well run and it was packed
out to the rafters with volunteers and the press, TV crews were out in full
force, you name it and they were there. As I remarked to a woman whose daughter
was the event host, you know it is serious when Bernard Ponsonby turns up.
The venue was in Maryhill at the Community
Hall, the political mix was from all parties, I ended up speaking to candidates
and MPs, Better together staff and volunteers to get sense of the general mood.
The mood was good and very upbeat.
The speech by Alistair Darling was great, I
have to say it was really impressive stuff, but this was first and foremost
about ordinary people, one by one, the event host introduced them to give their
story of what they planned to do to keep Scotland part of the UK.
Alistair Darling signaled that the three
main pro-UK parties are on the brink of an unprecedented joint pledge to
guarantee more powers for the Scottish Parliament if voters reject
independence.
This is a historic political moment, that Labour,
the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats will all come together to renew their
commitments to devolution.
Politically it is every smart indeed, it
rather takes the wind further out of the sails of the Nationalists who are
looking increasing out of touch with current events.
Alistair Darling told me and the rest of
the gathering:
"When voters go to the polls on
September 18, I want every voter to understand that within the United Kingdom
change and progress is coming to Scotland, under-pinned by the commitments of
all three parties. We will be offering the guarantee of a constitutional future
for Scotland which corresponds with what the great majority of Scots have told
us they want."
His simple message to the offer of the
Nationalists!
No thanks!
No thanks!
No thanks!
Holyrood is to get extra powers, including
greater control over income tax.
Alex Salmond charge against the Unionist
parties is looking rather hollow now; he said it would be "very foolish to
rely on promises from Unionist parties".
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Salmond
argued:
"We shouldn't rely on pre-referendum
promises by parties which are under pressure. The only guarantee of getting
more powers is to vote Yes on 18 September."
Pressure!
Is that anything like the pressure he
displayed when the leader of the free world President Obama said No thanks to
him and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon?
He looked like he was going from there to
cry straight into his sugar puffs!
I took the opportunity to catch up with
Labour MP Jim Murphy and finally got to meet Iain McGill who recently stood as
an MEP candidate for the Scottish Conservatives; both made interesting positive
points about the campaign.
In conclusion the 100 day pledge event was
a success, well run, well managed and everyone was very welcoming, the vibe was
very upbeat as the Scottish independence debate moves into the final 100 days.
One thing is certain, Alex Salmond and
unpopular Nicola Sturgeon are going to be in a hell of a fight, they have never
fought against an entire country before; well they are now.
If Alex Salmond had witnessed this event first hand he would be well unhappy with what he saw.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow
University
1 comment:
Alex Salmond on the Andrew Marr show claimed that the latest poll showed support for Yes was 46%, Ipsos MORI poll actually said 34% yes 56% No 10% dk. He continually makes up figures and statistics with apparent impunity. It is all smoke and mirrors, but the media are allowing him to get away with it. He should be challenged on the spot and shown up for the conman he realy is.
I would be in favour of surcharging the SNP leadership, when a No vote is delivered,for wasting goernment time and £m's on this hobbyhorse project.
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