David Miliband shows strong leadership by refusing to serve under his brother Ed in the Shadow Cabinet, there's a deep rift there now

Dear All

Ed Miliband becomes the leader of the Labour Party by the union vote.

The majority of Labour MP’s and Labour members didn’t back him, now in his moment of triumph; his brother who he beat has deserted him as well.

David Miliband has walked out on his brother and refused to join his shadow cabinet.

If you can’t get your family to support you then can you expect the public?

Ed Miliband is no leader of men.

He is the best possible gift for the Tory/Lib Dem coalition to have, ineffective and devoid of ideas and charisma.

And he will find that winning will be his high point because it is all downhill from here on in.

At the Labour Conference, Ed Miliband was anointed by Gillian Duffy, a pensioner who was effectively called bigoted by Gordon Brown; she gave him the Duffy stamp of approval.

Pure Labour Party spin for the masses but Ed isn’t already; he seems like a man who has a face for every occasion.

He weaves across political motorway like a drunk, lurching across lanes from left to right to centre.

The significance of his brother’s refusal to join him will be a major problem because it sends a message that the brothers are spilt and soon people will be taking sides.

To that end Ed Miliband isn’t the unity candidate, he is the caretaker candidate for when his brother will again challenge for the leadership.

One interesting tactic adopted by Ed Miliband is abandoning Scotland in the same way as the Tories.

East Coast Weasel Labour MSP Iain Gray has been appointed as the provisional shadow governor of Scotland.

He minds the Labour store while Mr. Ed works on the English vote.

Already; a sign of weak leadership which will leave opportunities to be exploited by others next May at the Holyrood election.

The funny thing is that Labour is trying to present David Miliband’s refusal to work with his brother as “thoughtful and gracious”.

It isn’t, it’s go fuck yourself.

Now, that is a mark of leadership and why David Miliband should have won.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill or legalised killing of the disabled by the state shows that Holyrood needs a recall system for MSP’s

Dear All

One of the most disgusting pieces of legislation that has ever gone through Holyrood for consideration is Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill.

Margo McDonald has Parkinson's disease which is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions; she has a vested interest in this bill.

Some people who are dying want to be remember, she obviously wants a legacy.

But it is the wrong legacy.

She is trying to promote the myth that there is something normal in legalised killing by the state of the disabled.

This bill is a low point in a series of many lows for the Holyrood Parliament.

I would have no hesitation throwing her arse out into the street along with her bill; this shows that Holyrood needs a system of recall for MSP’s.

The fight against this bill has now been taken up by Disabled campaigners who will demonstrate today at the Scottish Parliament.

How any MSP can sit in a room and debate the legalised killing of the disabled is a disgrace.

Inclusion Scotland argues this bill is discriminatory against disabled people and they are quite right, it also flies in the face of government policies on independent living.

This bill is really saying that disabled people are of less value than those who are able bodied.

Next year the people of Scotland will have the opportunity not to return Margo McDonald to Holyrood, they should take this opportunity.

If she wants to die then she get on with it, politics is about raising the standards and quality of life for the people.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Tommy Sheridan perjury trial to start soon, it has all the hallmarks of a political trial and witch hunt, will a jury of his peers convict?

Dear All

October sees the start of the Tommy Sheridan perjury case; you might call it a political show trial.

The show goes on and leaving aside the merits of the case, it has all the feel of witch hunt against Sheridan.

I have met Sheridan on a few occasions, he seems amiable but his political career has died; his big brother appearance which he did for the cash was the last nail in his political coffin.

He still has a brand name but not an effective political base to operate it from.

His fight against the News of the World enters round two.

A new twist is that the beleaguered Prime Minister’s chief spin doctor has spoken to lawyers for Tommy Sheridan.

Andy Coulson, the Downing Street director of communications, the walking dead without the sense to lie down has given a precognition following a request by Sheridan’s legal team.

We could see him taking the stand as a witness in the Sheridan trial.

Sheridan and his wife Gail were both charged with perjury in connection with evidence they gave in a previous defamation case which he won and was awarded £200,000 in damages.

So far he has been paid and this trial in Court will give the News of the World endless profits.

In 2004, the News of the World which specialises in big sensational stories claimed the former Scottish Socialist Party leader had cheated on his spouse.

It was alleged he was banging a former prostitute.

At the end of the trial the police launched a probe and a lengthy investigation followed which saw Sheridan charged with perjury and trying to persuade someone else to commit perjury.

There was a high profile staged managed raid on his house in Cardonald in Glasgow in which nine police officers detained his wife and searched the family home.

This case has raised a few eyebrows Prominent Scottish journalist Iain McWhirter makes the point:

“The histrionic arrest and subsequent charging of the former Scottish Socialist MSP, Tommy Sheridan, as he left his radio talk show, is quite extraordinary. Perjury investigations are very rare even in criminal cases in Scotland, and it is unheard of for such an investigation to follow a defamation action”.

So, Tommy Sheridan will go before a jury of peers and if I was his lawyers, part of my argument would be crafted at the unusual treatment that Sheridan has received.

Scottish rail against people being treated unfairly by the state because they know the state is corrupt.

It seems regardless of the merits of the case, the state has made Sheridan a special case.

On that basis, I think a jury learning how everything was done to secure a conviction using these methods will possibly find him not guilty.

I think not proven has a realistic chance of success, in a court who tells the best story wins.

This is a political trial to satisfy the News of the World.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Unhappy Taxman blocks former Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar from getting a peerage, no ermine for him yet, they said no, no, no!

Dear All

One of things which a leaving Prime Minister does when decanting Number 10 is draw a list of names for peerages.

It is normally a formality and goes through on the nod by the House of Lords appointments commission.

This Commission advises the Prime Minister whether nominees meet the “highest standards of propriety”.

So, it comes as no surprised that they have refused to approve Mohammad Sarwar’s peerage.

Who is unhappy, the tax authorities.

Millionaire Sarwar was proposed by Gordon Brown in his resignation honours list in May, but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said no, they could not support the Labour donor’s nomination.

Sarwar said to play an important part in Glasgow in delivering the ‘Muslim’ vote for the Labour Party at election time.

His son, Anas won a spectacular victory as the Labour Candidate in Glasgow Central but from my reading of the situation, no one else could touch him from any other party because they weren’t credible in my eyes.

Anas Sarwar is there to stay.

I remember him from my time at Glasgow University when he joined the boxing club to try it out, but there was too much carry on his head as I recall, I was a boxing coach there.

The former Glasgow Central MP is said to be worth an estimated £16 million who made his fortune from a cash-and-carry business, which his son liked to remind people how rich his family were.

This delay should be a temporary setback for Mohammad Sarwar but it is embarrassing none the less.

He will overcome this hurdle and will join other Labour Peers such as John Reid, Des Browne and Jack McConnell?

I would say yes because the Labour Party needs donors and Sarwar senior has lots of connections in the Muslim community in Glasgow.

Sarwar says:

“Every issue has been resolved so (HMRC) doesn’t have any objection to my nomination now. They have written to the appointments commission lifting these objections”.

His one real claim to fame was when he rightly won plaudits for helping to bring to justice three members of a Glasgow Asian gang who committed the racist murder of a white teenager, Kriss Donald.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Scottish Ambulance Service records a staggering 11,644 complaints by the public in one year, Labour and Lib Dems will exploit this politically

Dear All

They are one of the people we most rely on when in trouble the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Trouble is that complaints against the Scottish Ambulance Service increased by one third in a year according official figures released.

Such a dramatic rise in complaints is a serious concern because the importance that this service has to the public.

The service does about two million journeys a year which is a staggering amount of trips.

Complaints lodged have been recorded at 477 in 2009-10, a sharp rise compared with 356 over the previous year

Any complaint however is no laughing matter for the families and people concerned and there must be more proactive action to drive the figure of 11,644 back downwards.

The Labour Party will make health a key election battle ground in the Holyrood 2011 election as one of the ‘big three’ that all political parties target, the others being education and jobs.

Liberal Democrat public health spokesman Jamie Stone MSP said:

"Complaints in the NHS fell last year so it is deeply concerning they are on the way up again”.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said:

"We have been advised that the Scottish Ambulance Service has recently reviewed their complaints procedures, and in doing so it became clear that complaints raised and resolved at a local divisional level were not always being formally recorded. The SAS believe it is important for all complaints, comments and commendations to be formally recorded and this has seen a resulting increase in the number of issues recorded as complaints."

This is one area which needs to be addressed because the Labour Party and Jackie Baillie have a track record of exploiting the grief of relatives for cheap political capital.

I have to say I am disappointed that the SAS has slipped back when other services have achieved so much better in terms of performance.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

East Coast Weasel Labour MSP Iain Gray tries to sell the “living wage” con to fool people into voting Labour, limited to public sector only

Dear All

It seems that the East Coast Weasel, Labour MSP Iain Gray is so desperate for policy ideas that he has decided to copy the ‘Prince of Powder’ disgraced former Glasgow Labour Councillor of shame Steven Purcell.

The plan to secure Holyrood election victory is to introduce a "living wage" to a few council workers and present it as a Scotland wide policy when it really only benefits a small percentage of the population.

He says he wants to bring to an end to "poverty pay".

So, how does East Coast weasel intend to pay £7 an hour?

Simple, Labour Councils are shedding thousands of Scottish Council jobs due to budget cuts.

Does the “living wage” apply to those on DWP training programmes?

No!

Does the “living wage” apply to those in the private sector?

No!

Speaking at the Labour party conference in Manchester, he said:

"In a 21st century Scotland, no-one who does a fair day's work should receive less than a fair day's pay. In a Labour Scotland, we will make sure that no-one does."

That commitment won’t be honoured to the people on DWP work programmes or the private sector doing a fair day’s work; they won’t be receiving a fair day’s pay.

The fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay is a Labour Party election scam.

Only a very few people will benefit from this measure, this is such dishonest politics that it is worthy of comment.

The "Scottish Living Wage" of £7 per hour won’t apply to everyone in Scotland.

Another part of the pitch for votes is that the high salaries paid to top public sector employees are hinted as being scaled back.

Will this apply to those who already have contracts?

I suspect not.

The East Coast Weasel said:

"We will need to see pay restraint in the months and years ahead. In particular, I want to see excessive salaries and bonuses at the very top end of the Scottish public sector scaled back. But those at the bottom of the pay scales must be protected. That is why if I am elected First Minister in May I will introduce a Scottish Living Wage of over £7 per hour."

Is there anyone gullible enough to swallow that the Labour Party cares about the poor?

Gray said the payment of a "living wage" to Glasgow City Council employees shows that it works.

But he misses out that thousands of people have lost their jobs at Glasgow City Council.

This plan is limited only to the public sector; most of Scotland will be shut out so poverty pay will continue under the Labour Party.

Scottish Labour has always planned to privatise and reduce the public sector outsourcing to the unaccountable private sector.

Big business or DWP won’t be paying £7 an hour!

But then Iain Gray isn’t fighting for the people of Scotland just for the London Labour Party.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Red and Dead, Ed Miliband wins Labour leadership by the union vote, he fails to win majority of Labour MP’s and rank and file members, not good start

Dear All

The Labour leadership contest is over and produced an expected result, a Miliband won.

‘Red’ Ed Miliband pipped his brother David by the slimmest of margins.

He was the unions ‘stop David Miliband Candidate’.

Already he has declared:

“I am my own man.”

There will be no change from the current New Labour strategy although it appears he plans to do away with the New Labour’ tag as a brand.

The Labour Party isn’t shifting position as Miliband there would be no lurch to the Left under his leadership declaring:

“I am for the centre ground of politics.”

Hardly new politics and hardly a ‘new generation’ as he was quick to spin to the public.

‘Red’ Ed has a problem; he won on the union vote, in Scotland David Miliband received the most first-preference votes among MPs and MEPs.

Ed Miliband is London Labour.

When he made a 10-minute morale-raising speech at a Hotel Suite, his brother wasn’t there.

The Blairite camp of New Labour will be upset that a Brown supporter is blocking the ‘heir to Blair’ and plotting will start in earnest.

Labour MP Jim Murphy ran David Miliband’s campaign but since he backed a loser, he will probably be stuck with the Shadow Scottish Secretary’s position in the new Shadow Cabinet.

So, what is ‘Red’ Ed’s plan for the Tories, bide his time and follow the approach used by Annabel Goldie,he said:

“I’m not going to oppose every cut that the Coalition Government comes up with. I will judge them on their merits.”

Hardly new politics from a new generation!

Now that the Labour Party has Ed Miliband as leader, they will embark on a simple message:

‘Ed gets it’.

Sadly, he doesn’t, his will be a lacklustre leadership, although there is the public declaration of support now the contest is over, the majority of both Labour MPs and rank-and-file members backed his brother David Miliband.

And that is a problem, why work for someone that has been fostered on them by the unions.

I cannot see ‘Red’ Ed making a success of his tenure and the Labour Party will be ineffective for quite sometime.

Ed Miliband has no charisma, comes across poorly and can’t click with public, just like his former master Gordon Brown.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Red Ken wins Labour Mayor nomination, Oona King beaten soundly, Boris Johnson has to step up to a classic ‘Rocky’ contest, it’s mano a mano now

Dear All

There are certain political fights that people want to see like boxing.

Ken Livingstone is to fight Boris Johnson to be the next London mayor.

If successful this will be Livingstone’s third term as mayor.

He has overcome and defeated former MP Oona King for Labour's nomination for the 2012 London mayoral election.

She wasn’t credible and her many gaffes during the campaign showed she wasn’t up for the job as Candidate let alone Mayor.

The joke candidate from the Lib Dems could be Former Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik who hopes to win his party's nomination.

Paper Candidate just making up the numbers!

So, it’s mano a mano Livingstone v Johnson, old lion against the Tory usurper.

Labour Party acting leader Harriet Harman told Mr Livingstone:

"The whole of Team Labour will be backing you. And I have no doubt you will win the backing of communities across London."

Platitudes from ‘Horrible Harriet’, I would be keeping her away if I was Livingstone.

Ken Livingstone is up for the fight taking the time to thank those who voted for him and calling Johnson's administration "disastrous".

He said:

"When we defeat Boris we will have played a part in rebuilding the Labour Party after the general election. Everywhere you look Boris has broken promises and taken his axe to services Londoners rely on."

He should stop calling him Boris and revert to Boris Johnson.

As to Oona King, the deserved loser, she will have to try and find another job in politics.

London is Livingstone, it was always Livingstone.

The mayor’s deputy Kit Malthouse said:

"Choosing to exhume Ken Livingstone is a very odd decision”.

Far from odd it’s classic ‘Rocky’ and if Livingstone is smart he should use that music and ideology.

The Tories are going to lose London in 2012 to Ken Livingstone but he will have to pace himself and run a tight ship.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Precious Mhango gets 20 minutes to plead case in a Court of Law, what happened to the right to a fair trial under Article Six of the Human Rights Act?

Dear All

“Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done”.

This is one of the most important tenets of a fair society that everyone before the law is given equal consideration to fight and present their case before a Court of Law.

So, what does it say that Glasgow girl Precious Mhango has been given just 20 minutes to fight her deportation to Malawi?

It says quite a lot, it says that her hearing is more about process than judgement and justice.

Precious Mhango wasn’t born Scottish, she wasn’t born in the UK, she is however Scottish by circumstance rather than birth.

This little girl came here when she was three years old, she is now 10.

Her mentality, her very being is Scottish to its core that cannot be wiped out by deportation.

Now, she and her mother, Florence have to face an oral hearing where their lawyer will get 20 minutes to outline why they should be allowed to stay in Scotland.

20 minutes on which the future of her entire life will hinge.

So, what should the verdict be?

I would say that they should be allowed leave to remain, too much time has elapsed and this is a special case.

When the Tory/Lib Dem coalition took over there was much talk by David Cameron about respect between the London and Edinburgh Governments.

Scotland has come out and said these two people must be allowed to stay, the Home Secretary Theresa May has ruled out using her discretionary powers to stop Precious and Florence being deported.

The respect agenda died quickly between London and Edinburgh.

They aren’t getting justice in a Court of Law; their fate is a political matter.

But are Scottish politicians doing enough?

No, this problem should have been dealt with long ago.

It should be put bluntly to the English Government, if these two people aren’t going to be allowed to stay then the foreign prison operated by the English on Scottish soil will be closed using any and all relevant legislation at the disposal of Government.

They will have to make alternative arrangements for asylum seekers.

What does it say that Holyrood is so ineffective that two people can be removed from Scottish soil against the wishes of people of Scotland?

It says it is time to be a little less nice and a little less understanding.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Labour MSP Frank McAveety is the highest Glasgow claimer of Holyrood expenses, is he saving up for a 'dusky' Gauguin painting?

Dear All

It is unofficial, 69% of the general public think that MSP's don’t provide good value for money.

Expenses’ is always a touchy subject for politicians as the Westminster Expenses Scandal showed a pattern of greed and excess by some people.

At Holyrood Glasgow MSPs claimed around £352,000 in expenses last year in order to do their jobs.

No surprise that the highest claims come from the Labour Party.

Labour’s Shettleston MSP, Frank McAveety, is the highest Glasgow claimant; he has racked up a bill for £34,192.

But then he has a taste for the high life and Gauguin paintings.

Next to merit a mention by me is Patrick Harvie of the Greens costing a staggering £23,930.

Being a Green MSP, I would have thought he would be cheap and frugal, this boy knows how to use taxpayers’ cash.

£7000 for hotels, I wonder how big his carbon footprint is?

Shouldn’t people be calling him Patrick ‘big carbon footprint’ Harvie?

Tory MSP Bill Aitken ran up £18,250 including more than £6600 for hotels, meals and refreshments in Edinburgh.

And that probably explains his waistline.

Margaret Curran who currently holds an MSP and MP position got a massive £22,433.

And this doesn’t include her Westminster expenses since elected.

Labour’s Transport spokesman is the disgraced MSP Charlie Gordon, his expense a whopping £27,565.

Gordon is more than an idiot, he is an expensive idiot.

With about 7 out of 10 people thinking MSPs are not good value for money, Holyrood has to raise its game quite a bit.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Human rights abusing Glasgow University wants Graduate Tax, this will shut the poorest in Scotland out of higher education, debt during and after uni

Dear All

Last night viewers to BBC Newsnight Scotland saw an interview with corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli of the human rights abusing Glasgow University talking about higher education funding.

Wasn’t he really pathetic?

I see the subtext of his version of funding as making it as extremely difficult for the poorest in society to advance escaping the poverty trap.

What is clear is that Muscatelli and Glasgow University are taking the unionist view against the current Scottish Government.

Glasgow University is anti Scottish and anti working class in my opinion and here is my story.

Muscatelli wants to maintain his expense unjustifiable salary and lifestyle through the taxes of the ordinary Scottish people.

A part solution to the higher education funding problem is to charge English students the same commercial rate as foreign students.

It is said that Muscatelli allegedly favours payments based on the cost of courses rather than a blanket tax and wants this introduced within a year to ensure falling public funding did not damage Scottish higher education.

This isn’t a solution as people will simply leave the UK and is more about propping up his failing university, short term greed replaces visionary thinking.

The corrupt foreigner recently gave a speech as an education conference organised by the Scottish Conservatives, who are a dead party politically to the Scottish people.

Coverage of the event flagged up the feeling of emptiness, it was much like a wake at a funeral.

However, Glasgow University staff like to suck up to people in power to try and make themselves relevant so they trot along.

Student leaders say they were prepared to discuss a graduate tax in Scotland.

There is no such thing as ‘student leaders’ in Scotland and most people join the NUS Scotland to get access to student facilities.

They have no power and no real influence and are generally vote into their positions on very low turn outs.

And most ‘students leaders’ are in fact student members of political parties.

The carrot in the Graduate Tax is that some of the revenue will be targeted towards financial support for poorer students.

That is a sick joke and nonsense.

Labour MSP Claire Baker, higher and further education spokeswoman said a consensus was forming within higher education regarding funding.
She said:

“The case for an independent review is now unanswerable. We need to find a long- lasting solution to the future challenges facing universities and the student support system in Scotland. Solutions cannot be drawn up on the back of a cigarette packet by political parties. We need to take the debate out of the hands of politicians and give it back to the people who live and breathe the sector.”

Clown!

Is she really advocating that hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money should be placed in the hands of unaccountable people with no political oversight?

Did she really say this?

What is clear in my mind is that Glasgow University has very firmly come out as an anti Scottish institution.

This probably explains why they are ranked 128th in the world.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli joins chorus for Graduate Tax, ranked 128th in the World, he wants taxpayers’ cash to shore up his failure

Dear All

It seems that corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli of human rights abusing Glasgow University has joined the chorus of calls for a graduate tax.

So, yet again rather than being original Muscatelli is simply copying others, how very unimpressive and ordinary.

Glasgow University is a financial black hole of Scottish taxpayers’ cash, it would be better if the higher education sector was slimmed down and mergers took place.

The failing university which corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli runs is ranked 128th in the world.

We need only two prestige flagship universities in Scotland and that means Edinburgh and St Andrews.

Glasgow and Strathclyde universities should be merged together.
.
New ideas and new thinking are required

Anton Muscatelli said up-front tuition fees were incompatible with Scotland's philosophy of higher education but really isn’t his main concern that his failing university about to lose 8-10% in funding?

The corrupt foreigner said:

"We have done extremely well in terms of our global competitiveness, we've maintained access, but with the current public funding crisis we've got to look at the possibility that there might have to be a graduate contribution in the future. We have to rule out tuition fees, upfront tuition fees, because that's against the spirit of Scottish education but we may need graduates, once they actually leave universities, on the basis of their ability to pay, to give something back towards the cost of their education."

I have a question for Muscatelli if ‘giving back’ is as important as he believes then why did he assist others to steal, bully and lie by his inaction?

He adds that any model would need to be linked "very clearly" to ability to pay.

Glasgow University gets millions but don’t seem the least inclined to pay money that doesn’t belong to them.

What is needed is bold thinking, tuition fees introduced for English students set at the same rate that foreign students are charged.

If the graduate tax is introduced, it will deter Scottish students from poorer backgrounds entering university.

Perhaps that is what Muscatelli wants, to shut the poor out, my experience of victimisation shows that Scottish working class people at Glasgow University are not welcome but their money is.

You can read my experience here.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Veteran Lib Dem Glasgow list MSP Robert Brown sees the end of his front line political career as rival Katy Gordon eyes top ranking in Glasgow

Dear All

If I was to say the name Robert Brown, you would probably say who?

Robert Brown is a list MSP for Glasgow and with that additional piece of information you would probably none the wiser.

He is however one of the most senior Liberal Democrats MSP’s at Holyrood, having been there since 1999.

A long time!

But because the list system ranking is decided by party members, he is struggling to hold on to his list spot.

The nature of the list system means that in some cases the best candidates in a party don’t automatically get elected to public office.

If they fail to get elected first past the post or don’t achieve a high enough ranking they are out.

Some people however are only list candidates because they don’t have a constituency seat to fight being either rejected by branch members or not standing for a FPP spot in the first place.

The truth of the matter is that some people in political parties are unelectable and will always be rejected by the public.

Political survival depends on popularity in their party regarding the list.

So, if reports are true then Katy Gordon who came second in the Glasgow North Westminster seat polling 9,283 has bumped Robert Brown off the top spot on the list.

She has never been elected to public office but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, experience doesn’t translate into someone being a good MSP.

If Brown is bumped to number two on the list then the Lib Dems would have to work incredibly hard to get two seats on the Glasgow list.

Labour as usual is expected to dominate practically all FPP seats in Glasgow and polling suggests that like the Westminster election they will have a clean sweep.

During the Westminster election, it became clear to me that other parties didn’t know how to campaign effectively and their material was very poor, almost unreadable.

So Robert Brown who struggles to impress doesn’t even have the luxury of a fallback position on the list unless a miracle happens.

And the Labour Party has outlawed miracles!

At 62, if unsuccessful this will probably see his career in front line politics at Holyrood end completely.

The list system in my opinion is not fair and secure, as reports suggest can be open to vote rigging by candidates signing up hundreds of members to influence the result to allow them to achieve political office.

Robert Brown had a good run but now its over!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

If you closed and paid off the publicity department staff at human rights abusing Glasgow University, would anyone notice they were gone?

Dear All

It seems that staff at the human rights abusing Glasgow University can’t get enough of visiting this world famous blog.

Host Name caru107112.publicity.gla.ac.uk

IP Address 130.209.105.51

Country United Kingdom

Region Glasgow City

City Glasgow

ISP University of Glasgow

Returning Visits 92

92 visits!

Given the amount of time they spend on my blog, they must be trying to learn something in the art of communicating to the masses.

One thing which I remember from my time at Glasgow University was the amount of people who tried to copy my work and my ideas.

http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_173205_en.html

You will notice that like me, they use a single picture, double spacing and short paragraphs.

How embarrassing to have the same style as George Laird.

However, looking through their press releases, I am struck also with this salient thought:

‘what’s this shite?’

If they are not careful then corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli might earmark them for cuts and let’s face it, if they are spending so much time on my blog, there is too much fat and time wasting in that department.

Although Glasgow University has a publicity department which promotes the human rights abusing organisation to the world, are they successful?

Well given that Glasgow University can’t make it into the top 100 universities in the world, 128th is a disgrace; you would have to say no in my opinion.

I can’t think of a single thing in recent times that has made a difference to the world, the real discoveries seem to come from other people at other universities.

Although keen to promote the myth of Glasgow University superiority:

http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_172632_en.html

The Time Higher Educational Supplement ranked them 128th; funny enough the publicity department didn’t publish a story on that.

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html

Why don’t they be radical and publish how corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli covered up criminal fraud while a Vice-Principal of Glasgow University?

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2009/08/glasgow-university-senior-management.html

Now, that is real journalism, they must be very sad people down at the publicity department trying to promote such a ‘dead donkey’.

128th place in the world and dropping!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Glasgow Labour Councillor of shame Stephen Curran sends his kids to private school, Glasgow education system not good enough for his children

Dear All

The Labour MSP candidate for Glasgow Southside is Stephen Curran.

He will be fighting what is a key Holyrood seat next year during the 2011 election, some seats will be walkthroughs for the Labour Party but not this one.

It is a seat which will attract a lot of political, public and press attention; it will be one of the highlights of the fight to form the next Government of Scotland.

Stephen Curran sends his children to St Aloysius’ College in the city which is a private fee paying school.

In that respect he shows the same hypocrisy as Diane Abbott, the left-wing MP currently standing for the leadership of the Labour Party.

So, is this an issue that any political party should run with?

No; his money, his kids and none of our business.

Others even with his own camp will notice the hypocrisy level exhibited by Curran; he might even lose some local activists.

Curran is champagne socialist much like Wendy Alexander, unelected as a Tory so uses the next best thing the Labour Party in a deprived area.

English Labour will shore up their Scottish counterparts in key battle ground seats and expect to hear many English voices in Glasgow Southside during the Holyrood campaign.

So, what are Curran’s chances?

On the basis of the 2007 vote under the new boundary Labour would have a slim majority of 27.

The Southside seat is a slightly odd mix comprised largely of the old Glasgow Govan constituency and venturing up into Pollokshaws and extending down to as far as Oatlands and Toryglen.

Extreme affluence and poverty within the same seats which will make for some interesting themes!

As this is no ordinary seat, political parties will be treating this like a by-election and extraordinary amounts of time, money, people and resources will be flung at it much like Glasgow East in 2008.

The Labour Party will be fighting this one as a dirty campaign of smear and negative campaigning.

For the public, they are in for a treat whoever wins as people they have never seen before in their lives will be selling the concept they care about them.

So, even although Stephen Curran is a hypocrite sending his kids to private school, opposition parties can’t use it during the election.

There is an old Glaswegian adage which goes something like this:

‘don’t fuck with people’s kids’.

This goes beyond party politics, this is Glasgow Culture.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

If the Glasgow Labour Party is to be kicked out of the City Chambers opposition Councillors need to show they are a credible alternative

Dear All

One of the things that I hope will happen is that the Glasgow Labour Party will get kicked out of the City Chambers.

Why?

For the benefit of the people of Glasgow who have been treated shabbily for decades.

Money, jobs and contracts have gone to Labour Party members, relatives, friends and donors.

And look what the people got in return, Possil and Hamiltonhill as well as other areas virtual wastelands with little in the way of amenities.

Questions should certainly be asked about the lack of investment in a whole range of services and provisions.

The only way that the Glasgow Labour Party can be booted out is if other credible Councillors take their place from other parties.

In the short to medium term that would mean a coalition.

I am disappointed in the behaviour of some Glasgow Councillors of late who don’t think before they act.

And when they do act; sometimes get it spectacularly wrong.

Others have expressed similar views to me about what is happening down at the City Chambers.

At present the Glasgow Labour Party has nothing to fear from anyone, other parties are not acting as a credible opposition.

Does anyone have a plan to try and win the City of Glasgow from the Labour Party?

I can’t believe that such a plan exists given recent events.

Next year will be the most decisive election in the short history of Holyrood and the Central Scotland Question which I keep going on about will be vital in both the FPP and list seats.

During a recent political hustings which was held in the city I spoke about the need for political education across the board.

Today I see in the public domain proof that this is sorely needed.

George Laird was right again and as usual said it before it happened.

The Glasgow Labour Party has let the people down but so have other Councillors who seek to take their place.

Some of them are not credible at all, today has been a good day for the Labour Party.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Robyn - Hang With Me

Free music - Hang With Me

Are we being served, Scottish Enterprise services an ‘elite’ 2,500 businesses but 28,000 others left hanging, Lena Wilson has questions to answer

Dear All

It is not what you but who you know in corrupt Scotland that gets you ahead.

As I frequently say, we live in a corrupt country.

So what does it say that Scottish Enterprise is supporting what is said to be an ‘elite’ band of 2,500 companies to the exclusion of 28,000 others?

It’s not what you but who you know.

Through-out Scotland there is more than one enterprise agency supposedly assisting small businesses.

There should only be one.

Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise should be merged together forming one complete unit rather like movement to a single Scottish Police Force.

Scotland is a small country and doesn’t need separate Enterprise agencies just people who do their jobs properly.

At present Holyrood's economy, energy and tourism committee is looking into the future of the country's economic development agencies, their recommendation should be merger.

And the evidence for such a merger comes from criticism that they are only helping an elite group of 2,500 companies.

So, what has gone wrong at Scottish Enterprise and who is responsible?

Does the Chief Executive Lena Wilson who has worked her way up the management ladder have some explaining to do?

I would say yes, and the Holyrood MSPs should be asking her questions about the culture of Scottish Enterprise, this didn’t just happen.

Small companies claim they feel unsupported and as we know, little companies are the focus of their local economy providing much more than just jobs, they are the heart of the community.

So, why don’t little companies do not fit the agencies' criteria?

Scottish Enterprise stung by criticism fired back that almost half its budget is spent on programmes that cover all of Scotland.

Unfortunately the issue of 28,000 businesses not supported is the nub.

And you could throw in what about the other half of the budget?

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Glasgow University cries wolf regarding money, why are students only paying £40 and staff £105 a year to use gym facilities, bad management?

Dear All

Blue sky thinking, the ability to come up with ideas that others haven’t thought of is a useful skill for an aspiring professional, unfortunately so many people are lacking in it.

At Glasgow University because of the culture of cronyism, 'blue sky' is only seen by walking between university buildings.

In the face of having to cut the massive Glasgow University budget, they have drawn up secret plans to scrap a number of courses to save money.

I would call it, the ‘Muscatelli pay packet and perks protection plan’.

This is very much like the one track minded thinking that cost 250 employees their job failed civil servant Muir Russell got appointed as Principal.

Muir Russell had only one noted success, the extent he feathered his own nest at the cost of destroying other people lives and careers.

A leaked report has come into the public domain from Glasgow University, marked strictly confidential.

Subjects threatened by the axe:

adult and continuing education, anthropology, dermatology, nursing and social work.

It seems that short term thinking is the only thinking at Glasgow University.

As well as closure other subjects such as:

Languages; archaeology, politics and philosophy are to be reshaped which I suspect means people getting sacked and others asked to take on their workload.

More work for less money!

Although the document was never published, you can expect that a similar document using the same criteria of ‘invest, improve, reshape and withdraw’ is in the pipeline.

Corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli said:

“The document was an early draft of a planning document which we considered but decided not to proceed with.”

So, there are other versions with “withdraw”?

David Anderson, president of the university’s branch of UCU Scotland said:

“This approach is symptomatic both of the top-down style of the current management and the focus on making decisions based purely on financial criteria.”

If Anderson was to pop his head up and look around then he would notice that Glasgow University copies other educational institutions.

The reason for this is simple many Glasgow University staff are members of external organisations like the Association of University Administrators and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

One might ask; is Glasgow University being run by Glasgow University?

Corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli said:

“Having said that, this report was rejected because we felt it would be wrong to look at withdrawing courses when the funding situation is so fluid. We don’t know what the Scottish Government budget will be and we don’t know what the allocations from the Scottish Funding Council will be, so for us to prioritise subject areas at this time would be wrong.”

If it was wrong as Muscatelli says then why are their more advance versions of the draft report?

““The document was an early draft of a planning document”.

Labour Party mouthpiece Des McNulty, a Glasgow MSP who previously served on the Glasgow University Court said:

“In the present climate, it is understandable that Glasgow University should be looking carefully at its business, making assessments about the quality, marketability and the distinctiveness of its research and teaching.”

Nothing about fighting to save the jobs of people already threatened.

Is it not time to close the Sport and Recreation Service which is run by the liar, bully and thief Julie Ommer?

You can read about this despicable individual here.

Why should university funding which is taxpayers’ money fund sport?

Is it not wrong for millions of pound to be pumped into a department which provides no educational and academic benefit?

This is one department which could be outsourced to become a stand alone charitable trust forcing them to make a profit instead of being a drain.

There is no sound financial reason why a student should only be paying £40 a year to use a health club; staff only pay £105 a year, alumni £340 and partners and friends £340 a year also.

People at university should be subject to pay the market rate.

This is an example of sheer excess and bad management.

Perhaps it is time the corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli to look for savings at the Sport and Recreation Service and a few sackings won’t go a miss either.

University greed and corruption is an epidemic at Glasgow University along with stupidity.

Maybe the Scottish Funding Council should sit up and take notice before they find themselves getting subject to a merger like the Police Service.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Glasgow University freefalls out of top 100 uni’s in the world, putting corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli in charge produces spectacular failure

Dear All

The world is waking up to how bad things are at the human rights abusing Glasgow University led by its corrupt foreigner and Principal Anton Muscatelli.

Muscatelli is so bad that even the employees voted no confidence in him.

Now, others who compose the world higher education rankings place the University of Guantanamo Bay at 128th.

And this is a blow to the image that Glasgow University tries to create as an ‘elite’ University.

How can they be ‘elite’ when the senior management from the Principal Anton Muscatelli downwards have been involved in covering up institutional bullying, discrimination, harassment, malpractice and criminal fraud?

You can read about this here.

Going to the right university is seen as a gateway in corrupt Britain and the organisers of the ranking have managed finally to see past the spin and false image created.

The three universities listed as Scotland’s elite universities are Edinburgh, St Andrews and Glasgow.

Glasgow University cannot compete with Edinburgh or St Andrews which are the two powerhouses of academia in Scotland.

The problem is the Glasgow University senior staff culture of promoting from within, the jobs for life’ culture!

The brightest don’t always rise to the top at Glasgow; cronyism is the Glasgow University way.

Despite being flagged up as a failing university, its corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli said:

“Whatever the merits and flaws of any league table, once again it is pleasing to see that there are five Scottish universities ranked among the top 200 in the world.”

Presumably if Glasgow University had made it in the top 100, then Muscatelli won’t be talking in terms of “merits and flaws”.

The failure to reach the top 100 lies squarely at the door of the corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli.

How much lower down the table would Glasgow University be if the real truth of how the senior management operated was exposed?

The latest Muscatelli failure comes hot on the heels of the admission that they can’t manage their millions of pounds in budgets.

Can’t managed budgets, can’t manage their rankings, and they can’t even run a rig process properly without the victim piecing together the evidence.

The myth of Glasgow University superiority is exactly that, a myth.

Now, the Scottish Government will have to have a serious think where to place valuable resources, do they continue to prop up a failing university with a corrupt Principal and a culture of cronyism and human rights abuse or do they invest in quality?

The education sector can’t support three high budget universities, only two, time to relegate Glasgow University status downwards as the second tier university it has become.

Some of their funding should be diverted to Glasgow Colleges where the Scottish taxpayer gets a better return for Scottish students.

128th place doesn’t represent the true picture of Glasgow University, it is much worse and a drain on Scottish taxpayer resources.

Corrupt foreigner Anton Muscatelli should never have been allowed to become Principal.

When you put a failure in charge can you really argue about the result, even the employees have no confidence in him!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Pope's visit sparks major secuirty operation by Police, six month planning produces Police as 'routeliners' and Armed Police lurking in side streets

Dear All

Tomorrow sees the State visit of Pope Benedict XVI like most State visits it should pass without incident.

Despite the threat level being low as described by Strathclyde Police, this hasn’t stopped the Police indulging in a security operation unprecedented in Scotland.

In other words complete overkill.

1500 officers will be deployed in both Glasgow and Edinburgh as the Pope meets the Queen and takes a three-and-a-half mile journey round Edinburgh in the Popemobile.

And then off to Glasgow for an open-air Mass for about 75,000 people in Bellahouston Park.

So, despite the low risk in Edinburgh, between 600 and 700 police officers will be on duty acting as “route liners”.

From a security point of view, they are effectively reduced to be little more than stewards.

Part of the plan for the visit is a private lunch with Cardinal Keith O’Brien at his home in Morningside.

One can only wonder which bright spark thought this was clever, unsecured location with perimeter problems and unrestricted public turnout.

Add to that flagging this unsecured location up in advance.

Sorry but you can’t just take some people seriously.

Iain Livingstone, Assistant Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police says:

“It’s not just Princes Street, it’s the whole route. The airports are also vulnerable and contingencies are in place for anyone seeking to get on the plane, the runway, or make an environmental protest.”

He seems more worried by nuisance protests of those seeking publicity for their particular cause.

Strathclyde Police, Lothian and Borders Police and British Transport Police (BTP) have been preparing for the visit for about six months.

And the best they can do is route liners and Armed Police on rooftops and off the main route in side streets.

That is six months work?

Unfortunately, there will be cranks out, Protesters against the Pope’s visit will be out in forced but restricted to certain areas in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland will be carrying out a “silent witness” protest in Edinburgh; these people are an embarrassment to Scotland.

And the Rev Ian Paisley also due to demonstrate in the capital!

Someone should have put him on the Queen’s guest list to meet the Pope.

Hopefully tomorrow those who have travelled to this event will have a good day and the Sun will be shining at Bellahouston Park.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Has the Lord Judge left the ‘Labour three’ a loophole under human rights law by restricting their right to a fair trial?

Dear All

Previous in the epic battle to dodge court proceedings Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Eric Morley tried a legal manoeuvre to get their case thrown out.

The Judge quite rightly threw that nonsense out.

However, the three ex-Labour MPs are still trying to dodge a date with destiny; they are appealing to the UK Supreme Court.

The nub of their case is I suspect more or less the same, that the criminal courts do not have jurisdiction to hear their cases.

Grasping at straws, they will duck, dive and dodge but at the end of the day, they will stand trial on criminal charges over their expenses.

Although Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice refused permission to take the case to the Supreme Court in the wake of its dismissal.

He gave them permission instead to pose a question to the Supreme Court Justices, allowing the Labour three to make a direct application for a final hearing into the case.

The Lord Judge cleared the way for the final appeal by agreeing that they could ask the Supreme Court to consider "points of general importance" in their cases.

The questions were:

Does the Crown Court have the jurisdiction to try an MP in relation to allegations of dishonest claims for parliamentary expenses or allowances, or is the court deprived of jurisdiction by Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1688 or the exclusive jurisdiction of Parliament?

The judgement will be that the Bill of Rights was written in good faith and as such it didn’t legalise criminality by MPs.

In a nutshell, Devine, Chaytor and Morley are stuffed and done up like a kipper.

Lord Judge may have made a blunder when he refused the MPs legal aid for separate representation by lawyers because he said there was no conflict of interests in the cases but "a complete identity of interests".

Did he have sufficient evidence to prove conspiracy?

I think not, the Lord Judge has left them a loophole which maybe exploited at a future date by their legal team.

So far they are allowed one leading and junior counsel and one firm of solicitors.

The Labour three deny theft by false accounting and say they want adjudicated by the "correct law and the correct body".

Devine, Chaytor and Morley claim that is Parliament which is crap.

Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger and Sir Anthony May had upheld an earlier ruling by a judge at Southwark Crown Court in central London that they were not protected.

The Labour three will have to fight their cases in the same way as anyone else; they will not be getting special treatment in that respect.

However, there appears to be a loophole about them being restricted to one leading and junior counsel and one firm of solicitors.

I am wondering if someone is steering this to a mistrial or dismissal.

Time will tell.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Professor Neil McKeganey of human rights abusing Glasgow University comes out anti legalisation of drugs; he lives off the carcass of human misery

Dear All

The issue of controlling the drugs problem is very simple, legalise drugs, now that the debate is generating more interest, people are now throwing in their ‘two cents’ worth.

A slight shift is the latest piece of nonsense by Professor Roger Pertwee of Aberdeen University who says that drugs users who smoke cannabis should apply for a licence.

Pertwee is described as one of Britain’s leading experts on the drug.

Here is some free advice for him, grow up son.

Pertwee trots out the point that by making cannabis as available as alcohol this would prevent drug-related crime; this isn’t entirely true because the whole drug market must be tackled to effect that change.

Cannabis legalised in isolation won’t do it.

On the licensing issue he states:

“You have a car licence and a dog licence; why not a cannabis licence?”

Why not an alcohol licence and tobacco licence?

Patently Pertwee doesn’t grasp the problem entirely, why should the state have a record of your medical history beyond the NHS?

None of their business!

Organised crime has a stranglehold on the drugs market because of the ineffective measures introduced by politicians.

Politicians therefore are stumbling block; this issue is ping pong politics which stems from ‘tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime’.

It is time to be smart on crime.

Another ill-thought-out point is that he thinks that says that those not suffering from a serious mental illness or at risk of psychosis would be legally allowed to buy the drug.

Those excluded will use criminals to supply the drugs making the licence scheme null and void.

The privacy issue also torpedos the licence scheme as well.

One of the people who lives of the misery of drugs users is Professor Neil McKeganey, professor of drug misuse research at the human rights abusing Glasgow University.

He says the proposal for a licence was “profoundly unhelpful”, he wants the current status quo to continue.

That way people like McKeganey can get large grants from the Scottish Government and others to continue his cushy lifestyle.

Drugs should be legalised, the drugs market should be wrestled away from criminals and the money generated ploughed back into help drug users and others.

People like Pertwee and McKeganey don’t get it, which is rather strange given they have spent decades studying drugs and the people who use them.

The time for change is now and the change is legalisation.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Glasgow Labour Councillors of shame use chauffeur driven cars as their personal taxis, people pay up for Glasgow but it is funnelled to Glasgow Labour

Dear All

The City of Glasgow is sinking under sleaze from the Labour Council of shame; hardly a week goes by when they don’t make the papers.

The latest revelation isn’t really a revelation but more a conformation of what we already know.

Glasgow Labour Party operate the City of Glasgow for their personal benefit, whether it be jobs and contracts for family, friends and labour donors to soaking up the perks of elected office to the hilt.

Watching Labour Councillors of shame is like watching a starving man attack a plate of food using slices of bread to soak up the last of the food at speed and without finesse.

Glasgow Labour Councillors of shame think they are something special to that end they use chauffeur-driven cars to take them to pop concerts, luxury restaurants, football matches and private gyms.

And the price for that is your Council tax.

Remember the slogan ‘Pay up for Glasgow’?

You’re actually paying for the Glasgow Labour Party to live in luxury.

When people think their Labour Councillors of shame are going the ‘extra’ mile, they are actually can’t be bothered to walk five minutes on the flat to even the train station.

The former leader of the Labour Council of shame is ‘Prince of Powder’ Steven ‘bin laden’ Purcell; he put the city through his ‘reign of hell’ before fleeing the city from the Police when his drug past came to the fore.

Purcell was busy destroying infrastructure and jobs has he set about his version of Glaswegian jihad against residents.

As part of his perks, disgraced leader Steven Purcell regularly took a limo to go to the gym so he could work out.

Obviously he didn’t value walking as a warm up or perhaps he thought he was too important to walk the city streets in case he was mobbed like a pop star.

He probably thought that his image as a future First Minister demanded it.

Another trip by Purcell was from the Hilton to the city’s Kabana restaurant, perhaps someone told him of the ‘Golden hour’ immediately after training when the body is primed to absorb food to fuel and repair muscles.

Or it could be that after his work out he wanted to get to another ‘trough’.

Looking previously at his register of interests, Purcell was a keen attendee of football matches, paid for by others naturally. In fact he spent so much time at matches; he could have got a part time position as a football scout.

Live for the ‘Prince of Powder’ was wonderful, free transport to the gym, football matches, the troughs, pop concerts and award ceremonies.

This probably explains why Glasgow was so poorly run.

As well as Purcell using free transport, other Labour colleagues were also in on the act, Jim McNally, now the city treasurer, got a chauffeur to take him to the exclusive Chardon d’Or restaurant and to Gleneagles for a meeting.

Alistair ‘heart attack Ali’ Watson, of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport fame was driven last year from the City Chambers to Central Station, this was probably a study on the difference between road journeys and train.

His excuse for using a car as he was running late for a train, get the next one!

Jonathan ‘three pay packets’ Findlay, took a car to Ibrox on for an Old Firm match and then onwards for a feed at One Devonshire Gardens.

Findlay’s excuse is a cracker he was invited to Ibrox as chairman of the Sense over Sectarianism body, and he went to the restaurant as part of a “culinary excellence” event for students.

Purcell clone, Gordon ‘free dinners’ Matheson, Labour’s new council leader of shame was driven to the Open Championship at Turnberry.

It’s a sick joke and it is time the people of Glasgow decided to take back their city from the Glasgow Labour Party.

Churchill once said that:

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.

In Glasgow, it is the opposition:

‘Never in the field of human suffering have so few ripped off so many for so long’.

It’s time for change.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

£100 million paid to consultants, ‘pals of pals’ culture became rife and unchecked under the Labour Party, we need legisaltion not guidelines now

Dear All

Scotland is corrupt.

It is something which I blog on all the time to show how social interconnecting networks effectively operate like drugs cartels.

Some people refer to it as ‘jobs for the boys’.

Now, more of the corruption is seeping as the public find that Public bodies have spent millions of pounds on contracts to consultancy firms run by their former employees.

As regular readers of this blog know, Glasgow University is corrupt; several former University employees got contracts and opportunities to make further money after they had left university employment.

In other words, we see public money flowing into the pockets of ‘pals of pals’ which in any other commercial business would send alarm bells ringing!

This is problem is a direct result of how the Labour Party operated the quango system through-out Britain.

The cost of consultants hitting the public purse is £100 million a year.

And the kind of work they are doing throws up questions, IT, human resources, management, finance, engineering and the law.

Why can’t in-house staff do this?

And effectively why are we paying or employing people who don’t have the skills and expertise?

As I have said, corruption in Scotland is new but how does it work, quite simple, Government hasn’t a clear strategy for using consultants.

You know it as ‘don’t ask don’t tell’!

The abuse of the system is widespread and endemic right through Scotland, quangos, agencies, councils and police bodies have all awarded work to firms run by their former managers and executives.

I would say that the policy should be simple; ‘you’re gone, you’re gone’, it is a small step in how to stamp this practice out.

Scottish Enterprise is a case for investigation, it handed large chunks of work to the firm’s of one-time employees, John Kelly left a management post at Scottish Enterprise and joined consultancy EKOS Ltd.

He is a director but he made networking contacts which kept him in the loop and minds of Scottish Enterprise.

And that has paid off to the tune of £6 million since 2001, however Kelly disputes the figure obtained under Freedom of Information.

Scottish Enterprise via a spokeswoman says they stand by the £6m figure, but then they are answerable to the Scottish Government.

So, the bottom line is they are all at right across the board and through-out Scotland.

The Tory/Lib Dem Government is pledged to tackle the quango system and they have made a start that work needs to happen in Scotland.

This is an issue that the next Scottish Government must tackle as savings must be and have to be made.

‘Pals of Pals’ culture must be banned.

Opposition MSPs have spoken out because for them this is political capital and there is an election next year at Holyrood.

Labour MSP Hugh Henry said:

“I want Scottish Ministers to investigate these contracts and I will also be writing to Audit Scotland to examine whether these practices represent value for money.
”
Jeremy Purvis, the LibDem finance spokesman said:

“This sounds like a revolving-door culture that cannot continue. It also appears to come at a very high cost to the public.”

Margaret Mitchell, a Tory MSP in said:

“Organisations should have the in-house staff whose expertise would mean that consultants would not need to be hired. But if consultants are hired, as a last resort, value for money is paramount. It is not acceptable to hand out these sorts of contracts without a tender.”

Both Henry and Purvis weren’t vocal about this practice under the Labour/Lib Dem Executive coalition at Holyrood.

Now, they have found a voice.

Much more in terms of legislation is needed, guidelines are not enough.

Corrupt Scotland 2010.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

"International Burn a Koran Day" postponed as Pastor Jones claims deal to relocate Ground Zero Islamic Centre, three people shot in Afghanistan

Dear All

It seems that Pastor Terry Jones has seen the light and postponed plans to burn copies of the Koran.

If he had chosen to do so, it would have been legal under his right to freedom of expression.

Which some people find confusing but the First Amendment to the US constitution is quite clear:

"Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble."

Prof Tim Zick is a First Amendment specialist from the William and Mary Law School states:

"The fundamental principle is that the government cannot restrict speech based on its content, even if an audience finds it offensive."

He added:

"A speaker's autonomy to express himself - even in this deeply offensive manner - is, if not sacrosanct, then very highly regarded."

If the American authorities had want to stop the open air Koran burning event then they would have to use other powers, Jones would need a permit to hold an outdoor fire in Florida.

That isn't glamorous but it has teeth.

Elsewhere in places like Afghanistan, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets over the plans.

And some people have unfortunately been hurt; three people were shot when a protest near a Nato base in the north-east of the country turned violent.

This is three people injured because of a thoughtless act by Pastor Jones.

Whether you believe in religion or not, you should respect other people’s beliefs because that is a sign of tolerance.

In Afghanistan, demonstrators burned a US flag and chanted:

"Death to Christians".

These were Muslims who had just finished prayers.

Jones told reporters he had been waiting for a sign from God to cancel his Koran burning.

To that end he said a deal with Imam Muhammad Musri, from the Islamic Society of Central Florida regarding relocating a controversial Islamic cultural centre due to be built near Ground Zero in New York which came up during discussions.

This Islamic Centre in New York at Ground Zero will not bring peace and understanding as the imam of the centre, Feisal Abdul Rauf says.

It will only reinforce anti muslim feelings and hate.

Is building this centre so close to Ground Zero a good idea?

No, it is like mentality exhibited by Pastor Jones, non concern for the sensitivities of others of a different religion.

Feisal Abdul Rauf like Jones has legal right on his side but not moral right.

Since "International Burn a Koran Day" has caused such a stir others may join that bandwagon and all because Feisal Abdul Rauf isn’t tolerant.

But then he probably doesn’t care what Christians or victims families of 9/11 think.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University