It hasn't taken long for things to get back to normal after the predictably brief cessation of hostilities over Christmas, and another short hiatus around the New Year will occur merely to allow a further bout of festive indulgence.
But this morning's news and views demonstrate that 2013 may largely be a rerun of 2012, unless of course something big happens in the meantime. But Cochers sets the scene in the Telegraph, claiming in his column that many Unionists "now see Wee Eck as the separatists' weakest link". So not much change there then.
In the Scotsman George Kerevan employs the 'economic levers of power' shtick for the other side, conveniently ignoring the fact that "seizing control of the fiscal and monetary levers" seems an unlikely prospect if the SNP get their way and Scotland is part of a currency/monetary union with rUK and/or an EU member, neither of whom are likely to be particularly enamoured by the prospect of fiscal divergence. Isn't Mr Kerevan meant to be an economist by profession?
Meanwhile, somewhere inbetween the two constitutional camps lies middle-class handwringing socialist Joyce McMillan, who chunters on about injustice, inequality and social collapse, presumably between penning theatre reviews. So no change there then either, but amazingly she manages not to use the term 'neoliberal' once!
The tiresomely predictable prize for today however must go to Newsnet Scotland, which seems to have managed regular articles over the festive break, despite claiming that the SNP press office, er, I mean its writers are enjoying a wee holiday.
Onyhow, this morning's is a classic of the genre, and arises from a tweet by Jack (Lord) McConnell suggesting that :"Sadly there are many who hide behind a guise of 'civic nationalism' but if you scratch beneath the surface..." and as clarification later: "You misunderstand me Andy - I absolutely meant there is a nasty underbelly."
A cybernat type then tries to stir things up by claiming that Jack (Lord) McConnell is insinuating that "we're all racist Nazis". And Newsnet conveniently links that to this from Jack (Lord) McConnell, thus implying that he claimed that many Nationalists are racist Nazis: "Andy - "many" is NOT 'all', but there are far too many I'm afraid."
But whether Newsnet just got confused or are deliberately misrepresenting what Jack (Lord) McConnell said, the giveaway is in his use of the word 'Andy', which confirms that he's referring to his earlier comments about many "hiding behind civic nationalism" and a "nasty underbelly". It was the other cybernat who raised the words "racist Nazis", and there's nothing to suggest - other than Newsnet's presumably misrepresented graphic - that Jack (Lord) McConnell in any way associated himself with the "racist Nazis" claim.
But perhaps that was what Alex Salmond meant when he claimed Newsnet was "ahead of the curve"!
Onywey, the purpose of this post is merely to point out that Planet Politics won't be continuing in its present form in 2013, but precisely how it will proceed hasn't been decided yet. Any suggestions on the back of a substantial cheque, please! Or even on the back of an unused postage stamp, which is also of significant monetary value these days.
But a belated festive greetings to my reader(s), and here's to something slightly different in 2013. Because the rest of Scottish politics looks like it will merely resume normal service as soon as possible (as the TV channels used to say in the olden days when they kept going off air!).
2 comments:
Don't give up the blogging whatever you do. Many of the antinat blogs have gone silent presumably since they see the yes camp doing it for them...
Thanks, anon. Unfortunately the current plan is to continue blogging but do so in a more private environment.
Anyway, in the grand scheme of things this blog is of less than marginal relevance to the debate.
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