Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

This is desperate - remember we were told the NHS would be privatised if we voted No - it wasn’t and couldn’t have been - it was a lie https://t.co/sHuOKzwjfz — Neil Findlay MSP (@NeilFindlay_MSP) April 29, 2021   There's more chance of Nicola Sturgeon running away with Alex Salmond than there is of Scotland's NHS falling into Boris Johnson's hands, but that hasn't stopped the SNP leader from making this baloney claim during the election campaign.  Neil Findlay is right - this is desperate stuff from the SNP.     

My @spectator piece on the fight for Glasgow Southside. It may look as if Sturgeon’s victory is predestined, but ... “Sturgeon looks and sounds angry and exhausted, while Sarwar is gleefully dancing his way through the last stretch of the campaign.” https://t.co/UF7gbybr1D — Susan Dalgety (@DalgetySusan) April 29, 2021 I've no idea if Anas Sarwar is giving Nicola Sturgeon a run for her money in Glasgow Southside, but I think it would be a very good thing for Scottish democracy, if the SNP were to get well-deserved kick up the backside.       Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely If you think the SNP have shown themselves to be a smug, arrogant and overbearing as the party of government in recent years, just imagine what they'd be like if they had an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament.         SNP - Smug, Arrogant and Unprincipled (13/03/21) 20 years ago John Swinney would have been railing against government censorship and secrecy...

I don't believe there's a scrap of science behind the Scottish Government's alcohol ban because there's clearly no greater risk from having a glass of wine with your meal instead of a soft drink (or vice versa). I can also confirm that   having visiting a variety of well-run, well-managed hospitality venues in Glasgow, in recent months, a glass of wine with my food  didn't turn me from Dr Jekyll into a raging Mr Hyde.        Covid Rules Gone Mad (09/12/20) So the latest Covid restrictions announced by Scottish ministers mean that people in Glasgow are still banned from meeting up in each other's households. While we can meet with friends and family (in groups of up to six from two households) for a meal (although only up till 6pm) - no one is allowed a glass of wine with their food. Now that is ridiculous and I fail to see what science is behind such a policy, not least because there can't possibly be any risk attached to someone ha...

  Scotland's alcohol ban is a dumb collective punishment imposed by politicians who think it's better to treat us all as 'Covidiots' - instead of allowing hospitality venues to refuse entry to or eject people who don't follow the Covid safety rules.       Covid and Collective Punishments (11/03/21) Egged on no doubt by her new best friend Patrick Harvie, Nicola Sturgeon is threatening to shut down Scottish football after Rangers fans took to the street to celebrate their league title win To his credit, the former Scotland manager Craig Levein spoke out and told the First Minister where to get off and rightly so because this kind of collective punishment would be completely unfair and disproportionate.     Scottish Football Fights Back (10/03/21) Well done to Craig Levein for speaking out and rejecting Nicola Sturgeon's threat to impose a collective punishment on football fans. It's about time Scottish football showed some solidarity and ...

I've been having a good look at the Register of Interests for elected councillors in Glasgow which makes very interesting reading. Lots of SNP councillors are employed by Glasgow MSPs and MPs, as in the example below where a senior councillor in a full-time council role (Jennifer Layden) is also employed by the Justice Minister, Humza Yousaf. If I get the time, I'll share the details on the blog later this week.     SNP and 'Double Dipping' (15/04/21) Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace as SNP finance minister in Feb 2020 and is probably the reason councillors pay in Scotland seems like such a 'free for all' these days. Because Deek disbanded the independent SLARC committee which acted as a public watchdog to ensure fair pay and fair play. SLARC stands for Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee. SLARC would have advised on issues like the Civic Heads expenses scheme which led to Glasgow's civic head (Eva Bolander) being compared to Imelda Marcos in...

One of Michelle Ferns Glasgow council colleagues has been in touch to suggest that the new ALBA councillor would struggle to write 10 words (never mind a 1,000) about her role in the city's fight for equal pay. I would say that's about right, but if you ask me this kind of terrible behaviour brings politics into disrepute.    Glasgow Councillors (15/04/21)   I wrote to Cllr Michelle Ferns recently inviting Michelle to explain her role in Glasgow's fight for equal pay - by writing an article for my blog of up to 1,000 words.     I didn't hear from Michelle, so I contacted her fellow councillors to see if they can help track her down.  Local councillors in Glasgow are paid a minimum salary of £17,854 for a part-time (two-thirds) role which equates to a full-time salary of £26,781. As regular readers know, Michelle was an SNP councillor until last month, but jumped ship recently to Alex and the Albanauts. Dear Glasgow Co...