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Published Date: 06 November 2008
READERS of The Scotsman will know that this paper was one of the few to buck the media trend and predict last week that the SNP would win.
The reason? The confidence of some of the more level-headed types in the party, the better organisation and the more sophisticated voter records. And let us not forget the momentum behind the SNP. Nationalist supporters have had a taste of power and
they want more. What is staggering is how many young, ambitious types have signed up to the party. It is the same heady hype that surrounded New Labour when it was more new than Labour. And it was increasingly visible at the Conservative Party annual conference in Birmingham last month, despite a ban on champagne drinking at the beginning of the banking crisis.

Stewart Hosie has just been on Newsnight saying that the SNP has had more promise of support than it did in Glasgow East.

Another indicator was Alex Salmond's mood this afternoon. The FM knows how to turn on the charm when he wants to. For all the accusations of bluster, his confidence today seemed genuine. He was a man at ease with his destiny.

The word from all the parties – even the less hopeful Labour activists – is that the SNP is expected to win by around 1,500. Labour however has reported it is exceeding expectations with postal votes.

I still say the SNP to win...but the fact that every commentator now agrees makes me slightly uneasy. There is nothing as dangerous as received wisdom.

***
EARLY rise for the Tories, Labour and the SNP tomorrow. If you hear something drop through your letterbox in Glenrothes between 5 and 7am tomorrow, don't get out the baseball bat.

It is probably a candidate trying to deliver a good morning leaflet to you.
The Tories' Maurice Golden has arguably made more sacrifices than most to fight this election. Although it is near impossible for the Tories to win, Golden has used up his holiday to campaign...And with just three weeks until he gets married, one hopes he has a very understanding wife-to-be who does not mind that she may have to delay a honeymoon.



The full article contains 375 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

Dougie Douglas,

Brisbane 06/11/2008 01:17:40
Er, thanks Gerri.

Why do I feel peeved after reading anything you write?

"What is staggering is how many young, ambitious types have signed up to the party" - that priceless Gerri - it just shows how far removed you are from the realpolitik of 2008
2

A Better Way,

Edinburgh 06/11/2008 02:49:27
Dougie dont let the words of bitter losers get to you. Gerri knows that the Union is sinking like Southern England. The SNP had 4500 Patriots from all over Scotland over the course of this election and it hurts his poor wee Unionist Heart.

Just wait till you hear him greeting after the Referendum of 2010. Scots will have retaken their land, and will be checking Westminsters Books to find out what 9% of the assets are. Of course we shall have to find out the Debts as well, but with Brown and Darling telling us there are hardly any, we will only have to give them 2 pounds.

After the latest fiasco of the EU getting rid of Trawling for Fish by Scottish Ships, we will sit back and watch the rage all over Scotland, except at London New Labours Headquarters.

Looks like Alex Neil has got an offer for HBOS on the go. It will be on the table next week. Guess what?. Jim Spowart doesnt believe they will need any subsidising from Gordon Brown in England where his heart is.

Saor Alba
3

A Better Way,

Edinburgh 06/11/2008 02:54:01
For all the Patriots on this forum, the latest criticsm of Brown & Darling plan to betray the Scottish Nation, by forcing through the merger.

"A think-tank has called on the government to demerge banks that are "too big to fail". Skip related content
The New Economics Foundation published a report on Wednesday setting out 20 steps to help revive the economy in the wake of the financial crisis.

The NEF said that "discredited" financial institutions which have been propped up with substantial amounts of public money should be reduced in size so that any collapse did not damage the wider system.

Proposals in the recovery plan also included a "green New Deal" to help people cope with the effects of the recession and tackle energy insecurity and climate change.

This would involve placing a windfall tax on oil companies and using the money raised to insulate the economy, create new jobs and reduce fuel poverty.

The report on "the ashes of the crash" also said there should be a moratorium on home evictions related to the crash.

And it said a secure, local banking system should be created by making the Post Offices network into a national banking system that could deliver dependable services.

Other recommendations included a boost in economic support for the local economy; the introduction of complementary currencies and moves to create new public money."

SO HERR BROON IS WRONG AGAIN.

Saor Alba

4

Brian Hill,

Edinburgh 06/11/2008 03:29:17
In the unlikely event that Labour and the SNP are neck and neck as we go into the voting today, the SNP's vastly superior electoral machine will deliver victory.

To cap it all the general mood of optimism created by the Obama victory, 'The Obama Factor', will further encourage SNP activists and potential voters.

The Saltires will indeed be flying tonight.
ps Good article Gerri, thanks for telling it how it is.
5

Finnzz,

06/11/2008 06:42:40
"Labour however has reported it is exceeding expectations with postal votes"

And would this be because of Labour past indiscretions of stealing other peoples postal votes and submitting them themselves.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487145/Labour-activists-had-vote-rigging-factory-to-hijack-postal-votes.html

Never trust Labour. The lies spread by them during this campaign show how desperate they are getting.
6

Angleland Isover,

06/11/2008 06:55:17
Scotsman, buck the media trend, it couldn't be more biased if it was printed in Kent.
7

The Former Mr. Angry,

Perth 06/11/2008 08:48:38
Here's hoping this is one of the final nails in New Labour's coffin. This has been a disastrous 11 years of a mismanaged concoction of spin, lies, deceit, sleaze and the over dislike of Scotland for daring to vote differently.

Brown's management of finances speaks for itself. Here is an empty coat going begging for money when we should be completely self-sufficient and thriving.
8

Tynietiger,

06/11/2008 08:49:27
From Piltonsucks dotcom. On the eve of poll in the Forth Ward by-election, it has come to our attention of a possible serious breach of election rules.
Strong rumour has it and this rumour is reliable, that Labour and their candidate Cammy Day have spent over £2000 on stamps with a view to sending election letters out to voters.
If this is true then the electoral commission must be notified immediately. Since the start of this campaign the Labour party has been treading water. Their timing and choice of candidate was controversial to say the least and this left a number of members refusing to have anything to do with the Labour campaign. This coupled with dodgy e-mails which criticized former councillor William Fitzpatrick, something which Mr. Day denied, this latest potential scandal may well have put paid to Labour having any chance of holding on to a seat in the Forth Ward.
It is crucially important that the election rules regarding finance are rigorously adhered to and if Labour have breached these rules then they must withdraw from this election.
9

PaulW,

Borders 06/11/2008 09:51:36
This had been posted yesterday evening on this thread (it was #1 on the thread), but was subsequently removed by this morning. Can anyone see anything in here that is offensive? Cheeky, maybe. But offensive, no.

Shame on you "Scotsman".

Dear Gerri,

Your red-rose patterned slip is showing. Another example of unbiased reporting. Not. First Minister doing a belly flop, huh? Mature journalism? I don't think so. As for "far-fetched parallels" -perhaps you would like to reflect on the unremitting negativity of the Labour /establishment campaign (Scotland "can't do" anything) versus the aspirational message of the SNP (Scotland, or more appropriately the Scots can do what they set out to do) - if you can't detect a parallel, then you are not up to the job.

Thanks for reminding me why I didn't buy the paper (again) today. Johnston Press must be flush if they are able to ignore more than 650,000 SNP voters out there who are pig-sick of reading Labour propoganda every day.

Hoping that one day I can read an unbiased piece and feel comfortable buying what used to be a great paper, which I used to have much affection for.

I regret today is not that day.
10

PaulW,

Borders 06/11/2008 09:53:24
mea culpa! Shame on me instead. Just realised I had clicked on the wrong blog link. I'll get my coat......

Sorry Scotsman (for once). However it happens so regularly, I jumped to the wrong conclusion......

Excuses over.
11

Calum10,

06/11/2008 09:58:32
What was true for New Labour in 1997 is not true today. Times have changed media campaigns alone don't win elections. Sound bite politics is out. Traditional voting patterns are out.

To win you have to turn people into political activists and that means direct contact. You do that by knocking on doors, by telephone, by the Internet. You harness and galvanise your support to build a momentum to get people out to vote. You make the voters the central part of a political campaign.

That is what the SNP did in 2007 and this is exactly what Obama did in 2008.

Does Gerri Peev think it is a coincidence that the Obama campaign used slogans and campaigning methods that the SNP have pioneered in Scotland for the last 10 years.

You learn from other peoples political successes not be replicating your own past political failures.

12

brusque,

06/11/2008 11:32:24
I'm still trying to come to terms with "READERS of The Scotsman will know that this paper was one of the few to buck the media trend and predict last week that the SNP would win."!!!!!!!!!

It beggars belief that Peev has tha gall to try to make claim to any kind of impartiality, or fairness.

I had to read that half a dozen times to take it in.

Labour must be truly sunk if Peev is willing to lend some support to the SNP winning!
13

Calvinist,

06/11/2008 13:46:24
"What is staggering is how many young, ambitious types have signed up to the party"

Yeh.
The same young, ambitious types that supported Thatcher and Blair.
The same young, ambitious types who ripped-us off through the so called 'service' industries and wrecked our economy.
The same young, ambitious types who screwed it up for the rest of us.

No wonder British/Scottish politics is so immature. God save us from "young, ambitious types".
14

brusque,

06/11/2008 14:33:51
15;Calvinist.
No wonder British/Scottish politics is so immature. God save us from "young, ambitious types".

You would prefer old complacent types?

There has to be a midway............not all ambitious youngsters want to see their country trampled into the mire..............SNP support has whown that to be the case.

Don't make the mistake of confusing those who care what happens to their country, with those who just want their faces in the trough ie. the Labour Party.
15

,

06/11/2008 17:57:21
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
16

Truth Teller www.oilofscotland.org,

http://www.glenrothes-by-election.co.uk 06/11/2008 21:32:10
All at www.oilofscotland.org would like wish the SNP Scottish Government and Peter Grant all the best in the coming by election at Glenrothes

If another MP with Scotland's interest's at heart is elected into Westminster, this MP and the other 58 Scottish MP's could still be beaten 11 - 1 on anti Scottish policies brought before Westminster with its 529 English MP's. (NB there used to be 72 Scottish MP's till they were culled to 52 in 2005)

However one more Scottish voice would be best for Scotland's interests rather than a English Labour Party controlled puppet. (who is campaigning on issues out with his remit as an Westminster MP as disclosed by Newsnight Scotland)

250,000 tonnes of radio active waste from London's 2012 Olympic site to be dumped in Falkirk, Scotland.

Maybe this SNP voice could condemn the "Secret decision to dump 250,000 tonnes of RADIO ACTIVE waste from the London 2012 Olympic Site in Landfill in Falkirk".

Green Party MSP Robin Harper said "Should Scotland's legacy from the Olympic Games really be hundreds of tons of polluted soil?" As reported on the front page of the Daily Mail Sunday the 2nd of November 2008.

BEFORE YOU VOTE READ THE "TOP SECRET" MCCRONE OIL REPORT

Read this "Top Secret" report before you vote, as it was kept secret from the Scottish people for over 30 years.

"the full significance of North Sea oil was not immediately apparent and it still remains in large measure disguised from the Scottish public by the DTI’s"


http://www.oilofscotland.org/mccrone_oil_reports.html

or if you prefer a pdf

http://www.oilofscotland.org/mccronereport.pdf

or read the classified version

http://www.oilofscotland.org/MccronereportScottishOffice.pdf

 

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