V Tree
A large V shaped pine tree on the Antony estate near Torpoint...
Seaton Beach
Located at the bottom of the Seaton River valley this sand and shingle beach is popular with families. At low tide it joins up with Downderry around the headland...
Seaton River
The Seaton River as it flows out of the valley and through the village of the same name...
Portwrinkle
Looking down over the one time fishing village of Portwrinkle. In the background is the start of Whitsand Bay as it stretches 4 miles down the Rame Peninsula...
Well i remember Plaid Cymru/Green candidates standing in the '90s, and of course the recent MK/Green alliance, but i suppose this is different as these are already elected members.
I don't think it will make much difference with the Greens only having seven MSPs and i have doubts as to whether they will have even that after the next election.
The Scottish Socialist Party also support independence and may retain their six seats.
As a member of the SNP, I think it makes sense to be holding talks with other political parties, especially Independently minded ones, over possible coalitions. It shows some foresight and planning to the electorate that if the SNP end up as the largest single party, we have put some thought and planning into what to do next.
From a personal point of view I expect the SNP vote and share of the seats to increase considerably, though maybe not quite enough to beat labour. If anything I expect the Greens share of seats to remain pretty much as it is at the moment, and the SSP to decrease drastically.
Also a coalition does not have to involve only two parties, though it would make things simpler.
There was a problem with this, in that a proportion of Green voters seemed blissfully unaware, hence a large proportion of spoiled papers were those with Green written on them.
Yes and also I can imagine being green doesn't often mean having a social conscience. No matter how liberal people think they themselves are, sometimes when it comes to their own interests/self interest, it's the latter that takes precedence.
I would assume Scotland has more home grown 'Green' activists so might work better in that country. Hope it works well anyway.
Absolutely, with proportional representation i don't think any party will ever be able to govern without coalition.
I totaly welcome these talks, but i don't think the Greens will be enough to give us a majority, especially if the LibDems keep supporting Labour, they may hold the balance of power.
GolowDydh wrote:
Perhaps some were not unaware.
Nationalism has many different forms, and means different things to different people.
Perhaps some Green voters do not like nationalism generaly, and do not understand it.
The PR voting system is quite complicated, there being normal seats and also list MSPs.
The Greens will never win any seats but their MSPs will come from the lists.
Electors will recieve one ballot paper for the constituency seat and one for the list in their area.
There will be both SNP and Green candidates ( and all the others ) on the list ballot paper so people will vote for who they wish.
pothia,
The Greens don't have that many activists, and many of them come from SE England looking for a greener life.
Quite a few of these documents have come to light in recent months, but surprisingly they have not caused much of a stir.
Probably because they have been published in the "quality" papers, The Herald and The Scotsman, where they have generated much letter writing and debate.
Alas, the mass media like the Record and The "Scottish" Sun have a strong political agenda (as their readers would not know what to think if they were not told) and play down these things in favour of stories about celebs and pervs.
I don't think that your average Jack or Jenny on the street could even begin to accept it if we knew what is currently being covered up. It'd be likely to stir up the next Civil War.
LABOUR WOULD lose Dundee West to the Scottish National Party in the next Scottish Parliamentary election according to the results of a poll commissioned by the SNP.
The results, revealed to The Courier on the eve of the SNP conference in Dundee, show the SNP just 1% behind Labour.
Leader Alex Salmond said, “This is obviously a tremendous boost for us going into the special conference in Dundee over the weekend.”
The SNP commissioned YouGov to conduct a survey of 1607 Scots on their voting intentions for the Scottish Parliament constituency vote.
YouGov asked the question so the SNP could identify those definitely going to vote.
There were 949 people in this category—just under 60%—which the party said is a good reflection of turnout in a Scottish Parliament vote.
The result for definite voters for the Scottish Parliament constituency vote was: Labour 30%, SNP 29%, Liberal Democrats 19%, Conservative 13%, Scottish Socialist Party 4% and 3% for the Green Party.
It represents a swing from Labour of 5%, from the Tories of 4% and the Liberal Democrats of 0.65%.
It would mean SNP gains in Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from the Tories and Cumbernauld, Kilmarnock, Dundee West, Western Isles, Govan, Aberdeen Central, Linlithgow, Renfrewshire West and Paisley South, all from Labour.
It would also take the SNP halfway to the 20 first-past-the-post seats they aim to take in 2007.
They said it ties in with local by-election results since May 2005, which have the SNP at 30% and Labour on 28%.
The SNP have won seven of the 15 local by-elections, including in Glasgow, Fife, the Borders and Stirling.
Mr Salmond added, “These results are very encouraging for the SNP.
“We are neck-and-neck with the Labour Party in the polls and winning council seats in all parts of Scotland.
“From Aberdeen and Dundee to the Western Isles the SNP is poised to take seats from Labour.
“We have a powerful message for the people of Scotland, and a determination to deliver a government with the ambition and a parliament with the power to change Scotland for the better.
“Our target is clear—victory in next year’s Scottish election.
“I want to be the next First Minister for Scotland.”
House of Commons debate on immigration
Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Quote Alex Salmond (Banff & Buchan, Scottish National Party
Oral answer from David Cairns (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (also Scotland Office), Scotland Office)
David Cairns continued:
Source: Hansard
Myself I don't think Scotland would suffer a great deal or for long from having to reapply for EU membership. This I would think would be much compensated for by being independent of the London Parliament and the Anglocentric mentality of the place.
Interesting link made by Alex Salmond on Wednesday's (31/01/07) oral questions to Tony Blair. Mr Salmond asked Blair known for his close association with President George W. Bush whether "...given all that has befallen the Prime Minister's men and women in recent days, is not now the more relevant association one with President Richard Millhouse Nixon? Is there a cover-up in Downing street?"
To be fair we ought to give Mr Blair's response which was,
"It is interesting that the hon. Gentleman should raise that question when we are just about to have a Scottish election campaign. Why does he not put to me his case for independence and separation in Scotland? I will tell him why. It is because he knows that that policy would be a disaster for the Scottish economy and for living standards in Scotland. The reason why he cannot raise a Scottish question with me is because he does not dare."
Police name death crash cyclist
Police in Cornwall name a cyclist who died after being badly injured in a collision on Sunday.
Training to distribute aid boxes
Cornish-based charity Shelterbox trains Burmese workers to distribute its boxes of aid for cyclone victims.
Pony pair graze conservation area
Two Exmoor ponies are installed at a Cornish conservation area to help manage the site by grazing.
Gyrocopter pilot had heart attack
A gyrocopter pilot whose machine crashed on the way to Bodmin Airfield died from natural causes.
Sanctuary man jailed over abuse
The former owner of a donkey sanctuary is jailed for five years for sexually abusing young girls.
Lorry stuck between buildings
A wrong turn ends in embarrassment for a lorry driver as his vehicle gets stuck in a Cornish village.
Police save harbour jump suspect
A man attempting to run from police is rescued by them after jumping into a harbour in Cornwall.
Why sweet turns sour for kirsty, 12
A young girl has banned a make of confectionery from her house after reading claims that one of the world's largest producers tests its products on animals.
