Nicola Sturgeon: she’s making way for somebody fresh.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is resigning after eight years in the role, saying she knew instinctively, “in my head and in my heart” that it is time to step down.
But is there a more calculating aspect to this decision, that has her bowing out when her party, the SNP, is about to hold a special conference on how it should move on the issue of Scottish independence, in light of the UK government’s refusal to engage with plans for a referendum?
Is she hoping that a new, dynamic and charismatic leader will rise to grip the hearts and minds of Scottish people, finding a way to break the deadlock with the Westminster government that she has not seen, due to fatigue?
Let’s not forget that this is the longest-serving leader of the Scottish Parliament, having been in-post for eight years, and an MSP since Holyrood was set up in 1999. If Ms Sturgeon says she is tired, This Writer can sympathise very easily!
One thing I don’t expect to happen is any rethink of the Union and Scotland’s place in it, as some commentators have been suggesting.
The SNP is committed to taking Scotland out of the UK, so any such discussion is redundant to the thinking of its members.
And if anybody in the Westminster parties are inclined to celebrate her departure, This Writer would suggest that they don’t do so too soon.
They don’t know what they’ll be getting next!
Vox Political needs your help! If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers) you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
“I’ve seen it as our responsibility to put onto the statute book here in Wales the regulations that allow that UK scheme to operate here in Wales,” Mr Drakeford said.
“But dealing with the UK Government over the last few days has been an utterly shambolic experience.
“If ever there was an example of making an announcement first and then trying to work out what you meant by it – that is what we have seen since this announcement was first trailed in the press.
“And day after day we have attempted to get a sensible answer from the UK Government on how they intend to make these changes, which countries they intend to extend the arrangements to, and I just have to say it’s been an impossible experience to follow.”
Asked about the issue of air bridges and border quarantine, Mr Drakeford told a press conference in Cardiff that they were matters for the UK Government because the Welsh Government is not in charge of border security.
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
Vox Political needs your help! If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers) you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt are the Tory fools who have created the crisis in the English NHS.
What a message to give the people of the UK: That under Conservative rule, cheats do prosper and treachery is a valued trait for government ministers.
That is the message being given by Theresa May, who reportedly wants to promote Jeremy Hunt in a Cabinet reshuffle planned for Monday (January 8).
The only thing making her hesitate is the fact that the NHS winter crisis that he has engineered – at her request – might cast a shadow over her plan to make him First Minister, replacing the disgraced Damian Green as her de facto deputy prime minister.
Despite all her best attempts at rigging media coverage of the catastrophe, public opinion is that Mr Hunt has made a pig’s ear of managing the health service in England.
With that in mind, why would the British people accept him in the second most responsible job in government?
Here’s how the Torygraph has reported Mrs May’s dilemma:
Hunt when she reshuffles her Cabinet next week because of the worsening winter crisis in the NHS, The Daily Telegraph understands.
Mrs May wants the Health Secretary to take over the role of de facto deputy prime minister vacated by Damian Green last month but has been warned that the timing could not be worse.
She will spend the weekend deciding whether to keep Mr Hunt in his post until the spring, rather than moving him as part of a reshuffle aimed at refreshing the public face of the Government.
It’s ludicrous, isn’t it?
She has to try “refreshing the public face of the government” because so many of her Cabinet members have been sacked after a series of scandals late last year.
None of them are considered trustworthy by the British public, and she is thought to be the worst of all.
As for Mr Hunt – well, consider the reactions to his reported promotion on the social media:
so we can expect to see the Deputy Prime Minister in the High Court for his gross failures against the peoples #NHS don.t think you will escape this one Hunt. https://t.co/JMG1vBa4a1
— Will Never Vote Labour Again **All Lives Matter** (@Isobel_waby) January 6, 2018
Mrs May can dress Jeremy Hunt up as prettily as she likes, but she’ll never cover up his stink.
Vox Political needs your help! If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers) you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Gathering against racism: The people of Northern Ireland demonstrating outside Belfast City Hall [Images: Dermot O’ Lymm, as used by Channel 4’s news website].
A guest blog by Jason O’Ruairc
“What do you not trust those who are followers of Islam in doing? I’ll be quite honest. I wouldn’t trust them in terms of those who have been involved in terrorist activities. I don’t trust them if they are fully devoted to Sharia law. I wouldn’t trust them for spiritual guidance. Would I trust them to go down to the shops for me? Of course I would.”
If you live outside Northern Ireland you might not recognise these words, since the events surrounding their utterance have gone largely unreported by the UK media, and a timely bomb in Derry’s Everglades Hotel has served to eclipse the story, if that were needed. So, just in case you missed it, here in summary is what’s going on:
Quoted above are the words of Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland’s First Minister, given in an interview to John Manley of the Irish News, in which Robinson made a show of support for a controversial preacher from Belfast’s Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle. In a sermon that was broadcast on the internet, Pastor James McConnell condemned Islam as a “heathen” and “satanic” religion, and a “doctrine spawned in Hell.” He also stated that he didn’t trust Muslims and that “Enoch Powell was a prophet,” referring to Powell’s famous 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
Violence against ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland is on the increase; according to one report there are two attacks per day, an increase of 43 per cent from 2013. Belfast is now being referred to as the ‘Hate Crime Capital’ of the UK. Given this context, it is easy to see Pastor McConnell’s words as irresponsible and inflammatory. However, more remarkable is the support offered to this supposed man of God by our First Minister, whose job it is to serve the interests of every citizen. Peter Robinson has attended Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in the past, and says that he will do so again. He is not the only one from his party, the DUP, to do so; notably Health Minister Edwin Poots is also a regular worshipper.
The pastor is reported to be under investigation by the PSNI for a potential hate crime, however, on the BBC’s Stephen Nolan show, aired on Wednesday (May 28), McConnell denied that he had yet been contacted by the police. On the same show he demonstrated a complete ignorance of Islam – for example calling Sharia law “Sharara law” – and he refused to accept that his words were irresponsible, or could be construed by some people as an incitement to violence. In fact, he appeared to be completely out of his depth on every point put to him by Dr. Khalid Anis of the Islamic Society of Britain. Despite being given the opportunity to retract and pour oil on troubled waters like a good Christian, the pastor clung doggedly to his position.
Now, let’s go back to the quote we began with. If David Cameron had come out with the kind of patronising, intolerant, condescending, stereotyping rhetoric that Peter Robinson had, you might imagine that his career as Prime Minister would be swiftly over. But our First Minister, perhaps after consultation with his advisers this time, had no such concerns and instead commenced a half-hearted damage limitation exercise. He almost apologised, saying in a statement that his words had been “misinterpreted,” and accepted an invitation to visit the Belfast Islamic Centre where he made an apology to three people behind closed doors.
On Friday, together with Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Robinson met with the Turkish ambassador to discuss trade opportunities. Turkey is 99 per cent Muslim. I can’t help wondering how the conversation went: was there any awkwardness, or did Peter just pat the ambassador on the head and ask him to nip down the shops for some chocolates? I suppose we’ll never know. Criticism of Robinson’s support for McDonnell has come from many sectors of society. In particular, Muslim healthcare professionals including leading surgeons, have expressed their discomfort with Minister Poots’ attendance at McConnell’s church, some saying that they would be inclined to leave Northern Ireland, and others calling for the First Minister to resign. As I write, Peter Robinson hasn’t resigned.
There have been other political casualties: Hong Kong-born Alliance MLA Anna Lo broke down in tears during an interview as she described the vulnerability she feels every day and the constant racial abuse and attacks she suffers. She has decided to leave politics at the next election, and is seriously considering quitting the country altogether. Unsuccessful UUP local election candidate Colin Houston resigned from the party after being suspended following his haranguing defence of Pastor McConnell on the aforementioned Nolan show, where he shouted: “The Christians are starting to stand up; we’re not having it no [sic] more.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t clear what he and his brethren were not “having […] no more” of. Inexplicably for an Ulster Unionist, he also shouted at George Galloway to go “away back to Britain.” He’d only been in the party for three weeks.
From my summary of the week’s events it may seem as though we live in a sanctioned hunting ground for bigots, who are encouraged by some of our political and spiritual leaders to go out and ethnically cleanse their streets. But despite this pervasive ignorance and prejudice, there is still hope, and I want to finish on a positive note. On Thursday evening a call went out on social media for an ‘Emergency Anti-Racism Rally’ outside Belfast City Hall. I attended the rally, along with thousands of others, and it was heartening to see the support and solidarity for the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland. The fact that so many people came together at such short notice gives some indication of the strength of feeling about the issues of racism and sectarianism in our society. Anna Lo told us that she was going to stay in the country, and was rapturously applauded by all, regardless of their political views. I’m not from Northern Ireland myself; I’m a blow-in from across the water. But my adopted home of over 20 years is the most welcoming, creative, inspiring, and just-plain-brilliant place I’d ever want to live in. I love it here, and I’m not alone in that.
Vox Political needs your help! This independent blog’s only funding comes from readers’ contributions. Without YOUR help, we cannot keep going. You can make a one-off donation here:
Alternatively, you can buy the first Vox Political book, Strong Words and Hard Times in either print or eBook format here:
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. This includes scrolling or continued navigation. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
![Gathering against racism: The people of Northern Ireland demonstrating outside Belfast City Hall [Images: Dermot O' Lymm, as used by Channel 4's news website].](https://i1.wp.com/voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/140601racismni-dermot-o-lynn.jpg)
