David Maddox: Good auspices for Homecoming Year

The auspices for the Homecoming Year look good if the desperate attempts by our politicians to take credit for it can be taken as weathervane on how well it will go.
As I blog the Homecoming 2009 is being debated in the main chamber in Holyrood. To remind those who do not know this is the idea of encouraging expat Scots, people with Scottish heritage and those with an affinity (liking or interest) in Scotland to come home this year. It has, of course, been timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Burns.
But almost every politician who gets to his or her feet seems to want to take party political credit for the idea.
Tourism minister Jim Mather has pointed out that the SNP government is pushing it forward and making it a key part of Scotland's economic recovery. Lib Dem Ian Smith has pointed out that the original idea came from former Lib Dem MSP Donald Gorrie and was in the Lib Dem 2003 manifesto. Labour MSP Margaret Curran has credited former Labour First Minister Jack McConnell for taking the idea up and getting it going. The Tories must be feeling a tad left out.
This rush to take credit for the idea can only mean that despite the economic turmoil in the world they think it is going to be a great success.
Part of this is what Nationalist MSP Roseanna Cunningham described as the "silver lining of the dark cloud of the collapse of Sterling." In other words Euro zone, North American and Australasian homecomers can look forward to cheap holidays in Scotland this year.
Hopefully the optimism is well founded, but it will be interesting to see that if come December there is a similar rush to take credit for the year. That will be the real political test of success.

Kenny Farquharson: Flat-pack policies for Labour?

Labour MSP Margaret Curran has been in Sweden looking for ideas on how to get her party back into power.

She's been speaking to members of the Social Democrat party who - like Scottish Labour - know what it's like to be kicked out of government after losing the trust of the people.

So are we going to see some Ikea-style flat-pack policies being imported to help Scottish Labour? Is party leader Iain Gray a dab hand with a screwdriver?

Gray told a Policy Forum meeting in Stirling today: "One lesson we've learned from Sweden is the Social Democrats approach to regaining power. They said to the Swedish people: 'You sacked us now we want to reapply for the job'. The Policy Forum's role is to prepare our job application to the people of Scotland."

Just remember to count the rawl plugs, Iain.

David Maddox: Darling to woo Glasgow East? The answer

Just had a Labour spindoctor on the phone about the Chancellor's visit to Glasgow East.
"It's not what you think," he said. "Although obviously Glasgow east will be a key target in the next general election whenever that is."
He added: "Remember Margaret (Curran, the defeated by-election candidate who has just announced she will stand again) made a commitment in the by-election that win or lose she will bring Alistair Darling to ther constituency to hear the concerns of local people. That's what's happening today, although it will be a quick visit."
From what I remember of the Fort shopping centre in Easterhouse, the first place I went to during the by-election, Mr Darling may need to pencil in a bit more time. There were many shoppers there who had given up on Labour at the time and the relative poverty was underlined by the centre's propensity of pound, charity and loan shops.
But if things get to heavy for the Chancellor there is a shiny Labour Party office there for him to take cover in.

David Maddox: Darling to woo Glasgow East?

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, is in Glasgow today for a couple of engagements, the second of which is to meet "community leaders" at the Fort shopping centre in the city's east end.
Now you don't need a long memory to remember that Glasgow East was the scene of a particularly humiliating night in recent Labour history when the Nationalist John Mason won the by-election and overturned a massive majority to become the constituency's first non-Labour MP.
Is it a coincidence that just yesterday Margaret Curran, the MSP defeated by Mr Mason in the by-election, announced she was to stand again at the general election?
Could it be that Gordon Brown has sent his Chancellor up to woo the people of Glasgow East?
If the answer to the second question is "yes" then the SNP are feeling quite relaxed about it.
"Darling was voted most boring politician of the year two years running," one noted SNP spindoctor told me last night.

Hamish Macdonell - Second time lucky

MARGARET Curran has just announced she is to stand for Westminster at the next election, for Glasgow East, the seat she lost in this year's high-profile by-election.
Ms Curran stands a very good chance of unseating the SNP candidate John Mason in the election and gaining some, limited, revenge for the disastrous by-election defeat for Labour which precipatated the most serious problem for Gordon Brown of his premiership.
"I am a fighter. I said during the by-election that if you want a job done properly, ask a busy woman to do it. There is a job to be done in the East End of Glasgow and that’s why I am putting my name forward again," she said.
ends