David Maddox: Why Labour hate the Welsh vote

Given the last few days this could be a blog about how Labour lost the popular vote in Wales for the first time since 1979 in last week's European election, the first time that the Tories have topped the principalities there, but its not.

Instead step forward Andrew Welsh (top left), the quiet Nationalist MSP for Angus current convener of the Finance Committee who has been a fixture in Scottish politics for the last 35 years (with an eight year gap between 1979 and 1987).

As the youngish MP for South Angus, elected aged 30 in 1974, he was part of the famous gang of Nationalists (top right, Andrew Welsh is second from the right) led by Winnie Ewing whose votes in the famous vote of no confidence in Callaghan's Labour government brought about the 1979 election and the start of the long years of Conservative rule under Margaret Thatcher (bottom left).

As a result, this morning in the Conservative sponsored debate in Holyrood calling for another general election, following the Nationalist one in Westminster yesterday, Mr Welsh has been a particular focus of attention for Labour MSPs.

They have been busy telling him and those outside Holyrood taking any notice, that the SNP "pact with the devil" in 1979 led to a particularly dark period in Scottish history, culminating in the poll tax being imposed North of the border.

So Labour MSPs in high dudgeon spent much of their time demanding that Mr Welsh apologise for letting Mrs T in. It goes without saying that Mr Welsh, in his usual style, politely and demurely refused.

The Labour could, however, have also pointed out, but they did not, that it led to the Nationalists being routed at the polls 30 years ago including poor old Mr Welsh losing his seat to the Tories. There was also the small matter of a civil war amongst the SNP's ranks with the emergence of the radical 1979 Group including present day party luminaries such as Alex Salmond, Kenny MacAskill, Stewart Stevenson and Roseanna Cunningham.

How times have changed and yet in Mr Welsh's voting habits not.

Chris Mackie: 30 years on again (2)

There was a fair smattering of blue rinses and pinstripe suits in evidence at the Signet Library last night as a packed house settled to watch some political pugilism over Margaret Thatcher's legacy on the 30th anniversary of her election victory. Debating the motion "Margaret Thatcher did more good than harm for Scotland" were some political heavyweights marshalled by the affable presence of referee/chairman, Bernard Ponsonby.

In the blue corner sat Malcolm Rifkind - holder of ministerial office for the entire span of the last Tory government, - and David McLetchie - a self confessed Conservative foot soldier in 1979 - lined up to defend Maggie's legacy, looking every inch the Conservative politicians they are.

In the red and yellow corner were "Wee" Brian Wilson - a former Labour MP and secretary of state for energy - and Jim Sillars - the former deputy leader of the SNP, who ribbed Malcolm Rifkind about being the "former Governor General of Scotland". Sillars was cheered on by wife Margo MacDonald, sat, disconcertingly for the Tories on the panel, directly in front of the lectern in an unmissable floral blouse, ready to offer them withering looks when required. There was even an icy Margo stare and sharp retort directed at her husband when he declared that he was, along with Brian Wilson, one of the only two socialists in Edinburgh.

Before each speaker got into the meat of his argument, however, they took the opportunity to warm up the crowd with some humorous banter - each of them pretty successfully it has to be said. But whose humorous banter landed the knockout blow? You be the judge:

Malcolm Rifkind:

"Brian Wilson and I are both former ministers and when you retire as a minister it's quite traumatic. The best definition I heard of what retirement means for a minister is 'when you climb into the back of your car and it doesn't go anywhere'."

Brian Wilson:

"It is a great pleasure to line up against Malcolm Riflkind and welcome him back from Thatcherite exile in Kensington and Chelsea - one of the few recorded successes of the Year of Homecoming."


David McLetchie:

"Last year I spoke at a conference in St Andrews on Saint Andrews' day and I told the audience that Saint Andrew had never set foot in Scotland; had never heard of Scotland; that Scotland, as Scotland did not exist when he was alive and that his connection with Scotland was tenuous to say the least, being based on a small bag of some of his bones being brought to Scotland by a Monk now known as Saint Rule. Nevertheless, he became Scotland's patron saint, which just goes to show that the less you do for this country of ours, the more you are appreciated. That is, of course, because nobody kent his faither."

Jim Sillars:

"When I won the Govan by-election, the poll tax was a very important and pertinent matter and I was always very grateful there wasn't a camera present at Govan Cross one day because I had just finished shouting, about 60 times, 'Ah'm no going tae pay Thatcher's poll tax".
"And a man came up to me and said 'Ah don't know what the hell you're talkin' aboot - she disnae stay here'."

And, as a bonus gag:

"Alistair Darling is the first Trotskyist who ever nationalised a bank and was unhappy about it."

For my money, Jim Sillars just about shaded the comedy, but his side was defeated in the debate, with a close win for the Blues confirmed only after a second show of hands.

You can read full coverage of the discussions in the Government and Public Affairs section of tomorrow's Scotsman.

Chris Mackie, edits the Scotsman's Government and Public Affairs pages where he will be providing a fuller write-up on Thursday.

David Maddox: 30 years on again

Whilst on the subject of Mrs Thatcher's famous victory, I noticed a strange but perhaps accidental tribute to the Iron Lady in Glasgow on Saturday night.
If it was a tribute it was a back-handed one by Bob Dylan, who was performing at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.
His opening number was I aint going to work on Maggie's farm no more, which of course became an anthem up in Scotland and elsewhere of the various groupings opposed to her and her works. I played it on the day she resigned much to the disgust of fellow schoolboys at the independent school I attended.
The tributes will go on though. This evening there will be an interesting debate at the The Signet Library, Parliament Square, Edinburgh tonight - "We in Scotland" Thatcherism in a Cold Climate where former Scottish Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP and former Scottish Conservative leader David McLetchie MSP will go head to head with former Labour minister Brian Wilson and former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars.
It will be promoting the excellent journalist and historian David Torrance's new book by the same name. Tickets are £6 a head and it starts at 6.30pm.

David Maddox: For Foulkes Sake (9) - 30 years on

Not for the first time I've just had a strange telephone conversation with Lord George Foulkes, MSP for the Lothians, Baron of Cumnock, First Lord of the Twittery.
He asked me if I was watching BBC Parliament's replay of the coverage of the 1979 election.
There are several TV sets uned into it in several of the hacks' offices in Holyrood.
The programme is running to mark the 30th anniversary of Margaret Thatcher's historic victory.
But why would Lord George want to relive the election which saw his party out of office for 18 years?
"Well it wasn't so sad for me," he said. "South Ayrshire's result is just coming up and I'm just checking if I won again."
Of course, that was when he was first elected as an MP and from the coverage there are some familiar but much younger looking faces of people well known now in Holyrood, not least Margo MacDonald and George Reid, then both of the SNP, losing their seats after siding with the Tories to force the election.

As a Westminster career was born others died. and as one of the commenters has just reminded me Lord Foulkes beat former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars to get his seat.

David Maddox: Where Thatcher feared to tread

After the high drama of yesterday's budget debate we are back to the more mundane issues of the Thursday morning subject debates. These, as we have learnt with the SNP's support for the Green's £1billion free insulation scheme in November and unwillingness to add it to yesterday's budget, have all the meaning and substance of toilet paper being flushed down the lavvy.

But, interestingly, this morning we start with SNP plans to lease out large tracks of land run by the Forestry Commission for 75 years.

The "creative proposal," as Environment Minister Mike Russell put it, came from Rothschilds, the international financiers, historically most famous for lending money to Benjamin Disraeli to fund the Suez Canal.

Labour have pointed out that the same idea was floated by Rothschilds to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and she rejected it as "a privatisation too far."

So there we have it the SNP are willing to go where even Margaret Thatcher balked. However, in their defence this far from being a straightforward debate. Mr Russell has made it clear that he watered down the Rothschild proposal and he argues that this is the only way to fund large scale extra forestation needed to meet Scotland's climate change targets.

The trouble with this row is that it is hard to see the wood for the trees.