David Maddox: Offside MP - the evidence

Following previous posts on the Steamie regarding how fundamentalism and gradualism in the SNP ranks appears to have gravitated to football from a previous divide over a referendum, I have been sent picture evidence of Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil's gradualist tendencies.

If you look carefully at the team picture above of the GB Parliament team against the US Embassy you will see Mr MacNeil hiding on the back row fourth from the left. Quite a serious let down for his party's opposition to a GB team in the 2012 London Olympics.

My contact who sent me this speculated that Mr MacNeil, more famous for reporting Tony Blair to the police for cash for honours, may get "excommunicated shortly" for his backsliding.

As mentioned previously, others have taken a more principled stand, not least Scottish Government party spin doctor Will McLeish, who as a student footballer turned down the opportunity to take part in the GB team.

David Maddox: Spin doctor on-side in the great football debate

MSPs were in the presence of greatness today, although probably most of them did not realise it. Scottish football legend Graeme Souness (pictured right) was in Holyrood's stands for First Minister's questions.

Afterwards he explained: "I'm Scottish and I thought it was about time I visited the place."

The European Cup winner with Liverpool, who also forged a successful career in Italy, may not have been all the MSPs' favourite football figure, especially the Celtic supporters who remember his days as manager of Rangers.

But he remained diplomatically quiet on one of the subjects in general questions which came up shortly before FMQs, the great debate on the GB football team in the 2012 London Olympics.

A question asked by Nationalist MSP Christine Graeme on former Scotland manager Craig Brown's petition against the UK government's insistence that a GB football team will be fielded, brought the usual outraged response from party colleague and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with its apocalyptic message for Scottish football's independence. She promised that the Scottish Government would give a full response to the Petitions Committee.

Now this may be a round about way of coming to the main point, but what we have here may be a new definition of the old and apparently outdated descriptions of SNP members being divided between gradualists and fundamentalists.

The old definition was between those who wanted a referendum for independence and those who just wanted independence without asking anybody, most now sign up to the gradualist referendum view. But the split is now perhaps clearer on the issue of greatest national importance - football.

The other day my colleague Gerri Peev pointed out in on the Steamie how the backsliding SNP MP Angus MacNeil (pictured left) has let the side down a bit by becoming part of the GB parliamentary team - a footballing gradualist no less.

But, it seems that other party members are less willing to drop their principles for a game of footie.

It turns out that former SFA press officer Will McLeish, now one of the Scottish Government special advisers (ie a party spin doctor paid for by the state), who looks like he would fit well into a 1980s team photo, is a very talented footballer.

As part of the all-conquering Scottish universities team, Mr McLeish's name was first on the team sheet. So good was the team that seven of them, including our eponymous hero were selected for the GB University team to play in the World Student Games in Sicily.

Mr McLeish, who was brought up south of the border in Worcester, told me: "The SFA said we couldn't go so we refused to be part of the team. But I would not have gone anyway out of principle because I don't recognise GB as a country."

Now that's real Nationalism!

But it has to be said that Mr McLeish rather spoils the affect by being a devoted member of the Union Flag waving Rangers' fan club and a regular at Ibrox.

I wonder if he joins in with the singing of Rule Britannia.

Gerri Peev: MP off-side on football debate

Entertaining debate this morning raised by the SNP's Pete Wishart on the rights - or should I say wrongs - of a Team GB football squad.

The SNP's Angus MacNeil, tried to be helpful to his colleague's argument by saying: "I wonder whether any Portuguese Members of Parliament are looking for unification with Spain for an Iberian team. I would not think so."

Perhaps, then, he can explain why he is playing for the unified UK parliament's football team, who will meet the US Embassy's side next week?

On a more serious point, during the same debate, Mark Field, the Tory representing the bankers in the City of London, said that the idea of a Team GB was to part of a plot by the Prime Minister to "disguise the fact" that he is a Scot.

And he also warned that Brown's Scottishness would be used against him at the next general election:

Field said: "He represents or is from a country of 4.5 million people out of 60 million. That will be very evident as time goes on. I would not have wished to make that argument before 1997, but his Government have brought it on themselves. It will resonate loudly during the next general election campaign—very regrettably, in my view."

Regardless of where one stands on the constitutional or political debate, for an immigrant such as this correspondent, it is uncomfortable to think that one's nationality should ever be used against them.