What a mess – candidate selection, the choice of the people, the choice of the association members – gone – instead  Tory central office impose their selection on local associations, complain, kick against the machine and your funding goes – simple. Benedict Brogan covers this dilemma well in the telegraph today:

“trust is a toxic issue for the Conservatives internally, and for Cameron’s leadership. Those few Tories who have taken to the airwaves to press for a referendum this week have muttered ominously about it being a point of honour for the leader, effectively a suggestion that he himself may not be a man to go tiger-shooting with. And in the background, the problem of the poisoned relations between party headquarters and the grassroots over candidate selection continues to fester. If you are a Conservative in South West Norfolk, for example, you trusted the Tory high command to alert you if there was anything worth knowing about Elizabeth Truss, the new candidate, only to be told that to find out about her private life, you should have put your faith in Google instead.

Across the country, trust – or the lack of it – strains the relationship between the centre and constituency associations. The former is unwilling to leave the choice of future MPs to the latter. The associations in turn are contemptuous of what they say is the discrepancy between Conservative HQ’s talk of localism and its policy of imposing Identikit candidates from Notting Hill casting.”

And add a U turn on Europe and Lord Ashcroft’s financial affairs into the melting pot and you can’t help feeling the Tories are on the brink of throwing this election away. Can Dave really change the face of Politics – I suspect only when he clears out the dead wood in high command that want to impose the Notting Hill casting crew on local associations up and down the country.

To read the full article from BROGAN follow the link here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/benedict-brogan/6503721/Lisbon-Treaty-David-Camerons-referendum-U-turn-is-another-test-of–trust.html

So there I was 30 years later stood in the Garage venue in Glasgow waiting to see the great Magnum. Bob Catley on vocals now 62 still rocking as they set about a European tour to promote the new album Into the valley of the Moon king. And a cracker it is too. Average age as I look around the Garage – 45 ish – yes we were there in the early days 1979, most of us still listen to the great live album Marauder, the lights dim and the band take to the stage. Straight into Cry to yourself from the new album. Bob’s aged but what a showman – I even got to shake his hand at the end of the gig. A fantastic night not sure if Bob’s up to another big tour, sadly it may be the last time we see them live. Never say never. The bonus for me… the finished with Kingdom of Madness…

http://www.magnumonline.co.uk/

If I had a pound for all the e mails I have had this week pointing me to Andrew Reeves running blog featuring John Lamont MSP or bubbles as some have refered to him supping champagne at the Party conference in Manchester I’d be able to buy a bottle or two myself. John now occupies the Westminster Candidates seat for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk – my old seat to be precise. Alas it wasn’t my time and probably not my party if they still can’t contain the expenses scandal.  Here’s the link incase you want a gander  http://andrewrunning.blogspot.com/2009/10/john-lamont-msp-ignores-camerons-orders.html

Thanks to all those who keep in touch from the Borders and thanks for the e mails. And thank you to Mr T who found this one – Thanks again but I’m going to let sleeping dogs lie….. There is little point in me stirring things up in the Borders

http://huttonian.blogspot.com/2009/10/on-wagon-as-you-might-imagine-top-story.html

So I suppose the big story this week was the BNP publicity – Nick Griffin must have thought Santa had come early. 8 million viewers apparently !! It even beat strictly come dancing. Despite all the hype I don’t think he did particularly well, unfortunately for Jack Straw neither did he. In fact I’d go as far as to say Jack was pretty damn poor. Nick Griffin is right, It wasn’t a true Question time as we know it, no MP expenses, no Postal strike, no Lisbon Treaty ratification questions just a straight bear bating session that has left most parties with egg on their face… WHY??? because none will take their heads out of the sand and be brave enough to stand up and put a decent Immigration policy on the table… Why?? because despite what they may all say, there is bo diddly squat any party can do whilst we are signed up to Europe and the Human rights act. Tories, Liberals, Labour can all dance around the issue, release sound bites and appear to be harder than the last soundbite but it’s all hollow…. A bit like the political scene at present, is it any wonder that voters turn to the BNP as a protest vote when we have such a poor calibre of piggie troughing into the expenses.

So it is all about to change…. Wives will have to be made redundant ( another big bill for the taxpayer ), Mortgage claims for second homes to go and flat rentals come in instead – I can see some mileage in this….

What’s Guido got to say this week?

Pauline Howe, 67, wrote a letter to Norwich Council objecting to a local gay pride march. She used the word “sodomites” and objected to “perverted sexual practices”.  A tad old fashioned, something you would perhaps be embarrassed by if your aunt blurted it out at Christmas  read more

You cannot be serious !!! Yet according to several daily papers today Gordo Brown is considering a sweetener deal to rebelling MP’s

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/135337/-3k-pay-hike-for-MPs-after-expenses-cut-

There’s been a lot in the press recently with reference to the Legg letter and whilst there are many little piggies squealing that they have to pay back some gardening receipts Legg has failed to tackle the Capital gain tax issue that will reveal more than the 27 MP’s currently under investigation from the Tax man. MP’s can blame the system as much as they want but it is as we all know the moral issue at the very heart of decision making. The general public have lost all faith in our Politicians and having been on the inside track myself I totally agree. Enjoy Guido’s latest youtube video on expenses…. Who’s to blame??

Speed cameras are not in use……… what a ridiculous sign, WHY?

It didn’t really matter as I was snarled up in a tail back as far as the eye could see on the A1 heading south after the Great North Run. The A1 jam actually pales into insignificance compared to the queue to get out of the car park on the Leas at South Shields. I was lucky enough to make a dash following a rebellion and cut through the gap created by my fellow queuers just before security finished the 100 yard sprint to close it again… We did it !!! Thanks to the media man in the orange polo shirt !!

But it was my wife who really did it… very proud of Sue and her friends Margaret and Kerry. Sue is in fact still on a high but humbled by the experience and the outpouring of raw emotion. There are people running for every reason under the sun, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a limb, breast, eye, personal tragedy beyond belief. There are those running for charities, local and national and there are those who have set themselves a challenge. To all 54,000 of them – we salute you – well done. What a day and what an atmosphere. A huge thank you to Julie, Megan and Jennifer for the surprise – Sue was bowled over.

The Gatehouse Girls and supporters

So what news for you this week… well there’s a new addition to the family -” Jasper” black lab pup who is as cute as can be despite peeing and pooing around the house. Lisa is away at School so hopefully when the Hockey queen returns we should have Jasper fully trained.

Lisa in action on the Hockey pitch

Queit contemplation

On the political front I’ve been chuckling to myself as the local Tory candidate Peter Duncan gets his face on every page of the paper.( I thought it was DCT’s candidate who had the Narsissism problem )

Here’s a party campaigning against the law banning tobacco to be displayed. Who in their right mind wants tobacco to be displayed in attractive, well lit wall units that can tempt any teenager that strolls in looking for a packet of crisps and a can of pop. I don’t want my daughter tempted.. Cigarettes are just as dangerous and life threatening as fireworks and we sell those under the counter.Out of sight out of mind.

Sorry Tory team, you’ve got this one wrong. And why on earth do we need council enforcement officers to go around telling us that we must display NO SMOKING signs in prominent positions, it’s a bit like being asked to put up notices saying, NO MURDERING HERE or NO HEROIN INJECTING – the law is the law and we don’t need another set of civil servants to tell us where to put a bloody poster.

So on the one hand the council ( Tory led ) is employing an enforcement officer to ensure you have a poster up and on the other, the big gun of the council and the Westminster candidate is campaigning against the proposed SNP ban on tobacco displays in shops. Has the world gone totally mad or is it me. Then turn the page and low and behold Pete’s in front of a Caravan Park campaigning on an anti social problem the site has had. Perhaps it could be teenagers up in arms because they can’t see the fags in the bright shiny cabinet any more.

So the Liberals have kicked the conference season off. Top marks must go to Tim Farron the MP for Westmorland who claimed the There will be no politics in Brighton or Manchester. There will be Olympic-standard public relations, there will be speeches even more polished than this one… but there won’t be any politics.

So as the other parties get more and more polished, plastic and pointless, and while rural Britain reels, there is a clear choice and I’m here to make an ambitious bid for the Liberal Democrats to be the party of choice for our countryside right across Britain.

I’ve got to hand it to the guy, he was good. Read his whole speech here – it’s worth it

Tim Farron MP – Speech

Great news – Declan Ganley is back to push the NO vote for Ireland again. I’ve blogged about it in the past but the Taxpayers Alliance sum it up best – the link below is well worth a read if like me you believe that the EU is the biggest rip off of our taxes. Declan will have his work cut out and he needs every penny he can get. For further details follow this link.

TPA – EUROPE

Labour head to Brighton on the 27th September – in the meantime good luck to Queen of the South vs Rangers on Wednesday. Take care

Another day of blue skies and sunshine here on the Algarve.

Great news to hear Nigel Farrage UKIPs leader will stand as an MP in speaker Bercow’s seat. Bercow was voted in by a typical Liberal Labour love in, in order to put one of the worst expense sinners in the speakers chair. Good luck Mr Farrage. Time to oust these little piggies.

Meanwhile whilst I lie on my sunbed I read Brown’s appalling speech on Afghanistan. It sounds the bell on his time as premier. Time to stand down if it takes an ex army MP to stand down to point out that the strategy isn’t working and that the 8 years of strategy can only result in 158 votes in Helmand from a potential 80,000 at a cost of 10 British soldiers lives then something is wrong. Yes you read it right… In the democratic elections (which still haven’t announced a winner) only 158 out of a potential 80,000 went to vote in Helmand.

Guido was ahead of the game

http://order-order.com/2009/09/04/channel-4-snooze/

Japaneese Dolphin slaughter. Ever since Pearl harbour I’ve always thought of the Japs as cruel. Proof today as I read of the slaughter of thousands of innocent Dolphins off the southern Japanese village of Taiji. A superb bit of investigative journalism from Danny Penman in the mail blows the cover off the dolphin trade where innocent wild dolphins are sold for up to 10k each and then the rest are slaughtered. A film out mid October tells the terrible tale of this cruelty The Cove is due for release 23 oct. http://www.thecovemovie.com/

Plus join the campaign to stop the slaughter of whales & dolphins at Save the Whales & Dolphins

I’m on my hols watching the news and reading the papers. Sitting in the sun on the Algarve aghast at what I read. We are once again the laughing stock of Europe. The MP expense scandal has tarnished our Parliaments reputation. I remember as a candidate the hierarchy telling me that people weren’t bothered it was more the economy and Browns recession. Don’t get into doorstep debate on the expense scenario it’ll be old news soon they’d say, just you concerntrate on Browns recession. Talk about burying heads in sand. They still don’t get it.

I can’t help feeling let down as I learn of Michael Martins assent to the Lords or as MP’s return to the commons and slouch and chatter as the long list of our brave men & women killed during the recess are read out in recognition of their service to Queen and Country.
Spare a thought for them and the ones they leave behind.

Spare a thought too for the millions that put their lives on the line for us. It’s 70 years to the date since we declared war with Germany and the 6 years of horror from the blitz to Hiroshima to the holocaust that followed.

I’m still coming to terms with the Lockerbie Bombers release and the behind the scences double dealings that now appear to have taken place. Why are we still sitting back and letting these people bury their snouts in the trough? Does apathy run so deeply throughout the very veins of our great nation that we just can’t be bothered? Is it that the political parties have made government so controllable that we all give up.

Why haven’t the Liberals ever made it into the 2 horse political race? Vince Cable seems to speak the most sense on the economy, Nick Clegg seems determined to clean up the expense scandal. Is it money? Power? Control ?The old boy network? Jobs for the boys?

Again Political spin headlines our news. Brown announces 85000 new jobs… but fails to tell us 36000 of them are already employed by Morrisons. Then there’s the NHS report which results in media scaremongering of 100,000 job cuts in the NHS. There won’t be 100,000 jobs lost in the NHS and we all know that, it’s just a bit more fodder for Politicians to posture over, promise, accuse and waist more time telling us what they’ll do than actually doing it.

Well done again to Clegg, his proposals to increase the lowest paid in the Army will be welcomed by many as too will the Tory proposal to excuse soldiers of paying tax whilst on active duty outside the UK. My vote goes with both these proposals.

The race to get into the House of Lords is on and all parties will be trying to strike deals with those who must fall on their swords. Is this really how low we have got in the Political world or has it always been there?

If I had a pound for everyone who has said “their loss” to me after my departure as a Westminster candidate I’d be able to pay for my next holiday.But in truth the big party machine won’t even stop to put a wreath on my grave. It will plough on use up and spit out anyone in it’s track to get to power and en route it will promise the earth and deliver bo diddly squat. It will use and abuse hundreds of party activists that feel passionate about bringing change to our Great Britain and when that change comes I can only hope that the NEW generation of MPs stand up to the Party Machine. Otherwise there is trouble ahead.

The class of 2010 must represent their constituents and not the bully boy tacticts that I know exist in the current race for all out control. The moves from Tory HQ to have more control over candidate selection should worry many local association members. They need to ensure that the power doesn’t get handed to Cameron and Osbourne as it was to Blair and Brown there needs to be a steady hand on the tiller.

My colleagues that are standing in Scotland are well aware of the party bully boy tactics, but I fear only a handful will be heading to the green benches. That will be a shame because with the exception of a couple of career politicians the Scottish class of 2010 come from business backgrounds with decent morals and are married with family. Just the sort of folk we need in to change the way the party is controlled in Scotland. I fear that Politics will never change but if there was ever a time for change it is now. Party politics that tries to chop out the grass roots is doomed. You just need to see how rotten politics is at the core to understand that politicians don’t want normal folk like you and me interfering in their climb up the greasy pole. They might discover how unimportant they actually are.

As I write it’s only 3 days before we head to Portugal for a quick weeks break in the Sun… and boy am I excited. Mainly from the anticipation of seeing that bright glow in the Sky we call the Sun – something we haven’t seen for some time here in Dumfries and Galloway.

The papers have been full of my old MSP chum John Lamont and his “two jobs Jim scenario” should he successfully take BRS at the Westminster elections – even made the Scottish Daily Mail. But the Story that grabbed me today was Nick Cleggs open and honest approach to the expense scandal – see link below.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6094511/Nick-Clegg-fears-expenses-reform-is-being-swept-under-carpet.html

You’ll see from my Rants below – the only way to clear up the expense scandal is to get rid of some of the worst offenders – clear out the dead wood and the greedy little piggies that have been eagerly filling their boots at the trough.

On June 18th I wrote – scroll down if you want…

The article below is spot on.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rachel_sylvester/article6557730.ece

It mirrors the exact sentiment that I have found on the doorstep tonight. Everyone’s crying out for change except the MP’s. Is the expense scandal simply going to be swept under the carpet? So every candidate for speaker had an expenses or home flipping issue in which they had purposely tried to dodge capital gains tax or slip through personal, non political expenses. So much for a fresh start.

David Cameron came out guns blazing a few weeks ago, promising the world, promising to pay the money back, promising to come down hard on MP’s who had dodged the tax, bent the rules, feathered the nest. Had you or I decided to fiddle the VAT, send in less PAYE / Nat ins contributions than was actually due or commit fraud within our own business then we’ have the police, the vat man, the tax man and every tom, dick and harry round to cart us off to jail. I might just hang onto to my VAT chq for a while longer this time and see what happens – Alistair Darling should not be holding the office of Chancellor with an expenses record as he has.

But now I find myself in absolute agreement with Nick Clegg in the article above

He said: “We can’t let this scandal fade away: it must have consequences for the way our political system works. I’ll be putting forward my ideas for political change to make sure the kind of corruption the Telegraph exposed is never again given fertile ground in which to grow.”

Mr Clegg also fears that damage is being done to the image of MPs by those who have been caught abusing the system being allowed to still serve as an MP until the next election when they will receive generous tax-free severance packages.

Hear Hear – or is it here here – I have never been sure.

On a more local to home I attended my first THRIVE breakfast meeting at the Station Hotel in Dumfries – a great opportunity to Network. The theme was Tourism so naturally I wanted to go to here Pierre from Auchen Castle Hotel talk about his unique approach to customer care and marketing. A very interesting event and I’m sure I’ll be along to others. I’ll update you a little bit more next time round – in the meantime – I’ve got some packing to do… Portugal here we come.

Hello… tempus fugit as they say… and my time seems to have been swallowed by School holidays, buisness partner holidays and life in general ….

So I have resigned myself that I’ll only get cahnce to write once a month… so here’s August

Forgot last week to send the link for guido’s pop at Alan Duncan. They really don’t get it do they?

http://order-order.com/tag/snouts-in-the-trough/

So as predicted John Lamont MSP slips into my old seat in Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk. PJ put up a great fight from all accounts but JL had wheeled half of Berwickshire out and the meeting was just a formality by all accounts.

Good luck to them all. Having been through every emotion of anger, regret, bitterness and amazement I have resigned myself that Politics is a dirty game better left to those with a lower moral standing. I actually have my life back and although it took a good month, every waking thought isn’t now about how we get the Liberals out in BRS or how we get David Cameron into NO.10- To be honest I’m past caring and I realise there are more important things to life than being a slave to the machine.

So onwards and upwards and I find myself looking at life through a different lens…  a month ago would I never have admitted that the VAT decrease has made a difference, but now I have more time to analyse my cash flow and look at the year on year comparisons I can honestly say that it has made a substantial difference to our cashflow. How has business been? Well in the Tourism industry we have had a bumper year with more and more people staying at home on the back of a strong Euro and the met office forecast of a BBQ summer… Still – our customers seem very happy and are enjoying discovering the beauty of Dumfries and Galloway. ( It’s chucking it down as I write )

For me the river beckons, the Salmon rods are out I’m looking forward to catching a few back enders, then the new pup will be coming, the shooting season starts although the new pup won’t be working until next years season and then Christmas is round the corner preceded by the annual family gathering in the Lakes in November. A busy time ahead and as usual there will be one eye on the news, one eye on Guido’s blog and an election to look forward to.

Back from a wee break and back as a normal human – out of the political machine and out of a seat – for the time being !! Wounds licked and all that, I’ve been through every emotion you can imagine. So near yet so far.

To all my friends and supporters in the Borders – Thank you for your kind words of sympathy – Yes Politics is a dirty old game and you live and learn.

So when I heard that Esther was throwing her hat in the ring and standing as an independent my first thought was ” GO FOR IT ” – because as the great Guido so rightly points out – those piggies are back in the trough !!

http://order-order.com/2009/07/28/mps-quietly-increase-unreceipted-expenses-by-25/

There is no escaping the fact that the country needs a party to focus and deliver but a constituency needs a person – not a party. That person must have a mind of his or her own and have life experiences. Esther has that – I think she would make a fine MP.

So where an I coming from – Individual representing the needs of the locals or Party feeding the big machinery of Government – tricky one but I’m opting for the local needs in this case. It’s what I believe in. My role was to fight for the Borders and rural issues. There are those in the system who are just fighting for themselves. It will never change but the next election is an opportunity to really think about your local seat and how YOU will be best represented

Gordon’s re packaging of old policies has given him a bounce in the latest opinion polls despite the fact that there’s no financial substance to the building Britain manifesto. With one eye on the polls you think he’d be quivering like a whippet in the traps at Hackney to get out and push the election button, but he’s poured cold water on that idea. I wonder why? Well we all know. The Irish will have a re run of the NO vote in the hope that this time they come up with a YES vote. Since when has No meant Yes or indeed not meant NO.

So the Irish will have another referendum in October, that’s not a good time for Gordo to have a GE as the Conservatives have promised a referendum on the Lisbon treaty if it hasn’t been ratified. The longer Gordo can hold off calling the Election the more chance he has of ratifying the treaty. Most EU leaders want the treaty ratified by the end of the year.

Most EU member states have ratified the treaty, but the Eurosceptic presidents of the Czech Republic and Poland have not yet signed it, saying they will wait for the decision of Irish voters. The second Irish referendum is expected to happen in early October.

The treaty’s opponents argue that it is just the defunct EU Constitution repackaged, and say it will undermine national sovereignty. The constitution was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

Officials in Germany’s ruling coalition said parliament would vote on the legislation demanded by the court before Germany’s general election on 27 September.

German media say the judges want it spelled out in law that parliament will have to vote on any changes to the Lisbon Treaty, or any expansion of EU competencies that impacts on German sovereignty.

Ireland’s EU commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, has said the Lisbon Treaty would have been rejected in most EU countries if they had held referendums like in Ireland.

“I think all of the politicians of Europe would have known quite well that if a similar question had been put to their electorate in a referendum the answer in 95 percent of countries would have been ‘No’ as well,” he told a meeting of accountants in Dublin on Friday.

He said EU heads of state were “glad they didn’t have to put the question themselves to their people”.

But we as Conservatives want the chance to put that very question to the people. Have your say now – go to my on line Survey and let me know your thoughts on the election date, European issues and more.

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2jfmdo9fwl8mnij/start