View Full Version : Labour Candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
I've just read the article about John McKendrick (http://www.caithness.org/fpb/election2007/scottishparliament/johnmckendrick/index.htm), the newly-selected Labour Party candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross at next year's Holyrood elections. This charming-looking young chappie may have some interesting credentials, but does he have any connections to the constituency? The article says he studied at the LSE and Oxford before qualifying as a barrister (an English qualification, so presumably he worked down there too), and that he worked in Panama. These things are all well and good, but I ask again - does he know anything about the constituency? If not, does it matter?
As far as I could tell, the young guy who stood for Westminster last year had no connection to the constituency, and he didn't do particularly well votewise. Is it conceivable that Labour have almost given up on winning the constituency, and are using it to blood their young guns in a long-odds gamble? That's a serious question btw, I'm not being cynical or sarcastic.
On a lighter note, my son is doing a project on the Scottish Parliament at school. He came home yesterday and announced that his class had had a visit from a man called David McLetchie, whoever he was!
Mrs S asked if he came in a taxi. :D
weeboyagee
22-Feb-06, 23:04
John McKendrick?? Fa's at?
Amazing - a labour candidate fae e sooth til teach us plebs how til vote politics. He'll go far - but not in C,S & ES. C'mon the SNP - might as well show my true colours - after all I don't mind folk knowin' I'm a Jambo and Alice In Blunderland tells everybody everything else so whats the point? Maybe I'll run as an independent - golach said he'd vote for me!!!!!!
Will you remember me when I am PM Dr Szin - and that's a serious question - NOT!!! :D
I will vote for you weeboyagee. I never could figure out British/Scottish politics, but as a British subject I was entitled to be on the voters' list. The major benefit of being on the list was having an official piece of paper with an address on it so that the bank would give me an account. Eight weeks it was that I lived on my Visa card. So, please when you are PM could you do something to improve the wait time for a bank account? Thanks
Canuck, now that the neocons are in charge of canada, at least you can pull stumps and move back without much hassle.:evil
Rheghead, please don't get me started on recent Canadian politics. I think that my "location" says it all.
I suspect you are correct Dr.S. He sounds like a Political Carpetbagger to me. I know Loch Lomond is in Scotland, (see, it's not true English Education ignores you, they told me there was a song about it. Or was it a song and dance , I can't remember?) :grin: but from there, it's nearer and easier to get to where I was born in Lancashire than it is to get to Caithness.
Most of the other Parties are not much better. They seem to lack a basic understanding of Geography. David Lloyd George, that "Famous Son of Wales" was a Mancunian. How's that for poor Geography?
I won't mention that famous Englishman, Tony "Don't mention the Scottish Link" Blair.
The SNP? What can I say? "I say, Chaps, I'm a Toffee Nosed English Gentleman, can I be your Candidate?" Nah, even I couldn't swallow that one.
The Conservatives? "Hello, is there anybody there?" Has anybody seen one lately, has anybody tried to save one as a specimen?
Ah, well, perhaps somebody has a photo!
The Conservatives? "Hello, is there anybody there?" Has anybody seen one lately, has anybody tried to save one as a specimen?
Ah, well, perhaps somebody has a photo!Well, my son has seen one - see my previous post. I have the (slightly dubious?) honour of being represented by the one and only Holyrood Tory elected by the first-past-the-post system. Before anyone asks - no, I didn't vote for him. Having said that, I did have an encouraging email exchange with him over the Caithness maternity issue, and he was much more clued-up than I expected. Whether he did anything or not I don't know.
I thought he would step down as an MSP after the Holyrood taxi scandal (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4318918.stm), but it seems he's standing again next year.
Anyway, shouldn't everyone vote for the young man from the bonny banks? He has the benefit of an Oxford education - doesn't that make him brilliant? Does it matter if he can't tell his Ord from his Embo? :roll:
Will you remember me when I am PM Dr Szin - and that's a serious question - NOT!!! :DWhoops, I forgot to answer that. :lol:
Anyway, shouldn't everyone vote for the young man from the bonny banks? He has the benefit of an Oxford education - doesn't that make him brilliant? Does it matter if he can't tell his Ord from his Embo? :roll:
Now, now Dr.s. that's not very nice. You know full well that Mrs. T. went there too.
Surely making that link to him isn't very nice. :o
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 15:57
Now, now Dr.s. that's not very nice. You know full well that Mrs. T. went there too.
Surely making that link to him isn't very nice. :o
..................And just what was wrong with Mrs T. ?????????
..................And just what was wrong with Mrs T. ?????????How long do you have?
TBW could talk, and posture, and be an Iron Lady, and straddle the world stage with Ronnie RayGun and GorbyBaby, but she wasn't much good at running the country. Her governments were the most naive and incompetent economically since, since, er, since Ted Heath's government! The Labour government(s) of '74-'79 may not have been up to much, especially directionwise or visionwise, but they were at least economically literate - they knew when they were neck-deep in poo in 1976! Having said that, Lucky Jim's brain went awol when he didn't call an election in Autumn '78. But Lucky Labour weren't heading in a very promising direction at the time, so who knows which leftish corporate-ish blind alleys they would have led us up if they'd won an October '78 election? I'd rather not think about it...
Thank goodness for September 1992 and Black Wednesday: this was the start of the modern era for Britain; Ken Clarke (Fenland Poly), Gordon Brown (Edin), and his St John's-educated boss man are the guys who brought us stability and relative prosperity. TBW wasn't even a very good right-winger. She spoke neocon, but she didn't do much. Well, not much that made things better. The Somerville chemist should have stuck to her test tubes (or her lawyer's wig), and her successor should have stuck to whatever he did before he became the grey PM.
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 17:12
Well we will just have to disagree for the moment as I am off on my bike!! I'll have to think about this whole subject! Politics isn't something that I think about too often as I reckon they are all forked-tongue rogues.
I just know that Mrs T was someone who stood out in the World and was a very strong personality. Unfortunately I think that the more 'Presidential' type of leadership originated with her and here just hasn't been anyone to fill her shoes since. Tony would like to be El Presidente but he comes over as a bit slimey. GB is looking good though but as I don't tend to have a leaning towards the Labour party he would not be my number one choice. Unfortunately there isn't anyone else in the running at the moment...........but I am making the mistake of thinking about the charisma of the leader as opposed to the politics of the party that he represents![smirk].........but then what does it matter..........they do what they want anyway!
I think that I should become the Benevolent Dictator of Scotland and get rid of all of these high paid civil servants and Ministers. They really try to make running a country far more difficult than it must be[evil] [lol]
No-one to fill her shoes? You must be joking! Blair has done that and a hundred better things too. :lol:
I'm not talking politics (she did ok on that front - from her perspective at least), I'm talking economics and general competence. Thatcher could be such a stubborn arrogant fool, and she let these qualities dominate far too often for her own good, and (more importantly) for the country's good. She was always right. Blair learned a lot from her, and he emulated her style in many ways, but his governments have been based on economic competence and (some) common sense. Having said that, we all know about Iraq, and identity cards, and a whole host of other issues where he's taken his Thatcher-inspired style too far - just like she did. He's well past his sell-by date - just like she was. Let's hope he has more sense than she did - he should step down to a decent successor sooner rather than later. We don't want another Major, either as Chancellor (where he was hopeless), or PM (where he was also hopeless). The Grey PM may have been a master of the soapbox, and he may have appointed Ken Clarke as chancellor when his own puppet's policies were destroyed for the sham they were on the whims of a certain George Soros, but he wasn't much cop at anything else.
Goodness knows what David Cameron (Brasenose) would be like as PM, but early indications are that he's learned from Blair. Whether that bodes well or badly for the future I wouldn't like to say right now.
That university on the Isis has a lot to answer for. And that brings us back to where we started.
Does John McKendrick know anything about Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, and if not, does it really matter? Who's going to vote for him? Based on what I've read thus far, I don't think I would.
It doesn't really matter as I have just been told on very good authority that we (Scotland) will be an Independent Workers Republic in the not so distant future..........don't think I'll come back if thats the case, I'll leavethe lazy middle class workers (sic) of the Scottish Republican Socialist Party to it!
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 19:49
It doesn't really matter as I have just been told on very good authority that we (Scotland) will be an Independent Workers Republic in the not so distant future..........don't think I'll come back if thats the case, I'll leavethe lazy middle class workers (sic) of the Scottish Republican Socialist Party to it!
Where do you fancy going scotsboy? We'll meet you there.
As for voting for John MacKendrick...is he good looking?....and what are the options?
...governments have been based on economic competence and (some) common sense.
My frustration in political/economic debate is the moving target of society's and the individual's definition of "economic competence".
But I love reading the threads, learning from your discussions and from a distance trying to figure out what is really happening in other parts of the world.
wickerinca
24-Feb-06, 20:23
My frustration in political/economic debate is the moving target of society's and the individual's definition of "economic competence".
But I love reading the threads, learning from your discussions and from a distance trying to figure out what is really happening in other parts of the world.
Well if you ever figure it out will you let me know!?:confused: :o)
Well if you ever figure it out will you let me know!?:confused: :o)
wickerinca, you shall be the first!
My frustration in political/economic debate is the moving target of society's and the individual's definition of "economic competence".Eek, you are out-competencing (I know that's not a proper word) me already.
As for voting for John MacKendrick...is he good looking?....and what are the options?You tell us whether he's good-looking or not. Click for a pic right here (http://www.caithness.org/fpb/election2007/scottishparliament/johnmckendrick/index.htm) and give us your honest opinion.
He looks about 12 to me but I'm sure he's quite grown-up and charming really. In all honesty, I could never say Mrs T was good-looking, but my missus's cousin used to be one of her bodyguards. He travelled the world with her and he always claimed that she had great legs. :eek:
Some ladies of my acquaintance seem to think that yon Tommy Sheridan, ex-leader of the Scottish Republican Socialist Party, is a bit of a charmer. So you could always vote for him. ;)
Dr.S, Lucky (Crisis? What Crisis?) Jim. He was the embarrassment who gave us Maggie.
Of course he knew the Economy was deep in the mire on 1976. The International Monetary Fund had informed him it was. Harold Wilson had just suddenly bailed out and, as usual, left somebody else to clear up the mess.
Callaghan had to send the Chancellor with the Begging Bowl to the IMF for money to tide the Economy over.
If I remember correctly he was given much the same response from them as I did when I told my Bank Manager I wanted to borrow the odd million so I could practice for my winning the Lottery.
Like him, I was told to get a grip or I wouldn't get a loan of 10p.
1978? He simply bottled out over an Election because he thought he might lose and believed if he waited he could improve his chances of winning in 1979.
He then went off to sun himself at a Conference in the Caribbean. (Have you ever noticed that they are always held in the Northern Winter and involve the terrible ordeal of having to suffer the heat in some sunny semi-tropical Country?)
He walked straight back into the “Winter of Discontent” which led to people not being able to bury their dead in Liverpool, patients being turned away from hospitals by Hospital Porters, and rubbish piling up on the streets all over Britain with rats running round feeding on it.
His laid back reaction as he got off the plane on his return was seen as total disinterest and "Crisis, What Crisis?" was born. (He never actually used the phrase)
There was the Election in 1979 and the rest is History.
Eek, you are out-competencing (I know that's not a proper word) me already.
Let's go back up the page a bit. I was really wondering how you defined "economic competency."
You tell us whether he's good-looking or not. Click for a pic right here (http://www.caithness.org/fpb/election2007/scottishparliament/johnmckendrick/index.htm) and give us your honest opinion. ;)
I'll hand it back to wickerinca to speak for the ladies of Canada with her judgement on that issue.
Spot on JAWS. But what's often forgotten is that Labour inherited a real economic mess from the Heath government in 1974. If I recall rightly, the Heath government started with a tough low-spending right-wing approach to economic policy. When that failed they went on a wild spending spree which ended in bust as such engineered booms usually do -- ask Nigel Lawson about that. Armed with inflation that was well into double figures (perhaps even in the twenties), Heath took on the unions, failed miserably, called an election and lost it. You could say that Ted was Sunny Jim's role model for committing electoral suicide.
I enjoyed the crisis of September 1976. I'd been working in Switzerland all summer, getting paid in Swiss Francs. Afterwards, I went travelling around Europe for three or four weeks, but thanks to Lucky Jim, Dennis Healey the IMF, I came back to the UK with more money in Sterling than I'd set out with almost a month previously. :)
Spot on JAWS. But what's often forgotten is that Labour inherited a real economic mess from the Heath government in 1974. If I recall rightly, the Heath government started with a tough low-spending right-wing approach to economic policy. When that failed they went on a wild spending spree which ended in bust as such engineered booms usually do -- ask Nigel Lawson about that. Armed with inflation that was well into double figures (perhaps even in the twenties), Heath took on the unions, failed miserably, called an election and lost it. You could say that Ted was Sunny Jim's role model for committing electoral suicide.
I enjoyed the crisis of September 1976. I'd been working in Switzerland all summer, getting paid in Swiss Francs. Afterwards, I went travelling around Europe for three or four weeks, but thanks to Lucky Jim, Dennis Healey the IMF, I came back to the UK with more money in Sterling than I'd set out with almost a month previously. :)
That was his second attempt at making Foreigners richer. Remember "The Pound in your pocket won't be devalued!" in the 1960s. Wasn't Callaghan Chancellor when that happened and resigned in disgrace shortly after?
wickerinca
25-Feb-06, 05:12
I'll hand it back to wickerinca to speak for the ladies of Canada with her judgement on that issue.[/quote]
Sorry..........but he won't be getting my vote.
What's the odds he doesn't have a broad Scots Accent. In fact, he'll probably be nearer to having a Posh English Accent than me.
(Mind you, that's not to difficult) :cry:
willowbankbear
25-Feb-06, 09:09
..................And just what was wrong with Mrs T. ?????????
You are having a laugh , right????:confused: :o :confused:
wickerinca
25-Feb-06, 14:17
You are having a laugh , right????:confused: :o :confused:
Nope.......'fraid not. It is my totally Capitalist tendency......I have a split personality when it comes to politics!![lol]
And as Johnnie Lad is not going to be getting my vote can someone enlighten me to the other prospective candidates? I could trawl the net but that wouldn't be as much fun!!
Canuck.....I do know what you mean about the "economic competency" bit. Basically do you want more pounds in your own pocket or in the coffers of the government I suppose. I don't mind the money going to the governemnt but how competent are they with 'our money'..........and the answer, to my mind, is that they waste an awful lot of it!
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