Have your say Jims Blog

Bored of Comic Relief

That's what someone asked me this afternoon. They said " I'm bored of it and I'm not going to watch it"
Fine don't watch it but dump the cynicism. Boredom of Comic Relief is like saying that you are so emotionally selfish that you are totally switched off to the needs of people across the world. I watched a couple of hours of it tonight with my family and it was harrowing and inspiring. Well done to the BBC for a great programme. And well done to the British public who even at a time of economic difficulty have dug deep.
What am I bored of? I'm bored of the cynicism that some people think is fashionable.

No to a tax on Chocolate

So a Scottish doctor suggests that we should put a tax on chocolate. I don't agree. I know that too much chocolate is bad for you but making the poorest pay more for chocolate doesn't make sense.
I like chocolate - probably too much. It is one of my vices.
So there is no chance that we should introduce a tax on chocolate. The government has no plans to do so.

Cowards

The attack on the Army Barracks in Northern Ireland is the act of a few cowardly gangsters. The Real IRA are thugs without a purpose. What is it they are trying to achieve? Peace has been established and the clock will not be turned  back. The people of Northern Ireland have come too far together in recent years. They won't return to the darkness of the previous decades. These thugs are beyond persuasion. The way to isolate them is for public opinion to turn even more fiercely against them. The terrorism of the past was sustained because some in the Republican and Loyalist communities provided cover. But things have changed. The people of Northern Ireland along with the security services can isolate these murderers and bring them to justice.

Labour now the most internet savvy Party

I have just got back form the Scottish Labour Party conference in Dundee. I have posted my speech elsewhere on the site but one of the big changes over the weekend was that Labour has gone from average to the most internet savvy Party in the country. perhaps it is John Prescott who has helped make this happen. But log onto the Scottish labour party's website to see for yourself.

Greed beyond Decency

So Sir Fred Goodwin the man who guided the Royal Bank of Scotland onto the Iceberg and sank the credibility and future of possibly the biggest bank in the world thinks he is worth £650,000 a year pension for the rest of his life. What economic vandalism. What further symbol do we need of a culture of personal greed. He refuses to return a penny of the money. Am I the only one who wonders if this is the type of philosophy that was at the hart of the bank for those years. It is just a different world. It is a world that has to change, here in the UK and beyond. It makes you so angry. This guy walks away with more in a fortnights pension than a bank teller earns in a full years work. Fred the Shed he styled himself. The think that is shredded today is his reputation - for a second time.
Incidentally the UK government's investment in the RBS announced today will put the bank on an even keel.

Write what you want - within reason

I was interviewed by a journalist from the Scotsman newspaper earlier today and he asked me about my website and some of the views in the articles. “Did I agree with all of them?” he asked. No, was my answer and that’s the point of these websites and blogs. It would be pretty dull if all the comments were in tune with my thinking. So comments on the blog are from others and not necessarily my views and some of the articles I link to are clearly written by others but I think they are interesting and that people may like to read them.

I remember spending a few hours with the Democratic Party in Washington to talk about their Internet without Boundaries approach of unmoderated blogging. It is at a different level to anything in the UK but it demonstrated to me the importance of enabling wider comment.

My blog is the most read part of the site. But what is surprising is that with hundreds of blog readers everyday there are so few comments. So I am happy for the blog to be a place for discussion. My only 2 health warnings is that I wont allow personal abuse against anyone ever and that sometimes it takes my a wee while to moderate the comments as I do it all myself. But I will try to clear comments more quickly in future.

Mr Cameron’s loss

It is impossible for me to begin to understand the scale of grief involved in losing a child. My thoughts and prayers today are with David Cameron and his family. I also know the thoughts of every politician and the whole country are with them and I hope they will draw some strength and comfort from that support.
 
I do not know Mr Cameron particularly well but seeing the photos of his family on the TV this afternoon it is clear that they are a beautiful and loving family. I hope that they will be able to grieve in private.

Out and About

As many of you will know both the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament have been in recess this past week. So Ken Mackintosh MSP and I have been holding a lot of local events. A big thanks to the many people who turned up to the Coffee mornings and Tea with your MP events. It was great to catch up with so many people. If we didn't make it to your area over the past week then email if you would like us to organise an event in your community.

Who do you think will win?

The Oscars ceremony takes place tomorrow night. The only movie I have seen that is in the running is the brilliant Slumdog Millionaire.( Most of the films I see these days are kids films at East Kilbride). But it will have to be a pretty spectacular movie to beat Slumdog. What is so good about it? For me it is the fascinating and at times surprising story line and the way in which it is the game show which is the thread throughout. Good acting yes but an even better story excellently directed. I won't give the end away for those who want to see it.
For those of you who want to predict the Oscar winners go to www.Oscar.com

A world before the Internet and the Queen

The internet is now an every day occurrence for more than two thirds of people in Scotland. Most young people I meet when I visit local schools can't imagine a world without the internet. I know it makes me sound very old but when I tell them that there were no computers in my class room hey look at me with a mix of pity and bemusement.
But today I see that the Queen has relaunched the Buckingham Palace website which and you can take a virtual tour of the Palace. Click here to view details
 I'm also always looking for a selection of the best media stories. The Guardian site is one of the most visited and this link will tale you to the most read on-line stories from that newspaper. From time to time I will link in the blog to other media most read pages of interest. Click here to view