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« Conflict of interest in appointment of Jim Gallagher as Scotland Bill adviser | Main | As you sit down to watch X factor, say a little prayer for Aretha »

December 11, 2010

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God help us if the SNP go down the road of making ministerial appointments a beauty contest (in the widest sense of thet phrase).

It isn't enough!

Stewart Stevenson should be tried for his crimes!

I am pretty sure that the he made all that snow in his secert lab and used his SNP minions to dump it all on our doorsteps!

Just to make the BBC weather forecasts seem inaccurate!

the FIEND!

Yes we need more women, good women I make no apology for that. These are women of merit. They are media savvy AND capable. Interesting that some men find that so objectionable...

I blogged at length several times on why Stevenson's hounding was wrong. But we are where we are and it was clear by the weekend that if he continued in office he would have damaged the government, something he acknowledged in resigning.

He might have survived his poor Newnight performance if he hadn't done a complete volte face the next morning, which looked panicky and made him dead meat.Given that, it is as well to move on and put out a fresh positive message. Promoting good women is such a message as half the electorate are female.

And can I add that your post earlier highlighted gender. More "women". That is what you said.

Joan, you went with gender and media-savi-ness. You also went with age. (You condemned Stevenson as "older" in your own words I'm sad to say.) None of these things is anything to do with an honest politician. You have let yourself down bigtime in my view anyway. Shallow politicians we do NOT need. We are over run with them as it is.

The piece is now superseded by a new post to take account of the new appointments. . At no point did I say that the FM should not appoint on merit. Gender matters, as SNP polling shows, and I am glad to see he has brought in Constance and given an enhanced role to Cunningham.

Dear Joan

I read your piece, I would like to think that Alex Salmond would appoint the next transport minister on the basis of merit rather than sex.

He has appointed Keith Brown, I don't know what his qualities are but I guess we will see soon enough.

Brown's first job is to produce an emergency action plan for better communications.

And working with councils an action plan that addresses getting help to people who were stuck for hours on the motorways, food and water and getting them off.

10 hours stuck in a vehicle in a modern country is nonsense in this day and age, particularly in the central belt.

I met Stewart Stevenson at Glasgow North East in passing, very likeable guy.

I am sure that he will be back and wiser at a future date in a ministerial position if the SNP does well in 2011.

If Labour MSP Charles Gordon can follow on his rubber sword after getting an illegal donation for Wendy Alexander and come back as shadow transport minister then Stewart Stevenson can make a comeback after 'Act of God'.

And Stewart should buy a red plastic shovel to remind him that there is always one more job to be done.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Totally disagree that there was anything wrong with Stevenson this last week. The Scottish media was out to take his job, not because of the weather, but because it was an opportunity to build no case at all against an SNP minister. So to say it was fine for him to go is just nonsense. It is actually disgusting that such an absolute witch-hunt succeeded.

And God help us if we're to rejoice that "media types" who can handle the twisted media that is responsible for news in Scotland, can maybe be parachuted into his post. Doesn't that say something about where the field of politics is heading these days? Wasn't Blair a media type? Don't media types often make claims about other countries having WMD to encourage people to think its ok to have the odd illegal invasion?

Frankly whether politicians are male or female is irrelevant to me. We had a female Prime Minister once and look at the havoc she reaked on us all. Being a female in politics guarantees nothing.

Last week's fiasco was not Stewart Stevenson's fault and that is a fact. That he has now had to resign is quite disgraceful.

But I do hope when a new Transport Minister is appointed he/she can immediately demand back all monies currently being paid to senior Council people in Scotland to co-ordinate roads and traffic and general public transport and deal with weather problems impacting on all of these things. Let the Councils sack those people at once because if the last week is anything to go by, Scottish Councils have no responsibility for any of those things, only the Transport Minister is responsible.

(whispers) Angela is my MSP, I've known her for years & she would make a fabulous minister. After the General Election, she has her work cut out to hang on to this seat, though. She's 4 on the Lothians list which isn't guaranteed to get her back in if the SNP vote falls as much as the polls suggest it will.

She is a very thoughtful & caring politician & I have a lot of time for her.

Shirley-Anne has earned her spurs with the Edinburgh trams fiasco. Give her the job Alex.

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