Thursday, January 11, 2007

FIRST MINISTERS QUESTIONS

PROTESTING TOO MUCH?


Jack McConnell in First Ministers questions this afternoon answered the questions from wee Nicola on Trident, his sentiments and statements echoed the article below!

Jack McConnell First Minister ...

'There is a world of difference between peaceful protest and supporting that protest, and politicians purposefully trying to get themselves arrested in order to get themselves publicity'

Duncan McNeil was also in the Daily Record asking Ms Sturgeon and those SSP MSP's involved to apologised to the Scottish Communities who have suffered due to their actions.

No doubt the SNP machine will be in motion suggesting that Labour do not support the right to protest at Faslane, which of course is nonsense I have no doubt that there are Labour members who have peacefully protested at Faslane in the past and there are probably some still doing so as is their right.

Frances Curran list MSP for the West of Scotland for the SSP tried to introduce as a point of order that she should be able to respond as their actions have been brought into question, personally I think it is about time that someone questioned their actions as this is not the first a time that the SSP/Solidarity have purposefully went to a protest to be arrested, the G8 protests in Edinburgh were a prime example. As someone who was caught in the centre of Edinburgh as a spectator to these protests I saw the chaos to ordinary peaceful demonstrators that it caused, and the disruption to the ordinary member of the public.

8 comments:

Mark McDonald said...

Why should the SNP apologise when none of our politicians were arrested?

Rayleen Kelly said...

I never said the SNP should apologise, I did point out that the SSP/Solidarity politicians and those who were arrested should apologise, re read the original post!

Mark McDonald said...

I did re read the original post, and Duncan McNeil is clearly calling on Nicola Sturgeon to apologise.

Did Duncan apologise to people every time he attended a policed protest?

Rayleen Kelly said...

I think you will find that Mr McNeil is not against the right to protest but is against those politicians who go to these protests in order to cause trouble and get arrested.

Mark McDonald said...

So then the question still remains, why is he asking Nicola Sturgeon to apologise, when neither she nor any other SNP politicians were arrested or caused any disruption?

Rayleen Kelly said...

Mark: The issue for me here is that wee Nicky went with her friends in the SSP in a bid to get publicity, it was never about the 'cause' merely her election prospects.

Duncan McNeil MSP raises a question that was asked to me by quite a few of my constituents, when enquiring as to where their Community Policewoman was, Sturgeon knew that the Police would be there in numbers because of the increased likliehood of trouble with so many media thirsty MSP's their. And if you are going to say that she wasn't there for the attention, why did she not attend the day after the SSP?

Mark McDonald said...

Why didn't she attend the day after?

For the simple reason that Monday was the day set aside by the organisers for politicians to attend. Sunday was academics, Saturday students and young people.

Marlyn Glen MSP and Harry Cohen MP were both in attendance. Should they have to apologise as well? If not, why single out Nicola?

Isn't this just yet another example of negative campaigning?

If not, why didn't anyone call for the "Make Poverty History" protestors to apologise given the huge police presence on the day?

And what about the huge police presence in Oban at your conference? Where did they all come from? I honeymooned in Oban, and there are never that many police officers based there.

Rayleen Kelly said...

One point at a time Mark ...

Firstly there was no press coverage of Marlyn Glen or Harry Cohen wonder why that was? Because they were not cauing havoc! There was obviously no possibility of them chucking themselves on the ground and having to be physically removed!

Nicloa Sturgeon went there explicitly for the publicity!

For the SNP to suggest that the Labour Party use negative campaigning is really rich! You should have a look at the local campaigns the SNP in Renfrewshire run then get back to me about negative campaigning.

The Make Poverty history campaign march was not marred by arrests of politicians, people did not go there to cause trouble or get arrested they went there to join together to make a difference, this was supported by the Police, all of the emergency services and all parties. Coming from Edinburgh I would have thought you would have known that at least! There is a difference in the Make Poverty History campaign and the protests at Faslane if you cannot see this then you really should stop talking.

As for Oban it may have escaped your notice but the PM was at the conference, where he goes the Police follow, I am sure that you can grasp this concept.

I think that I have given this debate a fair airing and will close the comments on this now but thanks for coming by


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