I don't want to be an MSP
From an Interview conducted in 2000 at Aberdeen
University for the Oral History Archive
Interviewer: You don't want
to be an MSP?
Cole-Hamilton: I don't want to be an MSP,
no. My election days are over and I would like to work very much for a
charity as a lobbyist and try to achieve something similar to what we have
done this year.
We know from Malcolm Bruce that all politicans are
liars, but really which is it?
Link Here:
http://bit.ly/1RS0EM0
This day in Liberal Democrat History 23rd February
On the 23rd February 1989 a by-election was
held in Richmond Yorkshire to replace Leon Brittian who had resigned as
MP to take up a post as European commissioner for Competition. He was
later Vice-President of the European Commission, thought had to resign
in 1999 due to allegations of corruption. (During his time as
Vice-President Brittian offered Nick Clegg a job in his private office,
as a European Union policy adviser and speech writer. Before this Clegg
worked for a lobby firm called GJW where he was charged with
"improving the reputation" of one of its major clients Muammar Gaddafi.)
Leon Brittian has of course, been the subject of much speculation
concerning allegations of child and other sexual abuse. But one thing we
know for sure is that he was handed a dossier on "High Profile
Paedophiles" by Geoffrey Dickens MP, and that it was either lost or
destroyed but not acted upon. Covering up for child abuse seems to go
with the seat as we will see.
The by-election was quite high profile
as evidenced by the presence of various fringe candidates such as
"Screaming Lord" Sutch for the Monster Raving Loony Party and
dominatrix Lindi St. Clair
for the Corrective Party. For the Conservatives was future Foreign
Secretary and Leader of the Party, boy wonder William Hague. For Labour
it was Frank Robson, who came fourth with 4.9% of the vote, at the time,
Labour's worst result since World War Two.
However we are most
interested in the Social and Liberal Democrat Party, as they were at the
time. Their candidate was Barbara Pearce. BUT also standing were Social
Democrats, representing the rump of the Party who had not gone with the
merger. Their candidate was Mike Potter. There was also a refusnik
Liberal, Nicholas Watkins, who polled 70 votes (36 less than Lindi St.
Clair and 93 less than Lord Sutch). Mike Potter was a local farmer, and
utilizing funds from Lord Sainsbury, managed 32% of the vote. The SLDP
managed 22% of the vote, thus allowing the odious Willian Hague through
the middle with 37% of the vote.
William "14 pints a day" Hague as
Tory Leader only gained one more seat in total during the 2001 General
Election. He resigned the day after. In his tenure as Foreign Secretary
he launched airstrikes on Libya resulting in another failed state that
proved to be an armoury and recruiting ground for Al Qaeda/Daesh (also
killing Nick Cleggs ex-client Gaddafi). But his most disturbing act was
when, as Welsh Secretary, he suppressed the Jillings report into child
sexual abuse in North Wales childrens homes. He said at the time the
report was "a botched exercise which has raised more doubts than it has
resolved". In addition to the childrens homes, children were also
abused at hotels by "Famous Names". It is almost certain that one of
these names was Peter Righton, a known paedophile (see Edwina Currie, et
al) and PPS to Margaret
Thatcher. John Jillings, the reports author said, when the (heavily
readacted and supposedly destroyed) report was released 17 years later:
“What we found was horrific and on a significant scale. If the
events in children's homes in North Wales were to be translated into a
film, Oliver Twist would seem relatively benign. The scale of what
happened, and how it was allowed, are a disgrace, and stain on the
history of child care in this country.”
What a shame that
William Hague was let into parliment by the intercine squabbiling of the
Social and Liberal Democrats. How many of the victims might have had
justice before they died?
A non tin-foil hat summary of the
North Wales Scandal can be found here (Ann Clwyd MP:
Hansard) Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minster, gave his old boss
Leon Brittian a £500 a day sinecure in 2010 as a Trade Adviser.
Charles Kennedy - 10 Years on from his forced resignation
For
whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Gal 6:7
In January 2006 Charles Kennedy MP for Ross, Lochaber and
Skye was forced to resign as leader of the Liberal Democrats. Despite
winning 62 seats in 2005 General Election (biggest total since 1923)
like rats in a sack his Party fell upon him including more that half his
shadow cabinet. Like Brutus the supposed great and good stabbed him in
the back.
Among the traitors were the Expense fiddling David
"Different Social Calendars" Laws, incompetent privateer Vince "What's a
billion quid" Cable, Michael "Scotland no" Moore, and Mark "Sh*t
eating grin" Oaten.
As President, Simon Hughes and depute leader,
Menzies Campbell were supposedly
above the fray, but (illegally) denying the rank and file members a
leadership vote, they couldn't wait to announce their leadership bids.
Also running were the above mentioned Mark Oaten and Chris "Drive me
crazy" Huhne. Campbell won and Vince Cable became depute leader.
So
what happened? Kennedy realising that he had few friends resigned and
did not stand again for the leadership. Very little seems to have been
done to help Kennedy with his addiction, despite the fact he was forced
to resign because he admitted seeking "professional help". He was
against the so-called Coalition, but otherwise was left behind in the rush
for Ministerial Limos. He died in 2015 from an esophageal hemorrhage
related to his condition. A sad death for a gentle man.
And what did
the sowers of this discord reap?
David Laws was suspended from the
House of Commons for fiddling his expenses. He lost his seat in 2015.
Vince Cable after selling off two-thirds of the Post Office for a 70%
less that it was worth, lost his seat in 2015.
Micheal Moore was
latterly Scottish Secretary but was forced out byAlistair
Carmichaelduring the 2014 Scottish Referendum. He lost his seat in
2015.
Mark Oaten was forced to resign from the leadership contest he
helped initiate when it was revealed that he had paid rent boys to
defecate in his mouth. He stepped down from his seat in 2010. It was
subsequently won by the Tories.
Simon Hughes who despite running one
of the most homophobic campaigns (against Peter Tatchell) in recent
times and claiming that marriage could only be between "one man and one
woman", was during the leadership contest outed as bi-sexual. He lost the
contest. He lost his seat in 2015.
Chris Huhne, the pro-nuclear
tough-on-crime Energy Secretary, was forced to resign from Parliment in
2013 for perverting the course of justice, after forcing his estranged
wife to take speeding points. He went to jail (but of course only served
a quarter of his sentence).
Menzies Campbell leadership, that he
had stitched up his fellow Scot for, lasted all of 647 days. He stepped down
from his seat in 2015, which was subsequently won by the SNP.
In the Westminister election of 2015 the Liberal Democrats were
down to 7 seats from the 62 they had won under Charles Kennedy. This was
their lowest number of seats since 1962. Truly, as ye sow, so shall ye
reap.