As some kind of sadistic challenge, the university want me to write an essay about contemporary Scottish politics this week. The problem is, this is a journalism course...so technically, I'm meant to remain balanced and impartial. About Scottish politics. Honestly, I don't think I can do it...I'll have to vent a bit in here to try to balance myself out a bit.
One problem is that I don't know when the essay is going to get marked. It might be this month or even next, which would be fine, but the module technically doesn't end until mid-May. So I don't know if I'm meant to formally acknowledge the forthcoming slaughter of the SNP at the ballot box...my current plan is to compromise by not mentioning any specific destruction or indeed their completely inept performance as a "government", but to consistently refer to the Salmond administration in the past tense. Get the point across in a more subtle manner than my usual swearing and graphic hand gestures.
I was presented with a nice example of why his lot are going to run the fuck out of Holyrood earlier this week, incidentally. I've come to frequent Community Council meetings, as part of my duty as a news-hound. At present there's this idea floating around that there should be another bridge over the River Don. The people on the other side of the river think this would be great, because their traffic problem might go away; the people on this side of the river don't like it, because the traffic problem might just turn up on our doorsteps. The idea has actually been floating around for several decades, but has failed to die despite being shot down repeatedly. The current incarnation of the City Council - which sadly we're stuck with for another year as they're getting un-elected next year rather than in May along with the government - has decided that they should try to push this through despite slashing their budget by £150 million.
To pay for it, they decided to bundle it in with the Western Peripheral Bypass plans, which are currently being held up before the High Court because people are objecting to it and the Compulsory Purchase Orders that go along with. The reason they're bundling the two together is because the Scottish Government agreed to pay for the Bypass already, because it's a national traffic matter, of national importance.
When the City Council approved the bridge last month, various community groups asked for it to be called in by the Scottish Government for further appraisal. The Government promptly sent back a letter saying that they are "unable" to call it in, as it is a local issue and doesn't concern them. They're not allowed to get involved in strictly local matters, legally speaking. Which would be a fine enough excuse, if it made any sense in the slightest.
a) It's bundled in with the Western Peripheral Bypass, which apparently IS a national issue. The Government are going to pay for the bridge if it happens. So why not take a look at what you're buying? £14.5 million isn't pocket change in this day and age...would you spend £14.5 million without even looking at what you were buying?
b) A local issue? Really? Technically, this is a far less local issue than, say, Donald Trump's golf course, which didn't need nearly as many CPOs. Not nearly as many people's rights trampled on. But when the Council dared attempt to shoot that down, the Government were only too quick to leap in and save the plans. Salmond was falling over himself to break the law to force that one through. How is that of more national importance than the Don Crossing project?
When it boils down to it, the Government basically do whatever the fuck they like, and try to twist the legislation to make it look like they're following the rules. "Unable", no. "Unwilling" is more like it, because they're backing up the decision of an SNP-Liberal Council. The Community Council ended up sending back a letter to the government saying they were "unable" to understand their decision on this matter, which made me chuckle rather a lot. Welcome to how low my sense of humour has sunk...
I guess we're beyond the point of actually expecting this SNP government to actually do anything though, aren't we? They've proved themselves utterly incapable of carrying off the most basic parts of their job, so I honestly wouldn't expect them to be able to approach a complex planning matter with any kind of competence. Christ, they can't even grit the fucking roads. They spend all the money on ludicrous ad campaigns and then wonder why there's no money left for salt, and instead try to grit the roads with fucking sand.
But that's enough, for now. That's enough things I'm not going to write in my essay. Consider my spleen suitably vented.
I'd better go run a Search-And-Replace on the paragraph I've written already for the word "cunts".
