Always forgive your enemies-nothing annoys them so much- Oscar Wilde
Scottish Labour- Breath of Fresh Air

Scottish Independence has "complicated" politics rather a lot, hasn't it? SNP in limbo, Labour in limbo and the thread of the General Election next year in the balance. So, watch this space...

Upon the announcement Lammont had resigned as Scottish Labour Leader, Miliband and co were left in a very dire situation, especially because it was over the lack of influence Scottish Labour had over the country. So finally, some sense has been drummed into the heads of Labour electorates, and they chose their most popular candidate, step in Jim Murphy.
A prominent figure amongst Labour supporters for supporting the No party for Scottish Independence, however it hasn't bothered anyone by the slightest. Having been the favourite from the start, Murphy won by a 50% majority, and actually has promises worth listening to, unlike his colleagues *cough* Miliband *cough*
With an apparent lose of identity amongst Labour and Scottish Labour in particular, Murphy has reverted back to the traditional red Labour that Miliband doesn't quite know. By promising a 50p income tax for those who earn over £150,000 a year, he is theoretically redistributing money from the rich to the poor... WELCOME BACK LABOUR!
This couldn't come at a better time for a failing party, an identity crisis, a leader looking like a Muppet (literally), and a General Election round the corner. Promising devolution for nationalists, lower taxes and more public spending for socialists, and a smile that you can actually trust. Win, win, win for Labour. Being a Tory, it may be surprising for me to be congratulating Labour on this appointment, but there's only one reason I support this, and that's purely down to "Bottler Brown". As Alex Salmond prompted, the one man promising the Scottish devolution reforms has resigned, Gordon Brown choked... Where have I seen that before? So with Murphy, I believe the Scottish will finally have a leader who might actually fufill his promises and keep the United Kingdom; United.
Jordan Ifield (congratulating Labour is a

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt- Abraham Lincoln
Labour- EU Following Suit (and also failing)

Every week I seem to find a problem in Labour policy/politicians/promises, and this week, is by no means any different. This weeks culprit: Yvette Cooper.
Immigration will be one of the major factors in determining the next government next year, we've all known that since UKIP actually gained some popularity. And ever since, the scramble to see who's actually prepared to kick out illegal immigrants has started, and so Labour were natural to pounce, with Cooper stating that "stronger checks" would be placed under a Labour government in immigration, proposing checks on previous criminal record in their native country. Now this sounds all well and good in a vague way, stop criminals gaining entry gaining to the country. We all want that, however; it doesn't take long for some scrutiny to demolish it.
Take Labour's previous immigration promise for example: 1000 new immigration officers if we're in government. Cooper used this as justification for their new promise of new checks on criminal records. But as far as i can see, 1000 new officers in a country as big as the UK won't make a difference, especially if it's 1) only against criminals (small minority) and 2) only for those outside the EU. It's a bit like discovering you have a water leak, and cover it over with paper, point at it with a big neon sign to the public saying "LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE DONE!"
Labour, and all the other "big" parties, seem to be overlooking the big picture. For the public, you and me, the biggest problem regarding immigration is how many people are coming through our borders. Not racist, it's just there are too many. Labour are promising more staff, Tories are promising reforms, Lib Dems are still imploding, its only UKIP that (unfortunately) have a strong immigration policy, with policy and conviction, just that it's a bit racist for my liking. UKIP have sounded out the EU for all our immigration issues, and I agree with them on that, and only the Conservatives have got close enough to that by promising an EU Referendum. Apart from that it's been a shambles ever since Britain became exploited by the EU. Bailing countries out, lending it more money just because our economy is better than everyone else's, and more importantly we still need to stay. The trade and relations we grow from it are outstanding, so when Cooper suggests anymore reforms in England, someone donate her a "Dunce" hat and remind her that the main immigration problem doesn't come from us, but the EU.
Jordan Ifield (spoken like a true Tory)



If I am pushed I will push back, that is the way I am. I am very British. We don't like to be pushed around. When the chips are down we might have to step into grey areas- Damon Hill

Star Wars Episode VI- Revenge of the Salmond

It was only just last week that I wrote a blog on someone who's not wanted... But thankfully, he had the good sense to retire (thank you Brown). However, Mr. Salmond is now making a return, and an unpleasant one.

Being the leader of the failed "Yes" campaign of the Scottish Independence Referendum was never going to be a good thing. Neither was resigning because of it. But because of that resignation from Alex the Salmond, his dignity was left partially intact... Until now. Yes, he has decided to enter the running of MP (the UK one! What a shocker...) in the constituency of Gordon. Let there be fireworks...
Now, as it turns out, this is a disastrous move by Salmond, because it will only gain him and his party, the SNP, more critics. Its only been 2 months since his "noble" defeat at Holyrood in the Independence Referendum, and whilst the English couldn't vote, as a whole, we were against independence. So I don't see the SNP getting many votes, especially when 1) they don't prioritize English issues in an English Parliament! And 2) Salmond has already stated that they have no intention of running Government, defeating the point of their running in the General Election, and wasted votes as a result... Poor logic is evident.
However, I can give Salmond some sympathy, firstly, he lost the Independence Referendum (although was a sore loser) and secondly, the one man to guarantee the reforms promised for Scotland if the Yes party lost the election, (Bottler Brown) has lived up to his name and bottled it by resigning. So, promised reforms without any due date, good luck Scotland. And with all attention in politics turning towards the General Election next year, whilst everyone hisses at UKIP for anti-feminist views, it seems increasingly unlikely we'll ever see any Scottish Political Reforms in our lifetime.
What now then? Before next years election, we can predict what the result will be, and with almost certain credibility, I can say: I have no idea who will win. If you take the results of the previous MP elections in Gordon, you'll find that ever since it joined as a Member of the UK Parliament in 1983, the Liberal Democrats have won every time. However, this possibility is looking increasingly unlikely next year, with the combination of the Lib Dems virtually imploding, and the gain in popularity for the SNP, Labour and the Conservatives in Scotland, it's anybody's game. And if Alex Salmond loses... Well, he is stuffed. Can he risk failure again? No is the simple answer, he'll disappear into a history textbook in 50 years time as a Key Figure in why the Scottish didn't gain their independence in 2014.... That'll be the day!
Jordan Ifield (that would be a good textbook)

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific- Lily Tomlin

Gordon Brown Resigns as MP- HALLELUJAH

The day has finally come, whether you love him or hate him (me), Gordon Brown has finally decided to throw in the towel. Having been MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath (where the hell is that?!) for 31 years... 31 years... How can they cope? He has resigned, or at least will, after the 2015 General Election. But what does this leave for Brown? And what reputation has he left behind?

Bias is something that is strong for me when it comes to Gordon Brown, 1) because I have only lived to have seen or known about his huge mistakes in the 2008 World Economic Crisis, and 2) I live in a deeply Conservative South East constituency... You can see where this is going...

But where do I start? Back in the day, before I was born, Labour needed reformation or a renaissance, and the Blair-Brown co-op offered this in 1997, and much more. It offered the Labour Party a new lead on socialism, and being a keen economist and nerd, Brown virtually walked into the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1997. That was an achievement, a huge one, which he capitalized on by using his mathematics and graphs to reform our economy, with public spending being prioritized, and with living standards increasing, Mr Brown hadn't done bad in his first term.. But this allowed him to get ambitious... Too ambitious.

Anyone for a pint of failure?

It had been long speculated that Gordon had wanted to be Prime Minister, from a young age. I'm not sure about that, maybe an astronaut, or in the case of Gordon Brown, probably Mickey Mouse, but not Prime Minister. But in 2007, having seen Labour's popularity drop with the Iraq War-"miraculous" disappearance of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the warning alarms on the economy going off, Blair wisely jumped ship, leaving his colleague (Brown) to fill the shoes of a clown in a fire of economic disaster. That was precarious enough, and I feel some sympathy for him... But I'm afraid the next few years of his life were dotted with incompetence and stubbornness.

Firstly, having gained leadership of the country, without a General Election, he should've naturally caled one. Just to gain public backing, and with his ratings and Labour's on the infamous "Brown Bounce", it seemed he would've won... But then he done the also infamous, "Bottler Brown" and decided to let his ratings to fall, and this became a recurring theme for the next few years... 3 words: Economy, Boom, Bust. 2008 wasn't exactly the brightest year of his life... And will be forever remembered as the year, Brown cocked up. He saved the banks, which was valiant enough, but not his bacon. The again, infamous, recession occurred, and the rest is history. Because of this incident. Brown and Labour were predicted to lose the 2010 General Election, but because this was Brown behind the reins, it was natural that he was going to go out spectacularly. And not only did he do so, but he also managed to nail the coffin of defeat, by calling a deep Labour supporter a "bigot"... Even at the young age of 12, I knew that the word bigot was not a nice word... So because of Brown, I have remembered the most pleasing memories in history: the moment Gordon Brown put his hands in his head upon hearing the news... Thanks for the legacy Brown!

Jordan Ifield (Now let the discussion begin!)