Margaret Smith - Hoy Polloi

S3M-02418 Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD):
Congratulations to Chris Hoy

That the Parliament congratulates Edinburgh cyclist, Chris Hoy, on winning three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; notes that he is the first Briton to win three gold medals at the same Olympics in 100 years; recognises that Hoy’s achievements in Olympic track cycling are exceptional; welcomes the inspiration generated as a result of this achievement; calls on the UK Government to bestow a knighthood on him, and wishes Chris the best of luck for the future and looks forward to further success in forthcoming events.


Don't get me wrong, well done to Chris on a fantastic achievement but a knighthood? Seriously? Riding a bike quickly is surely not what the Honours System is there for.


And brazenly politicising the success of an Olympic athlete makes for distinctly crap chat indeed.


Welcome to the vaults Margaret!

Robert Brown - Loves allotments too

Oh my goodness, they're all at it now with these pesky allotments....

I guess Robert Brown just wanted to stay under the radar in a mundane fashion after this delightful gaffe.

S3M-02398 Robert Brown (Glasgow): National Allotments Week 2008— That the Parliament welcomes National Allotments Week 2008, being held from 11 to 17 August 2008; believes that allotments can make a big contribution to healthier living, knowledge of the environment and the seasonality of food; notes the potential for positive links with local schools, and urges all local authorities to identify more high quality sites to satisfy the growing demand for allotments in Scotland.

Rumbles the abstainer attacks abstaining

In his platform piece in yesterday’s Scotsman ‘change rather than continuity is the way ahead for Lib Dems’ Mike Rumbles attacked the stance that the Lib Dems took in the budget debate (as well in the majority of debates on various issues) in abstaining in the final vote.

I guess Mr Rumbles is just putting across his firebrand credentials whilst trying to convince Lib Dem voters that if they want a change then he is their man. It is interesting to note, however, that when it came down to voting in the Budget instead of following the lead of Cathie Craigie in voting against the budget, Mr Rumbles meekly abstained in the vote.

Words are all fine and well Mr Rumbles but we’ve seen very little in the way of actual action to back them up.

Shiona Baird and Mike Rumbles

Mike Rumbles: The member keeps talking about sustainable business. Does that mean that she is in favour of economic growth?

Shiona Baird: We have always maintained that economic growth is essential, but that it must be sustainable. When I say that, I am referring to the terms of the Brundtland definition of sustainability. If Mike Rumbles looks that up, he will find out exactly what we mean.

Mike Rumbles: Tell us.

Shiona Baird: Does the member not know the Brundtland definition of sustainability? I am sorry. [Interruption.]

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman): You should be finishing now, Ms Baird.

Shiona Baird: It is desperately disappointing that none of those members seems to know the Brundtland definition of sustainability, when the Scottish Parliament is supposed to be mainstreaming sustainability.

Mike Rumbles: The member does not know it.

Shiona Baird: Of course I do. Scotland's future sustainability will rely on the ability of our small businesses to meet the challenges of a world that is scarred by climate change and hampered by resource depletion. In the future, local economies will be more important than national economies. Increasingly, we will turn to small businesses. We must acknowledge that and put in place measures that will ensure their long-term survival.

I will meet Mr Rumbles outside for cup of coffee, when I will tell him what he wants to know.

So, on the off-chance that anyone's interested and if you're not lucky enough to have a coffee date with Ms Baird, the Brundtland definition of sustainability is as follows:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Kenneth Gibson

The conception for this blog came unwittingly from a post I created on my own blog after I heard about some brainless comments from a certain MSP. The brilliant Ideas of Civilisation pushed me to start the blog and that brings us present.

So, it seems appropriate that the dubious honour of the first Crap Holyrood Chat posting should go to that same MSP - Kenneth Gibson.

Kenneth Gibson: S3M-02310 Irrelevance of the Liberal Democrats

That the Parliament recognises the utter irrelevance of the Liberal Democrats; believes that they are the architects of their own increasing marginalisation by their refusal to recognise the changing landscape of Scottish politics, which has shown that minority government can work and that their status as kingmakers to the largest party is now redundant; notes the unexpected vacancy for position of Scottish Liberal Democrat leader; considers that there has been a continued decline in Liberal Democrat fortunes in opinion polls, council and by-elections across the United Kingdom, and is saddened that they are still misguided enough in considering that their party is a credible force in Scottish politics.

Raise your game please Kenny. Though I suspect you will be a regular feature on this blog!