Being Burns Night tonight a quick check on what the Scottish parliament might be recommending for our supper seemed appropriate. And not a lot has changed since our last look – for example ..
Motion S5M-09862: Angus MacDonald, Falkirk East, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 11/01/2018
Trio of Success for Falkirk District Butchers: That the Parliament hails the success of three butchers from Falkirk district at the recent Scottish Craft Butchers Savoury Pastry products awards; congratulates Thomas Johnstone Butchers, which is based in Falkirk, on winning two prestigious Diamond awards for its pies and sausage rolls, Patricks of Camelon, on winning a Gold award for its Scotch pies and Silver for its sausage rolls, mac‘n’bacon pies, chicken pies and hand-held steak pies, and the Grangemouth-based Richards Family Butchers on its Scotch pies winning Silver …
These congratulations do seem rather one-eyed in their hailing since it was, after all, a competition for Scottish butchers. And it would be reasonable to assume that all the winners would have been from Scotland. But more importantly these frequent parochial motions at the Scottish parliament do bring into question the point of funding a house of expensive politicians that are clearly lacking enough serious business to fill their time.
Earlier this week we had reports of the First Minister, no less, tackling that key issue of state – the times that the Union flag can be flown on official buildings. Even though this was later revealed to be a decision made in 2010. Yet it is still the case that no one from the SNP can logically explain how a party committed to Scottish independence can also be in support of giving up this same independence to Brussels via the EU.
O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
After years of discussion and division all twenty local authorities within what is currently Yorkshire have agreed that they will establish a single devolved unit.
So this week in Downing Street our Prime Minister carried out the traditional reshuffle of the table seating plan of that limited pack of Right Honorables making up her Cabinet. The spin machines claim that these changes were significant but few seem to agree. In reality the changes look pretty limited with the only obvious trend being more power to MPs who have, so far, been working against a successful exit from the European Union.
Meanwhile the politicians, civil servants and assorted activists can roast in the flames of the hell that they have created. Another fine mess where the UK political establishment is floundering around in La La Land while being attacked from both within and without. A farce where no one makes any useful progress and the only certainties are more taxation and broken promises.
A contest that seems to have become a contest between old labour and even-older labour policies. In fact one of the few modern elements has been the repeat of Ed Milliband’s ill-fated strap line – Your Next Prime Minister. Otherwise it was the familiar messages about renationalisation, stopping privatisation and spending money that we don’t have.
However our awards ceremony planned for tonight has had to be canceled after our organisers – the events arm of the Grandadz charity – mislaid its funding. There had been rumours circulating for several weeks that there were problems. But the charity’s boss, Carmen Bataneyelid, had reassured us that everything would be fine and all the key figures would be there for a glittering evening of fine dining and entertainment.
And the first nomination in the Political Confusion category is the proposed EU Referendum. This nomination excels in its category for a range of compelling reasons. First the single referendum question has had to be changed – the 
But there are plenty of other sports that the bookies are also covering this weekend. The Oxford-Cambridge boat race will be broadcast this afternoon to a estimated audience of 100 million world wide. Many will be hoping that favourites Oxford win. Meanwhile a small but dedicated band of cycling Grandads will be following their own grand national on Sunday with the 113th running of the Paris to Roubaix race. Taking over 6 hours and with 27 sections of cobbled cart tracks this race attracts a huge global audience. With Britain’s Bradley Wiggins starting as second favourite in his last race for Team Sky the bookies could be in for another boost.
Thomas Howard, the 70 year old Earl of Surrey, to take charge in his absence. Howard mustered forces in London and then marched north to Pontefract, where he held a Council of War and was joined by men from Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire. From there it was on to Durham and the border country where the two armies met at what is commonly called Flodden Field.
after the age of empire it must be very easy for some Whitehall departments to forget that the British government is no longer … the world’s policeman. So today Whitehall is hyper-active over the latest barbarity in the Syrian civil war. It is so high on the agenda because it fits the myth that Britain still has a world role. The same world role it had back at start of the 20th century.