Scottish Lib Dem conference at Perth

I am sat here on Saturday evening while the Euro campaign fundraising dinner is taking place, where new Federal Party President, Ros Scott is the guest speaker and Ross Finnie MSP is the Master of Ceremonies.

During the course of today, yesterday and also tomorrow we have run a whole host of training modules and briefings for local party officers and we have had a great response.

I attended the Liberal Youth quiz last night with three quiz masters, Alistair Carmichael MP, top candidate Katy Gordon and Hugh O'Donnell MSP - a great night was had by all and the ballroom at The Royal George Hotel was throbbing.

The Liberal Youth group in Scotland led by Tom Maidwell are fantastic and really do deserve our full support here across Scotland. They have groups here at Perth this weekend from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow plus others.

This conference has been amazing but I only made it into the hall once and that was this evening for a fringe event by SAMH on mental health issues.

Tomorrow, I will be able to actually venture into the main hall again to watch a debate. Chris Rennard, Hilary Stephenson plus other senior Lib Dems have been here this weekend and of course, covering for Nick Clegg on paternity leave was my former boss and Deputy Federal Leader Vince Cable.

Vince, as always has been fantastic and the Scottish media have been running after Vince all weekend - Vince thank you for coming up (again) and I know you are back up here next month helping out as always.

I will do a final summation tomorrow but a fantastic weekend!

Perth Conference and Nick Clegg

I've just seen two google alerts about our Federal Leader, Nick Clegg. One from the Press Association and one from the Herald claiming Nick Clegg is snubbing the Scottish Lib Dem conference in Perth.

What a load of rubbish! When it was announced that Nick Clegg and his wife were having a baby, Nick said he would take paternity leave and that's exactly what he's done.

Vince Cable (whose 2001 campaign I ran) is attending in his role as Deputy Leader.

Tavish Scott, our Scottish Leader will be doing a speech on Sunday and the thing that struck me at Harrogate was how wonderful and amazing our three Leaders are - Nick Clegg, Tavish Scott and Kirsty Williams.

Full of energy, enthusiasm and more than that, they have the experience and skills to run the UK, Scotland and Wales.

So, my message to the Press Association and The Herald is this - report news and stop speculating on pure rubbish - although as they say, all coverage is good!

Follow our conference at www.scotlibdems.org.uk
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Baby's details on National DNA database

I am currently at Selby Fork, and yesterday evening got a Lib Dem press release from our UK HQ on my Blackberry that just silenced me!

This was the title - Baby DNA on database illegal, immoral and ineffective - Huhne

I leaned over to show my colleague who was also momentarily stunned into silence and then asked me to forward it.

The fact that the DNA of a baby under one year old has been stored on the police national database, is utterly scandalous and Jacqui Smith MP should be ashamed of herself and the Police.

You can read below what our UK Home Affairs spokesman, Chris Huhne said.

I am just shocked that a baby, not even a year old has had their DNA entered, come on where the hell is the point of that? This Labour Government is out of touch, the Conservatives would be no better; it is time for real change in the UK and I genuinely believe with Nick Clegg, Vince Cable, Tavish Scott and Kirsty Williams we have the team.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne said:"It is illegal, immoral and ineffective to keep the DNA of a baby on a national police database as if they had committed some felony. The sooner the Home Secretary implements the European Court's ruling that our DNA database contravenes the right to privacy, the better.

"It is ludicrous to be randomly adding DNA samples from individuals who can represent no conceivable criminal threat when there are 2.3 million convicted criminals whose DNA is not on the database because it began after their trials were completed.

"Since the DNA database began, nearly 1.1 million children have had their DNA stored without their permission. Children have become the soft target of a random DNA policy."
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Next Directory - underhand tactics at their stores

My birthday was just last month, reaching the ripe old age of 41. My Sister and Mum sent me those electronic gift cards, so off to M&S and Next I went.

While in Next a young gentleman sidled up to me and asked if I wanted to win a sports car, why not, so in for a penny, in for a pound as they say so I signed the postcard and put my address.

Imagine my surprise a week later when a letter arrived from Next Directory saying they needed more information before they could send me the Directory.

Strange, I hadn't ticked anything asking for one. So I popped back to the Next shop on Princes Street, Edinburgh and lo and behold on the till was a similar postcard - in fact half of it was the same, the prize draw the other half which the sales assistant had obviously torn off before he spoke to customers was all about the Next Directory and the infamous tick box to not receive any further details.

This is completely underhanded sales tactics and I am absolutely hacked off with Next.

When I called their main number there were no supervisors, managers or anyone from customer relations, however if I left my number they would call back - I don't think so!

I will be notifying Trading Standards about this because obviously the greedy bosses at Next pay a bonus to their shop floor staff for each account opened, but come on Next, at least do it honestly! Back in the day when I worked for Collier and then Burtons we never, and I really do mean never targeted young customers and were very open about what they were signing.

The underlying issue I have with this was everyone was targeted including the younger customers who might be tempted to spend a lot on the Directory and get into debt when we are facing a major credit crisis as a country. Sorry Next but you are out of order on this one.

Terrorism and Sport

It makes you wonder. Yesterdays awful attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket team in Pakistan will now result in a security review of every major sporting event in the world.

In principle this is no bad thing.

However, what will be the outcome? Will the London Olympics spend millions of pounds on a security review and then change nothing?

Will every major football ground have armed police?

What now for cricket? All questions that will be pondered over the coming days and weeks.

Let sports fans unite and fight the law breakers and ensure sport stays as it is, sport and largely above politics!
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Labour's hypocrisy on Sir Fred Goodwin

I really do think Gordon Brown and others in the Labour Party are being completely hypocritical on this issue and just jumping on the bandwagon.

My personal view, is that Sir Fred Goodwin should give a percentage back, a massive percentage back - at least 90%. Yes, I really do mean this, the man along with his Non Executive Directors and the senior management team of RBS should be utterly ashamed of themselves!

However, we must remember that the Labour Government have known about Sir Fred's pension, and the amount it was since last October - so for five months they said nothing about it but as soon as the public get hold of the amount and their anger is apparent good ole Gordon Brown jumps on the nearest bandwagon passing by Downing Street.

Although, the former Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott seems to be on the bandwagon as well, so will he be giving his pension up as one of the Senior Government Ministers who has served during the time when Labour brought the banks down?

I know my pension figures have plummeted over recent months, although I don't have the credit of bringing a bank to it's knees like Sir Fred but I know as I look at the figures my total pension would be around a few thousand now, and I know some of my investments would have been in banks.

So, my humble message to Sir Fred, is do the decent thing and give your pension to charity.

Do it because you are a decent human being, rather than because the band wagon jumping hypocritical Government tell you to do so.