Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s roundup! Political action has been a bit thin on the ground this week, but there has still been some excellent blogging for us to highlight.

Unfortunately, though, disaster has hit this week’s roundup. I had spent all afternoon writing it when, just as I was almost finished, I lost almost the entire post after an unfortunate incident involving a slipped mouse. Seemingly WordPress’s autosave function doesn’t work unless you give the post a title, for some reason I can’t even begin to work out.

Sadly, I also got rid of the list of posts I was planning to include, and it is only by a stroke of (rare for me at the moment) luck that I have found a few of the posts. I’ve forgotten a lot of them. I still have what the team suggested this week and, of course, your nominations. But I don’t have the patience, time or energy to write the full post out again.

So please accept my apologies as I produce this list of interesting posts with little added commentary from myself.

There has been talk this week about the role of the Lib Dems within the Calman Commission. According to James, rumour has it that the Lib Dems are beginning to feel rather sidelined. But Malc does not buy the theory so much.

Meanwhile, James Kelly wonders what exactly Tavish Scott means when he says he is “not instinctively against” holding a referendum on Scotland’s constitutional future.

Eyebrows were raised this week when it was revealed that the development in Leith may end up being named Edinburgh Harbour. Caron ponders on the move, while Ally at Greener Leith notes that it is not exactly living up to the promise to put Leith on the map. Andrew Reeves adds his thoughts.

Both Kezia Dugdale and Ewan Aitken find themselves being instinctively against proposals to make criminals contribute towards the funerals of their victims.

The Daily Mash has got to the bottom of what went wrong at HBOS.

Meanwhile, Jeff has an interesting suggestion which he thinks will help the economy in a number of ways.

Meanwhile, Yousuf looks at quantitative easing, and concludes that “drastic times call for drastic measures”.

Subrosa looks at higher education in Scotland, and sees the current economic situation as the perfect opportunity for the system to refocus.

Over at Malc’s, guestblogger PJ takes a look at charity.

Sistah in Scotland offers this perspective on the 13-year-old father.

Stephen Glenn asks if it’s time for the Lib Dems to begin contesting elections in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Bernard Salmon wonders if Labour’s woes will present an opportunity for the Lib Dems to capitalise.

Jeff returns to the missing Glenrothes by election voting register.

Something else which went missing is Sellafield’s records of where they have disposed of nuclear waste, which leaves Big Rab nervous.

Meanwhile, Subrosa notes the difference in energy policy between Alex Salmond and Jim Murphy.

Richard Thomson has a very interesting idea, suggesting that Scotland could take control of its own electromagnetic spectrum and take a different approach to that of the rest of the UK.

Neil Craig suggested featuring his apology to The Scotsman for failing to notice earlier that they published his letter on “an atrocity by our own government & others which is as evil as anything Hitler did & should have been front page news everywhere.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Glenn brings attention to the “blackout” campaign which highlights New Zealand’s proposed new copyright laws which will assume you are guilty until proven innocent.

You may also be interested in The Carnival on Modern Liberty. The Convention on Modern Liberty has an event in Glasgow this Saturday.

Finally, here are some law blogs that were nominated ages ago and got forgotten about. Belatedly, and with apologies, check these out. Bloggers may be particularly interested in TechnoLlama, a technology blog.

Have a look also at Scots Law News, Jonathan Mitchell QC, The Lockerbie Case, Absolvitor, Rob Edwards and Amnesty International’s Scottish Human Rights Blog.

And that’s it for this week! Phew. Next week, thankfully for the sake of my own sanity, the roundup will be edited by Ewan Watt. So get those nominations in by emailing us at scottishroundup@gmail.com or by using the handy form on the right. Thanks!

A break from the politics then, with your monthly round-up of the other bits and pieces that have got Scotland’s ever-passionate bloggers talking. I’m Lis, or Last Year’s Girl, behind the scenes at Scottish Roundup for the first time.

Starting on a serious note this month, Jamie Ross was a teenage English student until he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. His blog, in his words, is “a reading experience that will make you laugh, cry and possibly physically sick as I mention my testicles more times than social convention deems acceptable”. It’s extremely well-written, and we wish Jamie all the best.

If February 2009 was memorable for one thing, it was as the month that the increasingly popular microblogging service found itself smack in the mainstream media spotlight. Cue lazy features supplement roundups of the latest celebrity users, a link on my mobile internet homepage to “the latest social phenomenon sweeping the nation” (?!) and a barrage of irritating made-up buzzwords beginning with the letters tw. The most worthy of these? Twestival – combining the traditional web meetup with the chance to raise money for a good cause. Scottish Roundup’s own Duncan Stephen made it to the Edinburgh event – an evening that was not without incident. “It felt a bit like a gig really — just one where people were staring into their iPhones a lot,” he reports.

February’s other big topic was the snowy weather, and Scottish bloggers collectively rolled their eyes at the London media’s overreaction to a bit of nasty weather. Something I missed out on because I, er, was stuck in London with my Tube-driving best friend who was able to explain in excruciating detail just why the trains couldn’t run.

Sharing Experiences is a great photography/travel blog from Edinburgh-based writer Andy Hayes, who recommends “Scotland’s Waterfall Walk” by New Lanark. If the thought of all that walking makes you hungry, Wendy’s got a delicious-looking recipe for vegetable biryani – and Europe a la Carte will feed your wanderlust.

Back on home shores, Colonsay Brewery has jumped on the blogging bandwagon, bringing an interesting insight into the brewing process. Whisky Guy Rob has also been going behind the scenes at a distillery these past couple of weeks.

It’s On It’s Gone tracks the best of the off-the-beaten-track in the Edinburgh arts scene, with an emphasis on film and theatre.

Amy Palko has some stunning photographs of a frozen waterfall; while there are great new shots at Islay Photography Gallery and Gasoline Rainbows.

18 Saughton Mains is an Edinburgh allotment, which Alex documents.

The Ben Lomond Free Press calls Scotrail out on its cutting down of trees on railway embankments. Silversprite isn’t impressed with big corporations either this month, after spotting a strange sign in the window of Domino’s Pizza.

As a music blogger you get used to junkmail, but sometimes the odd gem catches your attention. Glasgow PodcART is just such a worthy contender, showcasing Glasgow-based art and writing on the site along with a weekly podcast featuring the best in local music. Well worthy of your time.

Neil at Notes From A Toy Piano is creating a weekly playlist at HMV’s “Specialities” department – and he’s posting the results for readers of the blog to enjoy.

There’s a lively discussion going on already at Bigmouth Strikes Again, where Gary is looking for your maddest Bella-magazine-meets-The Dangerous Book For Boys-style Top Tips.

Anas has a thought-provoking post about tracking down old friends online.

Confessions of an Ambulance Man has an embarrassing moment with a patient. And a happy 3rd blogging birthday to Stuff On TV!

Everyone I Ever Kissed is an intriguing and beautifully-written project, if a little racier than the sort of content usually featured on Scottish Roundup – but I figure that’s why they let me do these things for a change!

And finally, just to prove nepotism will get you everywhere: Marah Chase is a fun adventure serial in the style of old pulp novels, with new chapters every Sunday.

I hope this has been an interesting read, or has maybe even turned you onto something new – but please, keep sending your links to scottishroundup@gmail.com or use our handy form on the right. Cheers!

What a week! We found out that LIT is now in a coma for at least two years, that Ministers happily accept invitations to resign, that Glasgow has new MSP and that the Treaty of Rome’s provisions for the free movement of people which got people so riled last week doesn’t actually apply if the Home Office reckons you might offend someone. The good news is that there’s an impending upturn in the keyboard industry, as so many have been worn out at the amount of blogging that’s been done.

Anyway, we start with the suspension of any further progress on the SNP’s plans to replace Council Tax with a Local Income Tax, as predicted in advance by Green_Anorak. Angus reckons the policy needed to be put to one side so that improvements could be made, and Stuart reckons that’s precisely why it was left to one side, while Holyrood Watcher thinks it shouldn’t come back at all.

James thinks this announcement could have been made ages ago, as it’s been obvious that the plan didn’t have a majority in Parliament for some time. Kez and Stephen reckon that, seeing as LIT was left to one side on the grounds that it couldn’t command majority support, the referendum on independence should be the next to go.

Ideas of Civilsation believes that, for the first time, Ministers sounded like politicians, and foresees trouble ahead. Caron, meanwhile, brands the SNP defeatists.

On the other side, Malc argues that LIT’s demise is far from permanent and that this is what happens when you have a minority government. Jeff agrees that with a lack of both Parliamentary support and sufficient funding, the policy needed to be left to one side for now, while Richard Thomson agrees, and notes the absence of an alternative from Labour. Justified Spinner isn’t impressed with Iain Gray’s manifesto-ripping reaction, and Calum suggests that while it was a difficult decision, and the Opposition could have inflicted serious damage, the impact Labour have had over this issue has been limited. And Julie suggests that Labour’s reaction might not go down too well on the doorstep. Meanwhile, Holyrood Patter is surprised that the independence argument has been hitched to this issue.

Elsewhere, Ewan Aitken wonders what this will mean for the Council Tax freeze, which was intended to be temporary until the introduction of LIT, while Andrew Burns thinks now would be a good time to discuss Land Value Tax.

Staying with money, Gus looks at politicians’ tendency to blame bankers for the current financial crisis, despite creating the conditions for bankers to act as they have , and not proposing any solutions to the problems in the way things are done. And Justified Spinner notes that far from protecting HBOS, the merger with Lloyds TSB is actually dragging the latter down!

Elsewhere, there were Ministerial changes in Scotland this week, with Linda Fabiani, Stewart Maxwell and Maureen Watt being sacked, Mike Russell being promoted, and Keith Brown, Roseanna Cunningham and Alex Neil filling the vacancies. Andrew Burns is stunned that the reshuffle only affected Junior Ministers, Holyrood Watcher wonders why they were dismissed, though Drew reckons the departing frontbenchers weren’t up to the job. Kez reckons the new Ministers can hardly be considered fresh faces. Lallands Peat Worrier reflects on the old ones and the timing of the announcement, a point echoed by Ideas of Civilisation, who notes that both the reshuffle and the announcement of job losses at RBS co-incided with the testimony of four disgraced former bankers before the Treasury Select Committee at Westminster. Incidentally, I dig out the agreement made between the SNP and the Greens in May 2007, and suggest that this week, it was broken.

Someone else with a new job in politics this week is Anne McLaughlin, otherwise known as IndyGal, who this week was sworn in as the new MSP for Glasgow following Bashir Ahmad’s death. And it’s been a rocky start: the MSM dredged up a post on her blog where she displayed her photojournalistic tendencies at Holyrood, and slated her for her ‘lack of respect’. Bloggers then stepped up to defend her – and not just SNP ones, either. Who says we don’t have a Union? Anyway, David McDonald kicks things off with a tribute to Bashir Ahmad. Some of Anne’s friends in the SNP defend her over the MSM attacks, most notably BellgroveBelle and Julie. From those of other (and no) affiliation, Stephen reckons the attacks on Anne are hypocritcal in a political culture where people are happy to brief the press anonymously, Stuart reckons the reaction is OTT, and Duncan is dismayed about how what people post online can come back to haunt them.

Tory Bear has two posts on the Edinburgh University Rectorial Elections: Iain MacWhirter has defeated George Foulkes and it’s little wonder when Foulkes opted to attend events at the wrong Uni.

Meanwhile, keyboards have been put through their paces over the planned visit by Islamophobic Dutch politician Geert Wilders to the UK, and the Home Office’s decision to turn him back at Heathrow Airport. Yousuf Hamid cheers the decision, but most bloggers opt for a Voltairean approach. Malc wonders if the Home Office would turn back the Pope, who in the past has made statements about Islam that echo the sentiments expressed by Wilders, Caledonian Jim catalogues other people who have issued some offensive, hateful words and whose presence in the UK is tolerated, and Lallands Peat Worrier asks why his views are less acceptable in London than in Leiden.

Bernard Salmon argues that, while his views are repugnant, the presence of Wilders wouldn’t necessarily incite violence, while Bishop Hill wonders why prominent defenders of civil liberties such as David Davis and Shami Chakrabarti have been silent on the matter. Alex Massie takes a look at Wilders and concludes that he is a boor and a bigot, but that he is still entitled to free speech.

And on a similar theme, Clairwil reflects on the Carol Thatcher brouhaha.

Neil Craig has two posts on his attempts to engage with SEPA over radioactivity in Dalgety Bay – a tenner says it ends up being traced to a kebab shop.

Caron wonders why SNP activists, so active in the blogosphere and on Facebook, haven’t quite jumped onto Twitter yet. And Stephen discusses the latest instalment in the Iain Dale/Derek Draper bunfight.

That last link seems like the ideal moment to introduce this post by Flying Rodent, on a much understudied section of society.

Bernard Salmon looks at proposed changes to the sexual offence laws.

Tom Harris deserves a writing award for his glorious (and hopefully ironic) attempt to make poll numbers look good for Labour. For some reason, it made me go “Awwww!” and want to take him home and put him on the mantle piece next to the oil burner and the Wedgwood saucer.

James asks why there are still rows about oil in the 1970s when the oil in question is running out.

Caron wonders why she should be entitled to free prescriptions when she doesn’t necessarily need them.

Mr. Eugenides has linked to the infamous Sandi Thom duet with Alex Salmond. Frankly, I’d have thought it was ample justification for people of all parties to agree that, in a straight choice between remaining in Bute House and embarking on a career in music, it would be better for the First Minister not to give up his day job.

Finally, James raises a smile about signing off a letter.

Speaking of which, I’m signing off too for another week. Later on in the week it’s the NoPoBloRo, hosted by Lis, while Duncan is in the hot seat next Sunday. As always, you can mail suggestions to scottishroundup@gmail.com or you can use the skibadabedoobop on the right. Bye-de-bye!

Brought to you by Andy, aka Justified Spinner, aka andy sharp.

Hi All,

New experiences are supposed to broaden the mind, so… here goes.

First up, and it’s sober stuff indeed……

The sad news about the passing of Bashir Ahmad, the first Asian member of the Scottiish parliament.

Many tributes on this from all sides, including David, Malc, Jeff , Osama Saeed, and IoC, and many more, paying their respects to the memory of a well respected and ineffably courteous and civilised man.  Bashir will be sadly missed.

To this week in the Scottish political show, and inevitably, it’s the resuscitation of the SNP’s ‘Lazarus’ budget.

There’s an entertaining gap between what the opposition parties claim they actually gained from the re-negotiated settlement, and what the Nat bloggers believe.

The consensus appears to be that sanity has triumphed over party points scoring here.

Alec Massie sees the situation as an example of the moderating effects of consensus, whilst Jeff takes the view that the SNP kept the heid better than any of the budget opponents, and that getting a negotiated near-unanimity in the Parly could be a great thing for Holyrood as a whole.

Stephen in Linlithgow pitches the Liberal Democrat view and Yousuf is chuffed that Labour have apparently nailed more apprenticeships down in return for their support, but there’s a fairly common agreement that the Labour and LibDem gains were more smoke and mirrors than anything particularly new.

Malc is scathing about the LibDems and Labour spinning on this, and, like many, fears for the fate of the Greens, although Two Doctors refutes these arguments vigorously.

For his part, the Steamie enjoyed the irony of SNP and Green spinners singing hand in hand at the Burns Supper that night, after a somewhat tense day.

Not a Village thinks that the LibDems are the true losers here, and that the SNP have prospered, despite his view that it was largely their lack of consultation with other parties that got us here in the first place.

Finally Richard Thomson criticises Mags Curran’s ‘pointless’ comments, whilst pointing out that opposition parties have responsibilities too.

Caron is more than happy with Tavish Scott’s first few months in charge, whilst Kezia Dugdale is almost unanimously welcomed back, if only to take some of the Nat heat off Yousuf.

It’s Rectorial election time at Embra Yooni, and Lord Foulkes fancies his chances, but Tory Bear reports that some Labour dissenters are being leant on by Iain Gray, to encourage them to follow the true path.

The revelation in Holyrood that Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown aren’t talking much about the economy is covered by the Grumpy Spindoctor, who is less than impressed with the Scottish input.

The loss of the Glenrothes marked electoral register has stirred things up nicely, especially among SNP bloggers, who, following the stushie over postal votes in Birmingham some years ago, want explanations.

Calum Cashley is first off, having a serious pop at Labour’s press release on this.  Jeff is pushing for an independent enquiry to clarify that there hasn’t been foul play here, while Donald points out that the SNP isn’t using the ‘f’ word, but that such an unexpected result could be sen as being ‘curious’, or as we have come to know it, the ‘c’ word. Bill goes a bit further and thinks the result now open to suspicion.

We will in all probability see more of this beastie as time wears on.

Scottish Unionist is thoroughly unimpressed by Jeremy Clarkson’s semi apology for remarks about the Prime Minister, and goes for the BBC jugular for not landing on the Top Gear guy with both feet.

Not a Village speaks for many when he advises Clarkson to remain in Australia.

When broadsheets are finding it harder and harder to survive, Stewart Kirkpatrick suggests de facto amalgamation of the Herald and Scotsman, but keeping the titles separate.

We’ve had the distasteful stushie over British jobs for British workers this week, and IoS takes the view that a protectionist approach to jobs will ultimately be damaging,

Tartan Hero views the Labour attacks on the SNP following this as being seriously out of order, and spinning off from this, we have Cybernat commenting on Duncan McNeill’s comments that Scottish workers will suffer from SNP policies.

Finally, a nod to one of our latest bloggers, namely Leaves on the Line.

He opened his account this week with some interesting, if pungent comments.

Welcome.

So there you have it folks, a nice quiet week in the Scottish Blogosphere. Move along now nothing to see here, no name calling, no controversy, nothing for Scotland to concern the world with.

Oh! What? Oh, you do want to hear about the Budget Bill, build up, vote and the aftermath then?

Well the talking point of the week was obviously the Budget that never was, isn’t yet to be that occurred in Holyrood.  The “Best Political Team in the Blogosphere“  were most helpful in their recommendations to be included.  One of them suggested “Everyone in the Scottish blogosphere on the budget/ fall out/ prognosis – good luck sorting that out Stephen!”

Gee thanks guys! So therefore it was probably a good idea that I starting writing this up on Thursday once the dust had started to settle.

In the wee small hours of Budget Day James gave us (rather than his biographer) a bit of a Green insight into the goings on that would lead to the final vote. I picked up on the unrest as well. 

 In the immediate aftermath of the casting vote of the Presiding Officer felling the budget all hell broke loose. Richard Thompson pointed the finger at the Green Party, with James pre-emptively defending the party line while Jeff nailed it to a failure of planning. Lib Dem Finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis made a podcast  to explain the Lib Dem stance over the vote. 

What followed was talk as to what the parties could do to get a budget passed and whether there would be a shift from the SNP to accommodate. James lampooned the Lib Dems for their budget stance U-turn. Scottish Secretary Jim Millar thought the Greens had overplayed their hand and now risked losing everything though Kevin Williamson backed the Greens for sticking to their principles. Jamie Cooke described Mr Salmond’s approach as the Scottish Parliament being “held to ransom by one man’s ego”. The ego theme was one that I  also followed while others  talked to arrogance and saw media manipulation in the SNP approach.

After a night’s sleep some of the Scottish Blogosphere was more reflective Malc and Will gave their analysis, Bernard Salmon offered some Lib Dem alternative solutions while Ideas of Civilisation pointed out that it wasn’t the end of the world. Will and Caron also looked at where we were are heading next.

The Thurday’s FMQs, live blogged by Malc, led Yousuf Hamid to suggest that the First Minister’s “attack dog” antics could risk the embryonic post-budget consensus. Yousuf then questionedwhether the Nats actually wanted a deal with Labour. Newly discovered blogger The Grumpy Spindoctor also wondered why the First Minster wanted to heap blame quite squarely on the shoulders of the Labour Party not Messrs Harvie and Harper.

Jeff thinks we may by the end of the week be able to draw a line under it all. Well see what the next couple of weeks brings. (Hope Andy  and Will have an easier time writing up Mark II)

There was other news too. 

The budget wasn’t Alex Salmond’s first black spot of the week. There was the Kofi Annan and Rabbie Burns, who was actually Adam Smith, issue A Leaky Chanter, Yousuf and Scottish Unionist all had their say on the matter.

News that four of their noble Lordships may have been taking money for asking questions was defended by Tom Harris while Tartan Hero unsurprisingly takes a different view. Mr Eugenides points out that if you accept having money sloshing around politics, you must expect scandals. Later in the week while other heads were diverted by the budget Holyrood Chronicles pointed out that the Times were digging deeper, and closer to Holyrood and Cybernat found an issue right on Gordon Brown’s doorstep.

The BBC were making rather than merely producing the news this week over their refusal to screen the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Appeal for Gaza. Malc in the Burgh and Lison the BBC’s stance on the DEC appeal although I unearthed footage that the message was sneaking out anyway.

In light of the fuel company’s strike over foreign jobs Callum Cashley asks are Gordon Brown’s comments xenophobic.

In an interesting angle on the energy debate Neil Craigon the fatalities caused by wind power vis nuclear.Elsewhere Cabalamat is worried about a boadband tax for the UK. A Leaky Chanterspots another questionably truthful remark by Alex Salmond. Localish boy Duncanshares the news of Glenrothes winning the Carbuncle award (and what he thought about it being nominated).

David Dugdale pointed out Cllr Fraser Macpherson and his look at the SNP and the Edinburgh Accommodation Allowance. Mr Hexplored the educational standards at Telford College.

Tory Bear brings a story about Iain Gray, Scottish Labour leader, threatening members of his party’s youth organisation.

For a little introsepction Gus reviews Alex Massie’s move to the Spectator… and his dodgy photographs. While Caronlooks at Tom Harris’s spelling clause in his comments policy.

Well that’s it for another week folks. I hope I’ve done justice to a complex week of goings on here in Scotland. If not you can address complaints to Mr A. Salmond c/o Bute House

Next week the baton passes from West to East Lothian as Andy Sharp who will be making a Round Up editorial debut. So go easy on him. As ever in the meantime keep those  suggestions flowing to scottishroundup@gmail.com, or fill in the form thingumygig on the right. Cheerio and toodle pip!