Hello there everyone! Kirsteen here from Debate is Free; doing my first Scottish Round up, please be gentle and don’t aim for the head the bruises will show.

It’s been a funny old week with the fallout of the Icelandic ash cloud still dominating much of the headlines when it wasn’t vying for space against the new phenomenon of: SuperNick!

Whereas last weeks debate was largely called in favour of the Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg, this week was a bit more of a mixed bag with the debate emerging without a winner or depending on what media outlet you prefer anyone of the three could have won it. Don’t you just love inconsistency? There were fewer anecdotes thankfully but still so sign of any killer blows from the three leaders.

Jeff thought that both Brown and Clegg shone on the night while Cameron squandered his second chance in the limelight. Jeff also comments on the leaflet controversy that has come to light both north and south of the Border with the SNP and Tories being accused by Labour of threatening to cut services.

Dispatches from Paisley is beginning to feel rather underwhelmed by the lack of gravitas shown so far in the debates. While Will takes on Trident an issue that bubbled up in last weeks debate but came to the fore in this weeks where Brown told Nick Clegg to “get real” with some unexpected support from David Cameron.

Gerry Hassan comments on this election being about change but that none of the three leaders seem able to claim the much coveted mantle of change though its not for lack of trying.

Jamie Livingstone has been excelling himself during this election with accurate and insightful election coverage. Here he comments on why it’s understandable as to why the SNP and other parties are angry at being left out the debates given the boost in the polls the Lib Dems have enjoyed.  And why the Scottish Debate on Sky News this morning is a key moment for the SNP if they are to make any head-way with their campaign.

Elsewhere Caron takes down the Tories plans for a tax break on a marriage. Caron also gets points for managing to use the word “pish”, which says it all really.

Now if any of you have been concerned about the noise you can rest assured it’s only the war drums beating at both SNP and Plaid Cymru’s respective HQ’s after the BBC’s decision to reject their appeal. Subrosa thinks its time for the BBC to be held to account for ignoring the party in government in Scotland as the SNP take the Beeb to court.

Yousuf has an intriguing guest post from a fellow Labour activist: Gavin Lingiah, on the virtues of the Human Rights Act. Lingiah fears for the future of civil liberties if Cameron makes it into 10 Downing Street. Lallands Peat Worrier also has some scepticism about the Tories and their plans for the Human Rights Act considering they are trying to paint themselves as the last hope of civil liberties and they have used the Act themselves in the past.

Aside from the seriousness of the debates and other election news the campaigns seemed to err from the outraged to the down right ludicrous with Jess the Dog overcome by the sight of Labour’s Elvis impersonator who was serenading Labour activists at a press conference this week. Cringe-worthy stuff.

The Shooglypeg is most displeased with the Scottish debates being hidden away on Sky news in comparison to the UK wide debates which are impossible to escape from.

And finally to close off on the subject of the General Election Jacq Kelly has a very interesting post about a ladies night hustings held for the Edinburgh South constituency where all the candidates on the ballot are male. Here Kelly expresses her disappointment that three out of five of the candidates decided to send a woman in their stead. It would seem that no-one has sat down and explained to some of the candidates that you can be a man AND a feminist as the same time.  Or that if they cannot empathise with 50% of their constituent’s one may be tempted to ask why they are fighting for office at all.

Joan McAlpine says to forget about Nick Clegg its actually Billy Bragg who is the greatest Englishman alive today and muses on the fear many of our friends south of the border have about being proud of their English identity. Coincidentally Bragg is also one of the nicest and most upfront people you could ever hope to interview so I am inclined to agree with Joan on her assessment of Mr Bragg.

And to end Rantin Rab vents his spleen about the lack of aviation experience of most of the CAA board, who made the decision to shut down the UK’s airways after the ash cloud from Iceland.

That’s it for this week’s Scottish Round-up, don’t forget to send in your blog nominations so they can be featured in the coming weeks.

Hi folks! It’s all a bit quiet, really. Nothing to say. Well, apart from an election that’s been blown wide open and a volcano that’s belching tons of ash into the air and knackering travel plans across the continent. Meh.

We’ll start with Eyjafjallajoekull. And, no, this is not the latest villain in Doctor Who (in the vein of Banakafalata and the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius) , but the aforementioned volcano, which is presently contributiong to Iceland’s worryingly frequent habit of dumping its disproportionately large fallout on the rest of Europe. Dave points out just what the ash can do to jet engines (i.e. make them stop) . This has had the knockon effect of forcing the closure of airspace in the UK and subsequently, the rest of Europe. Bill discusses what that means for people, while Stephen reflects on the eerily empty skies on his way into work. Meanwhile, Tom Morton points out that the ash has landed on the northern Shetlands, while Mr. Eugenides is somewhat peeved to note that thanks to the current wind direction, Iceland itself is just going about its business.

Anyway. It’s not just beneath Iceland that tectonic plates have shifted: the first election debate has changed the state of the General Election campaign.

Of course, many were unhappy that a debate on UK-wide television would focus primarily on English issues and exclude players on the Scottish and Welsh political scene, to the extent that Bella Caledonia organised an online hashtag protest.

As for the reaction to the debate, it’s clear that despite the fact that Scotland seemed semi-detached from proceedings given that the majority of questions and answers weren’t on policy that would affect it, the programme qualified as appointment-to-view television, given the sheer amount of comment on it. However, Wot’s News?, Jeff and Subrosa all registered their dismay at the irrelevance of it. Stuart wasn’t happy either, but that had more to do with the actual way in which the programme developed.

Allan and Jess The Dog both took the view that Nick Clegg was the winner, and that Gordon Brown was hit the hardest, and Allan deseves points for comparing the set to that old favourite of mine, 15-to-1. All we needed was for Clegg to receive a fragment of Etruscan pottery at the end of it and the resemblance would have been near total.

On the other hand, Alex Massie, Mr. Eugenides and, it seems, a disappointed Jim Millar agreed that Clegg was the winner, but that it was David Cameron who came off the worst.

Tom Harris suggested that the reception Brown received was more positive from people who had just listened to it on the radio, while Angus Nicolson went further and decided that Brown was the winner. Political Dissuasion, meanwhile, took the view that the evening was the most productive for Cameron.

And there was even online reaction to the reaction. Joan McAlpine distilled how the debate was reported afterwards, while Ideas of Civilisation suggests that people may have seen what they wanted to see (hence the blogosphere reaction) and Scott at Love and Garbage notes the shifting post-debate polls.

On to the election itself. For those wanting a summary of where the campaign and parties stand, look no further than Kirk Elder.

Lallands Peat Worrier casts an unimpressed eye over Scottish Labour’s approach to making and presenting policy in this election.

On policy, Jim Ross looks at the Digital Economy Act, Youth Cancer Forum Scotland reports on a Macmillan campaign setting out what it wants to see from the parties, while Subrosa is exasperated to note that Afghanistan is not getting the attention it should. Perhaps Thursday’s foreign policy debate will remedy that.

In other stories, Tom Harris reflects on local campaign headquarters, while Calum Cashley takes time out to thank those who are taking time out to help him.

Caron wonders if Labour have given up in Livingston, while Jeff reports that the Labour candidate there, Graeme Morrice, has been reported to the police for some of his activities as a West Lothian Councillor.

Meanwhile, Caron reveals that the Tory candidate in Perth & North Perthshire, Peter Lyburn, is in trouble for misrepresenting the opinions of local businessmen (and it’s just occurred to me that at least three of the candidates in that seat are called Peter: the incumbent, the SNP’s Pete Wishart, the Tory Peter Lyburn and the LibDem Peter Barrett – perhaps the constituency should be renamed Pete and North Perthshire?)

And just next door in Ochil & South Perthshire, Jeff plays the footage of the handbags between Schools Minister Keith Brown MSP and Scottish Labour staffer Rami Okasha when Gordon Brown hit the campaign trail in Dollar.

Onto more psephological considerations now, Wot’s News? is exasperated that present opinion polls putting Labour third on votes project an outcome where the party has the most seats, and Scottish Football Blog compares the ridiculousness of First Past the Post to the barking mad SPL split.

And now that we’re on to more important matters, the same blog has a post on possible SPL restructuring, while Fan With A Laptop produces an alternative McLeish Report.

Lallands Peat Worrier has two thoughtful posts on justice: the first on the current state of rape law, and on the Holyrood Justice Committee’s considerations of knife crime.

Meanwhile, Anne McLaughlin MSP looks at suicide intervention training courses.

Back to the election now, and Chris Mounsey, Leader of the Libertrian Party, and more well-known to bloggers as DK, appeared on the Daily Politics where Andrew Neil effectively presented the contents of Devil’s Kitchen and slapped him around with it, the consequences being the deletion of the blog. David Farrer and Robert Sharp reflect on what happened. But fear not! Out of the ashes of Devil’s Kitchen comes Devil’s Knife.

Contently Managed takes a look at the publicity for the new Scotsman iPhone app.

Andy G discusses various failed attempts to place his accent.

Ellen Arnison discusses what it’s like to be followed by Martha Stewart – in the twitter sense, not in the stalky sense, that is.

Aye Tunes reviews this week’s singles, while Rory at Achiltibuie Cottages reviews At The Loch of The Green Corrie, by Andrew Greig.

Michael Greenwell spots an ironic sign in Barcelona.

And finally, Andy G gives us 101 fun things to do in a lift.

That’s your whack for another week – as always you can nominate posts for next week by filling in the flibbertygibbet on the right or dropping us a cod at scottishroundup@gmail.com. And of course, we’re on Twitter @ScottishRoundup. Bye-de-bye!

Hi everyone! It is a while since I have felt the spicy heat of the hot seat. My last roundup was in fact way back in January. I decided to give myself a bit of time off actually writing the things, as real life has become a bit busier and time consuming. But I thought I’d better get round to doing it again sometime, so here I am.

Election makes twits of Labour

This week, the General Election campaign was officially launched. For some, this is what it’s all about. Others will be dreading it. Speaking personally, even though this is the first time I am actually involved in a campaign, I am finding the General Election as a whole to be a bit “meh”. I’m not sure I can actually handle the next month, but like it or lump it, the campaign is going to dominate the next month.

The campaign got off to the worst possible start for Stuart MacLennan, who was Labour’s candidate in Moray. Mr MacLennan’s politically incorrect tweets landed him in water that is even hotter than the hot seat I’m currently sitting on.

There has been a lot of chat about this election being “the Twitter election” or “the blogging election”, where social media plays the pivotal role in the campaign. Most of it is nonsense really. I seem to remember widespread predictions about 2005 being the internet election too. 2001 was probably the same.

But there is no escaping the fact that Twitter has already played a huge role in Stuart MacLennan’s election. It’s a real clanger though. A Pretty Simple Blog asked why Mr MacLennan was not more savvy in light of the fact that he even noted that he may make a Twitter gaffe. Who is to say more people won’t be caught out?

It is fair to say that this is probably not the positive role the social media flag-wavers had in mind for this election. I guess one positive is The Sun‘s headline yesterday morning — “Twit hits the fan” — which at least made me smile when I saw it while buying lunch.

But the BBC’s normally jovial Brian Taylor seemed less amused when he wrote about the saga on his blog: “You name it, he had a pathetic comment to offer, tedious yet unpleasant too.”

Lallands Peat Worrier marked the return of the ‘Indygalling’ phenomenon. Meanwhile, Jeff at SNP Tactical Voting wondered if this will put paid to the jibes about over-enthusiastic SNP activists being ‘cybernats’.

Will Patterson joined in, also recounting his experiences of Mr MacLennan from his days in student politics at the University of Edinburgh.

Labour member Jamie Smyth is a bit more forgiving than most, noting that “I’m guessing Stuart was there for experience as a PPC so the loss isn’t make or break.”

Stuart MacLennan wasn’t the only Labour candidate getting into a bit of a mess with Twitter. Scott at Love and Garbage brought our attention to this stunning leaflet where Linlithgow candidate Michael Connarty advertises his Twitter username as being ‘yourname’. I also like those snappy URLs and email addresses.

Digital Economy Bill

It is reassuring to know that these are the people who have rushed through the Digital Economy Bill, which means that your internet connection could be cut off if there is suspicion that it has been used to download copyrighted material. Scott wrote a letter to Michael Connarty, his MP, and shared it with his blog’s readers.

If, by any chance, you have missed the controversy surrounding the Digital Economy Bill, Labour MP Eric Joyce provided the background. Meanwhile, digital law expert Lilian Edwards cast her eye over the bill and the online reaction to proceedings.

Edinburgh-based journalist Jodi Mullen listed the MPs who voted against the Digital Economy Bill, looking in particular at Edinburgh’s MPs. If you want to check how your MP voted, you may like this handy tool.

On a similar note, if you are of a skeptical bent, check out Skeptical Voter, which has plenty of information on MPs’ views on issues important to skeptics.

The Alternative McLeish Report

The football fans among you may be aware that Henry McLeish is currently working on a review of the running of football in Scotland. Rob Marrs at Left Back in the Changing Room said, “I think he needs to be pretty radical – and I’m not sure he will be.”

Enter the Alternative McLeish Report, with the involvement of a number of Scottish bloggers producing “a joint document which will be splashed in the hope of influencing the course of events in a real way”. The project already has the involvement of Inside Left, More Than Mind Games, Avoiding the Drop and The Scottish Football Blog.

Further digital woes and more…

We have all performed the thought experiment, but how many of us could actually cope well if our phone died? Well, Ellen Arnison has been going through the ordeal and has reported on how she has been coping.

And here is something a bit different — a blog maintained by a Mini. Called Hamish. Dressed up as a Highland coo.

It is not car-shaped, but a Highland cow features on the cover of a 1984 single by a Scottish band called Memphis. It features in The Vinyl Villain’s Great Scottish Singles series. As JC says, “[It is] one of the great all time ‘lost’ Scottish 45s in that it came, it saw and it completely failed to conquer.”

Set the challenge of photographing something ugly, Clinically Fed Up decided to feature Perth City Hall. “Not visually ugly, but ugly by its existence.” I think the photographs look great.

Genealogists may be interested in the useful information from My Scots Ancestors on tools to make using Google to research your family history easier.

Help required!

That’s your lot for this week. As ever, please keep those nominations coming in. Your help is vital for us to feature a wider range of great Scottish blogging. You can use the handy form on the right, or you can email us at scottishroundup@gmail.com. Or drop us a tweet @ScottishRoundup.

I am also looking for some more guest editors in the coming weeks. Will Patterson is in the hot seat next week, but the whole rota is open after that. So if you fancy giving it a shot, please do let me know.

Also, if anyone has any suggestions as to how the General Election should be covered by Scottish Roundup, I am all ears. I was asked by someone what the plans are, and I had to confess that I haven’t yet given a moment’s thought to it! I know, I am just full of lame excuses at the moment.

Christ is risen!

Ish, maybe, certainly, or not! Delete as your own cosmological preferences tend.  Whether redeemed or unredeemable, thirsting after righteousness or thirsting after a breakfast Chablis, I invite you this lustrously distilled Easter round-up of the Scottish blogosphere’s  obsessions, hobby horses, private feuds, political commitments and existential reflections. Welcome to the just and unjust alike - let’s just hope it doesn’t rain. As with most weeks when politics is under scrutiny, it has been seven days of fools, sacred and profane – with more mischievous comment from the sagacious souls of Scottish blogging than you can shake your jester’s rattle at. Hopefully I’ll do all your labours justice.

April Fools!

Without further ado, in case you missed a gentle chortle or two at the traditional April Fools’ lies and distortions, All Media Scotland has the scoop on some of the ardent fooleries that bubbled up in the Scottish press on the first of this month, while Mr Eugenides takes us chastely by the hand and leads us down the wider ways of April foolery.

Holy Fools!

For comment on the ongoing, international discussion of culpability and the clerical abuse of children, see Martin Kelly on an article in the Irish Times, which he enlarges upon eloquently. In other matters divine, I used Good Friday to produce one of my very favourite paintings by El Greco, and mused a little on the message of Good Friday, Christ and our would-be Christly politicians.

Meanwhile, in Scotland’s august halls of learning…

Ian Hamilton QC has a worthwhile thought of two on history as an emetic – and throws an elbow at “Holy Tom Devine” while he’s at it, rejecting the pious historiography symbolised for Hamilton by the history Professor’s “mouth clenched over many resplendent chins”. Staying in the fustian cloisters of Scotland’s universities, the heroically named Hector MacQueen, professor at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Law and arch-servitor of the Scots Law News blog, heralds the call of Edinburgh novelist and former professor of medical law, Alexander McCall Smith, into the convocation of the sainted that is the Faculty of Advocates. It is understood that McCall Smith will not be hearing the siren call of practice, nor playing the aged junior by grubbing about for briefs under Parliament Hall’s beamed roof. Alan Trench, again of Edinburgh University, has ruminated, cogitated and digested the Scottish Government’s consultation paper on a Scottish independence referendum. Here is what he has to say. Outwith the Arts and Humanities, Neil Craig has bestowed a report of the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow Lecture upon us, as delivered by Professor Anne Glover, the Scottish Government’s Chief Science Advisor. Craig was “not impressed” by the good lady professor’s remarks on on global warming.

Holyrood & Local Matters

“Purcell saga, is that it then?” Asks Jeff, after Glesca Cooncil rejected the idea of an independent inquiry into the broader implications of Purcell’s collapse by a vote of 23 for and 48 agin.  Joan McAlpine argues that Glasgow’s “Tammany Hall never died, it just had a makeover”, advocating an illuminated Beowulf to slay this Cain-marked morass of favours, secret dealing and the complex place purchasing that a political culture based on patronage fosters. Extending and much enlarging on the point, the resurrected Moridura (or should that be rescuitated, along more Lazarushian lines) has composed an extended contemplation of externalisation, corruption and the Labour-dominated council’s activities. Subrosa also has more on the local authority’s range of Arms-Length Organisations and the suspicions attaching to their remunerated, comfortable positions.  Mike Small, of Bella Caledonia, puts the indictment crisply: “Huckster nation”, he writes. Scottish Labour’s Yousuf Hamid, meanwhile, and in a wholly unrelated matter, makes his case for a bit of rejigging in our public life, by directly electing mayors for our cities.

In a judgemental, teacherly hand, Mr J Arthur MacNumpty MA has written up his termly report card on Holyrood’s attendances, absences and rebellions in the Spring Whip. Over in Edinburgh, the folk who want Leith to be a mite Greener pose a number of questions concerning Forth Energy’s scheme for a biomass power plant on their local Leith docks. Matters of magnitude and concerns of residents are raised. Meanwhile, in other civilised pursuits in Scotland’s capital, Jade Dickinson helpfully provides the curious with a few suggestions about how to embroider the simple pleasures of treading Auld Reekie’s cobbled streets and avoiding the rain under the poised stones of its dark dust wynds and closes.   Also, for those who appreciate longer papers, and wish to wile away the hours of this Easter Sunday but are tired of the Gospels - you know how it all ends after all, which was always bound to diminish narrative tension - Gerry Hassan has tacked up a critical piece composed by Eric Shaw and himself, on the “Doctrine and Ethos in the Scottish Labour Party”.

Suitably Despairing suitably despairs about trying to interact with our European representatives, but has a good word to say (shock horror!) for the little elves and sprites that do service for Struan Stevenson MEP. Finally, Subrosa blogs on the two-brace of our august Holyrood tribunes, who are being catapulted across the Atlantic on business-class flights to have a chin-wag about “climate change, sustainable transport and opportunities around the green economy”. Rosie is not impressed.

Of Mephedrone…

Scottish Socialist Youth report on the resignation of yet another government expert this week. Eric Carlin, from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs fled the scene over the Government’s hasty criminalisation of mephedrone.

Westminster General Election Ballyhoos & Mischiefs

Richard Thomson, prospective Westminster parliamentary candidate for the SNP in Gordon (this always struck me as a terrifically pretentious phrase, by the by…) noted in ‘Picking Fights – Part XVIII’ – that “We all know how the SNP Government picks endless fights with London – it’s all the party exists for.” Stephen Glenn, would be yellow-feather deputy for Linlithgow and East Falcrack, detected a candid admission that “if that is all the party exists for then they really are not a political party but a prize boxer.” Not so, riposted Thomson, who insists that the protuberance which Glenn spots in his hamster-like cheek is merely his tongue. Simple irony, simply misunderstood by the pecking Liberal Democrat canary.

Speaking of yellow birds, this morning Andrew Reeves relays melancholy news for the Tories in Glasgow South West, whose candidate has thrown in her particular electoral towel, cursing what she styles “a nest of vipers” within her party. A Gallus Glaswegian – which to some will strike the mind as an obvious tautology – continues the speculative discourse on hanged parliaments (if not parliamentarians) after the Westminster general election. Political Dissuasion proffers some matters, worthy of political attention, that he suggests are being sorely neglected in the plodding Westminster General Election campaign, including  the Olympics, Trident nuclear missiles and the ongoing loss of life attending the continuing British military expedition in Afghanistan.  Meanwhile, one of the boys in blue, New Right’s Dean MacKinnon-Thomson argues, contra a screeching philistine harpy in the Times, that the state has a role and public coffers a place in fostering ‘the Arts’. Banking collapse should not result in a bonfire of subsidies, he submits.

Stephen Glenn opines that “Grayling Not fit to be Home Secretary” in the light of reports in the Observer about the Tory MP’s views on the justness of Bed and Breakfast exceptionalism on the vexed question of whether proprietors of doily-decorated dwellinghouses should be permitted to turning away same-sex couples from their doors on conscientious grounds.  On the same subject, Bill Cameron, who to my understanding is generally of a warmish conservative disposition, thinks that the Tories are “trying to have it both ways on gay rights” and that Grayling’s remarks should be repudiated from the centre post-haste.

Boom and Bust contends, contra to the claims circulating in other quarters, that the SNP can win Glenrothes, and offers suggestions on how this mighty task may yet be realised. Young Yousuf also indulges in a bit of a partisan tweak of the Maximum Eck’s low-hanging nipples, suggesting that Salmond will pocket a Westminster resettlement package of £60,000-odd because he anticipates imminent electoral defeat. An Easter nest egg to see him through the impending Labour triumph. Innocents can dream, I suppose! On the Salmond’s swagbag, however, SNP bloggers have been equally unimpressed, Jeff coining the brutal phrase that it “doesn’t look great that he’s receiving his own personal fiscal stimulus while so many suffer, while bankers have bonuses frozen and senior civil servants’ remuneration curtailed”. No election is complete without the tangerine phizog of Tommy Sheridan gurning from the platform. This week, with a sliver of Hamlet, I discussed the law’s delay and the Sheridans’ ever-pending trial for perjury, which will now commence in September.

On which note, I will draw this fitful fever of comment and conversation to a close and wish you all a placid, tranquil Easter weekend, and happy reading in a Wordsworth-time worth saying of that:

“It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,

The holy time is as quiet as a Nun,

Breathless with adoration; the broad sun

Is sinking down in its tranquillity;

The gentleness of heaven broods o’er the sea.”

This being Scotland, of course, the evening is apt to be loudly galeful, dreich and drookit, and breathing like your proverbial asthmatic nun, her every gulp of air a restive rattle. Despite this, lounge surrounded by your spent chocolate-wrapping halos and enjoy yourselves.

Cheerio till we meet again!

~ Lallands Peat Worrier.