It is my honour to be doing the Scottish roundup the first full week after the era of ‘new politics’ and the first full week of the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition. Ok, so Scotland didn’t see a single seat change hands since the 2005 election but we’ll gloss over that for fear of missing out on gazing with misty eyes into that new dawn.

While an air of uncertainty hung over the May 6th result, Malc crunched the numbers by looking at the various options for potential coalitions and Stephen Glenn insisted that “you have to work together to get things moving, advancing and rolling along as best you can”, clearly keen for the Lib Dems to get cracking with implementing on their policies, regardless of who Nick Clegg teamed up with. Lesley Riddoch stepped back (with Gerry Hassan and Kenny Farquharson) to consider the wider impact of the result.

It was, of course, the Lib Dems and Tories who eventually joined forces, a result that Duncan gave a tentative thumbs up to, but it wasn’t long before Joan McAlpine was considering whether “the Lib Cons” had a mandate in Scotland with Julie McAnulty even ahead of Joan to criticise, concluding as she was that the end of the union was nigh as ”the only truly left win party left in Scotland is the SNP”.  

Hugh Stewart believes Scottish decisions could rule how successful the new Government is north of the border. Hythlodaeus took a comprehensive look at what the Lib Dems got out of the deal while Bright Green Scotland gets a little confused between ‘progressiveness’ and fighting cuts but seems well and truly up for a scrap on both subjects.

Planet Politics suggests that Cameron and Clegg,  ”the political Ant and Dec, may get on well and have much in common as regards personal background and policy, but their MPs, wider parties, grassroots members, activists, supporters and voters aren’t perhaps such natural bedfellows.”

Glasgow East, a promised key battleground for the SNP vs Labour, was picked over with emotions still running high. Bellgrove Belle lamented on a Labour campaign (allegedly) based on “scaremongering and fibs” while Indygal took offence at new MP Margaret Curran (allegedly) suggesting that the SNP didn’t even have a right to challenge in certain seats. It wasn’t just the Nats who were considering the fallout, Iain Dale allowed a post from an anonymous Scottish Conservative considering how his/her party could break into Glasgow East and beyond.

Lest we forget, this was the week that Gordon Brown bade farewell to being Prime Minister of the UK. Subrosa took a look at his legacy and found it wanting.

Love and Garbage raised a metaphorical magnifying glass at the 55% rule hidden in the Tory / Lib Dem coalition agreement while Two Doctors aired his concern that the rule is not power to the people but “cynical tinkering”.

Bundance has a handy few dictionary additions. I personally see ‘Lembit – feeling sorry for someone you never thought you ever could’ taking off.

And last, but by no means least, the blogger at The Pop Cop could do with some blogging support. His site, which is a labour of love and a great service to the Scottish music scene, was taken down by Google for seemingly ridiculous reasons and his request to help lobby Google to have the three years of his work returned to him is well worth repeating here.

So there we go, that was the week that was. The first of the Liberal Conservative alliance! I was only able to make the above blog post links ~35% female but, hey, that’s still a heck of a lot better than David Cameron was able to manage in his Cabinet.

Here we are then, another week, another roundup and no prizes for guessing what’s first up. Yes, politicians and their expenses. The storm is still brewing as revelations are dribbled out so this roundup may well be a part one of two.

To start on a positive note however, Bellgrove Belle reminds us that not all politicians are living the high life and the untainted MP Tom Harris not only wonders if some people will ever be happy with MPs’ expenses but also points to the silver lining that “things can only get better”. Caron pragmatically sees the furore as an opportunity to ensure once and for all that the days of excess are over.

Subrosa beat the Telegraph rush and focussed on Margaret Beckett’s rather excessive protection system while Political Dissuasion thought it might all end up with Ed Balls being made a scapegoat, given he is the Labour party’s Joey Barton (an anaolgy that works rather well actually). And if Tory Bear is to be believed with his Saturday night teaser, PD could well be onto something. Two Doctors brings us right up to date with expenses scandals for the week by noting Alex Salmond has proved that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Darker news may be waiting in the wings however, the end of blogging as we know it! Yes, Mr Eugenides gives us a thorough consideration of what charging for online news may mean going forward. Big Mouth Gary has been wondering how, or even if, such a system would work.

Kezia Dugdale rolled up her sleeves and took the SNP to task not once, twice but thrice in the one post. Forward News followed up with a concern that Scotland is lacking a Government, a view seemingly solely based on the number of bills the SNP have passed relative to Labour back in the day. Perhaps they are doing less better? Just a thought.

The European Elections got a bit of a look-in this week. Clairwil and Kezia Dugdale were excited to receive their polling cards. I can’t imagine either will be voting for the independent Scottish candidate at The Party’s Over who has been concerned at our corrupt politicians. Julie Hepburn managed to take a break from Euro campaigning to rejoin the blogging fray while Anseo can barely contain himself and considers who he would vote for if he lived elsewhere.

It might not just be Euro elections we have to consider if Advanced Media Watch and David Cameron get their way, both called for a General Election as soon as possible this week.

Crap Holyrood Chat was concerned that there have been too many congratulations banded out to lowly Scottish football teams. Doctor Vee takes a different approach, celebrating some rare success for Dumbarton FC.

Alex Massie picks up on an anecdote to consider how Gordon Brown being a son of the manse may have affected his personality.

Richard Havers delights us with the world’s most expensive photo.

Neil Craig was deeply concerned that we’re being lied to about radiation poisoning.

Richard Thomson had a piece in The Guardian this week, plugging a book that he co-wrote. (Well, ok, he contributed a chapter which isn’t quite the same thing)

Mike Elrick wrote a highly recommended post on standing as a candidate for the first elections to the Scottish Parliament.

And, finally, there always has to be some blogging navelgazing every week and Political Dissuasion helps us out there by asking that age old question – Why are there so few Labour blogs?

The roundup next week will be brought to us by the Blogfather himself Doctor Vee so get your nominations in. No need for fudged receipts or entries in brown envelopes, everything’s above board and transparent here in the Scottish blogosphere after all.

Cheerio.

Well, if anyone thought that Politics was a dull affair then they would have to be in a coma all of this week to still think it doesn’t possess the ability to excite, enthuse and engage.

All of the 3 e’s above were in full show on the Scottish blogging scene with the question of whether the police should be granted the powers to hold individuals for 42 days without charge. Bloggers were mostly united in being up in arms about the affair: Stephen Glenn fears 42 days is just the beginning,  Angry Steve believes our historic rights are being pissed up a wall, Bill Cameron thinks we’re on our way to a dictatorship, Scots and Independent can’t comprehend Brown’s political tactics,  Calum Cashley suggests it’s unacceptable in a civilised world, Shuggy describes it as audacious but for all the wrong reasons. Infact, only one blogger that I could find was in favour of the legislation but I suspect he doesn’t know what he’s talking about….

A very direct disagreement over this bill arose between Mark Lazarowicz MP and Anseo. Mark, despite his ‘grave reservations’, gave 3 explicit reasons for why he was able to vote yes. This didn’t seem to appease Anseo who took umbrage at his MP’s lack of humanity and wafer thin belief in civil liberties. Consequently, the SNP blogger will now definitely be voting for Calum Cashley, Mark’s future opponent in Edinburgh North and Leith. If I was Calum I would be wondering why that was ever in doubt in the first place…!

Holyrood Chronicles described the Labour win as a pyrrhic victory, extending my vocabulary by a count of ’1′ at the same time:

Is it worth having a victory that relies on the support of the progressive forces of Anne Widdecombe, the nine MPs of the Democratic Unionist Party and UKIP’s Bob Spink?

A fine point indeed!

But mercifully for Gordon Brown, his ‘victory’ may well not prove as pyrrhic as it could otherwise have been.

Yes, David Davis didn’t so much step into the spotlight this week but rather explode onto it replete with neon signs and dancing bears. He is resigning his constituency seat to stand again on this very issue of 42 days detention and civil liberties at large.

Mr Eugenides took a day to mull it all over before deciding in typically colourful language that Davis is “a fucking hero” and a “magnificent bastard”. Doctor Vee continued the somewhat contradictory compliments by calling Davis “mad but right”. A Place to Stand sees it as a courageous and calculated gamble. Calum Cashley swithers over whether it’s a daft move or a clever stunt. The admittedly anti-Tory Love and Garbage agreed with every word of Davis’ speech and was able to shake off cynicism at the same time. Ewan Watt was confused by Brown’s “farcical response” that the Tories are divided when Labour themselves had 36 rebels and the Tories only 1.  

Infact, contrary to the popular press, the blogging scene was again largely united in being impressed with the decisions of David Davis. It fell to Tory Councillor Jim Millar to inject a bit of pessimism and fear that there will be more damage to his party than is currently feared.

With Kelvin MacKenzie ready to stand against Davis, and even a rumour that our very own Smeato is to be standing, I am sure we haven’t heard the end of this story…

And while the DUP were saying Aye to 42 days, the Irish were saying “Non” to the EU Treaty, sending it back to Strasbourg for the Eurocrats to think again.

Angus Nicolson believes now is the time to have a “root and branch” review of why we need the EU, Tartan Hero thinks Ireland’s strength on the Euro stage should galvanise Scottish Nationalists, SNP Tactical Voter wants the European public to be at the forefront of EU minds,  Holyrood Chronicles suggests continuing with ratification is tantamount to pissing in the wind while Michael Greenwell is effusive in his thanks and appreciation for what the Ireland ‘No camp’ have done, especially as they were outspent by the ‘Yes camp’ 20 to 1.

It’s fair to say, there weren’t many Scottish blogging tears shed in the Irish No vote.

All this unity could never last though and, like many short-term love affairs, it took teenagers to bring about some disagreement.

It seems reducing the Scottish voting age to 16 is moving up the political agenda. Bellgrove Belle is delighted that young people will be listened to and not demonised but Ideas of Civilization prefers the limit to stay at 18. Mr Smith just finds it bizarre that the SNP can want 16/17 year olds to vote but thinks they’re not responsible enough to use sunbeds. I can see where the SNP are coming from though; with Tommy Sheridan on tv less and less then maybe kids aren’t getting enough warnings about how silly Scottish people can look with a fake bake!

Kezia Dugdale has been able to blog from the exotic location of Greece with some cleverly timed automatic postings. But with the Blogging Scene being so heavily loaded with SNP supporters, maybe it is best she is out of the country when she gives us her much-anticipated thoughts on Scottish Independence. In part 1 of this trilogy we learn, amongst other things, that a single extra MSP in Holyrood does not mean they should get their perfect referendum. A far cry from “Bring it On” if you ask me…

Meanwhile, MSPs turned inwards and discussed their favourite subject. How much money they get to spend at Holyrood. The debate was heavily trailed by Scottish Tory Boy (who isn’t as hard as Jamie Hepburn, apparently). Codger was interested that where others had to beg their boss, MSPs could just do what they like. SNP Tactical Voter was disappointed that the independent view was disregarded. But, well, I daresay there are many bloggers who may well get a wee payrise as a result of this and who can begrudge them that. (Mine’s a Fraoch next time anyone’s buying!)

The never-ending question of relations between Scotland and the rest of the UK was raised in various forms:

Ian Hamilton would like to see Trooping the Colour come North of the Border every now and again, particularly as that’s what Glasgow’s Queen’s Park was created for.

Stephen Glenn notes that after 30 years in waiting, Tam Dalyell has finally found his “least bad answer” for the West Lothian question. The unlikely provider is Ken Clarke. But Holyrood Chronicles is less impressed believing that Ken’s proposals are fairly “innocuous” (another one for the vocab list!).

Richard Thomson discusses the truth behind Scotland’s Oil and the contribution it makes to the UK coffers.

Not Working for the Clampdown wonders if the Westminster purge of the Scottish Mafia will extend to the German Bundestag where David McAllister (who has Scottish roots) is the head of the German Christian Democratic Party.

The eagle-eyed J Arthur MacNumpty has a pop at Michael McMahon (Labour MSP). J wonders why Michael is so keen to pull up Alex Salmond for attending Westminster but content to ignore George Foulkes’ attendance at the House of Lords.

But enough of this looking at UK/Scottish disagreements and relationship strains. Let’s have some good news and some more Blog Love.

Yes, Julie Hepburn rightly celebrates the saving of 800 jobs in Cumbernauld while Stephen Glenn gives us his thoughts on his favourite Scottish blogs.

And from me, well, despite it being Father’s Day today I will give the final word to 12,000 women via Cameron Rose’s celebration that the Moonwalk is underway. An army of females dressed in just their bras? I can’t think of a better way to finish the weekend off if I tried…

Nighty night.

A slow news week had me sifting through the tumbleweed and potentially grasping at straws. What with Tartan Hero taking a well-earned break and Kezia Dugdale with too much on her plate to blog properly for now, there was a chance it would be slim pickings in the run up to Easter.

Thankfully, Iain Dale helped us Scots out by pontificating about a potential Nats – Tory coalition. This caught the attention of news-starved bloggers with Scottish Tory Boy taking up the story initially and seemingly being in favour of steps in that direction though he disputes the 27 seats that the SNP’s Angus Robertson optimistically predicts his party will take. J Arthur McNumpty is less sympathetic to the suggestion and is unequivocal as to why. Malc in the Burgh sees the opportunity as a potential route to a coveted independence referendum. Kerron Cross thinks it’s a joke and the Conservatives and Unionists would be selling out on their name. My own take at SNP Tactical Voting is that subtle collusion is all the SNP can afford when dealing with the supposed ‘nasty party’, notwithstanding the clause in the nationalist constitution preventing working with the Tories. Richard at Scots and Independent provides a thorough rundown of how this unholy union could be formed. He then goes on to debate “redolent confusion” and “weird flukes” in an interesting comments section. 

Even if a formal coalition fell through, the SNP working with the UK Tories on a ‘case by case’ basis would have a delicious perversity given the reverse relationship that currently exists north of the border.

This week saw the recovery of Shannon Matthews. There was a curious mix of relief and suspicion after this event. Still Not Grown Up questions the role of the “self-indulgent neighbours” and wonders how close to the Matthews they were before this incident. Meanwhile, Craigblog believes the police deserve more credit for their efforts, and more time to work out what exactly went on during those 3 weeks.

In the last 7 days, the credit crunch bit further. David Farrer is horrified by some plans to avert it. Holyrood Chronicles discusses some of the dubious trading/gambling practices that go on. SNP Tactical Voting gives a brief update on how we got into this mess in the first place. Two Doctors believes a moral hazard has been reached if investors are being bailed out with public money.

So our finances are going to hell in a handbasket but on a cheerier note, Happy Birthday to the Iraq War, 5 years old this week. At Anything Caron Can Do, celebration was reserved for the number of votes in favour of a public inquiry into said War. Consideration was also given that these good vibes could lead to better relations between the Lib Dems and, em, the ‘Gnats’. For Flying Rodent, a ridiculously good post celebrates the anniversary with a commemorative Monopoly board game, albeit with some eyebrow-raising new rules:

At the start of the game, The Banker (aka The US Government) immediately awards all Properties, control of the Iraqi Army and complete independence to The Iraqi Government, while still retaining ownership of all Properties, the Iraqi Army and The Iraqi Government.

An  anonymous comment was raised during the week regarding Jo Swinson’s suggestion that You Tube could be used to reconnect Westminster with the public. Obviously the mere mention of Ms Swinson made me think there was a massive clanger coming but, for once, no. A valid suggestion from the youngest MP there.

The Local Income Tax debate continued to rumble on. Julie Hepburn accused the opponents of scaremongering and wonders if rich Scots may be more civic-minded and happy to pay more tax than others give them credit for. Stephen of the Linlithgow Lib Dems believes the Labour attacks are all over the place.

I couldn’t let this post finish without mentioning the MRUK poll which puts clear daylight between the SNP and their nearest rivals. Calum Cashley happily fills his lungs with the good news regarding ”the SNP’s excellent start to government”. Malc in the Burgh is equally delighted but for his noticing, and worrying, that despite all of Labour’s woes, they have held their share of the vote since May. Scottish Tory Boy is concerned that the Conservatives still lose a seat despite their good showing in the past year. Separate to (or perhaps because of) this disappointment, STB suggests the poll should be discredited given MRUK’s poor polling before the 2007 election.

A selection of ‘others’….

Reactionary Snob and J Arthur MacNumpty to name but two are trying to get Alastair Darling barred from all UK pubs in retaliation for the jacking up of booze duty.

Surreptitious Evil stands up for seals by choosing to club “moron” MEPs.

Andrew Burns believes the Scottish Government has lost direction with regard Scottish school infrastructure. 

Bernard Salmon believes the loyal and brave Ghurkas deserve justice with equal rights to the rest of the nation’s armed forces.

Jim Millar is frustrated that a silly councillor spat has been allowed to take up so much time and expense. But then, Jim doesn’t seem too concerned about the return of those rapists and pillagers The Vikings!

The unwelcome Devine intervention was considered further with some more heated comments (18 at last count) on Kezia Dugdale’s blog. A typically intelligent post from QC Ian Hamilton notes that the good Bishop is being selective in his deliverance of the Bible’s Word. 

Cameron Rose notes that Edinburgh University presidential election ended in chaos. The phrase involving ‘students’, ‘organise’, ‘piss-up’ and ‘brewery’ springs to mind but Cameron is too classy for that type of language.

Comment on Tibetan riots was made by….  noone that I could find. It seems China suppression of free speech is far-reaching!

And Post of the Week? For me, well, the eagle-eyed This is Alba spotted this gem on CNN.

So that is all for this week. A bit of a quiet one all in all really. For all those Christians out there, enjoy your Easter period. For everyone else, don’t eat too much chocolate.

The Round Up will rise again in 7 days but I for one don’t know who will be rolling back the stone.

Cheers!