https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/ en Copyright 2007 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:10:52 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss I’ve heard Holyrood raucous. I’ve witnessed it dull. Today I watched from the media gallery as the chamber’s mood was sombre, serious and reflective. With good reason. MSPs listened in utter silence as the Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini set out... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/09/on_a_serious_note.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/09/on_a_serious_note.html Scotland Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:10:52 +0000 By ancient tradition - OK, eight years - opposition leaders crack a few funnies when Holyrood ratifies new ministers. This week Murdo Fraser was witty, Tavish Scott was droll. Jack McConnell looked like he'd swallowed a particularly toxic wasp. For... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/a_break_with_tradition_1.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/a_break_with_tradition_1.html Scotland Fri, 18 May 2007 12:47:13 +0000 Throughout the campaign, the SNP leaders - mostly - contrived to subdue their smiles. Or, at the very least, to ensure that they stopped well short of smirk status. But you could scarcely blame them for grinning fairly broadly as... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/key_to_the_door.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/key_to_the_door.html Scotland Thu, 17 May 2007 15:56:58 +0000 Day One - and he's getting presents already. I'm talking about our new first minister, Alex Salmond. This morning he went to the Court of Session to be sworn in as FM, the Royal Warrant having arrived overnight. He was... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/handbags_and_gladrags.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/handbags_and_gladrags.html Scotland Thu, 17 May 2007 11:46:23 +0000 Yesterday afternoon I interviewed the first minister in St Andrews House. (For those still catching up, the new FM is one A. Salmond, the leader of the SNP). I interviewed him in the FM's walnut-lined office suite. (I won't tell... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/signed_and_sealed.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/signed_and_sealed.html Scotland Thu, 17 May 2007 06:29:10 +0000 On with government. Alex Salmond, Scotland's new first minister, is in St Andrews House right now, finalising the plans for his team. He was greeted at the door of executive HQ by Sir John Elvidge, the permanent secretary - who... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/the_new_team.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/the_new_team.html Scotland Wed, 16 May 2007 12:58:14 +0000 After the tension of the campaign and the chaos of the count, Holyrood put on its best face for the choice of first minister. In the second and final round, Alex Salmond was elected by 49 votes (SNP plus Green)... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/a_good_day_for_politics.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/a_good_day_for_politics.html Scotland Wed, 16 May 2007 12:00:41 +0000 After exhaustive balloting, we now have the deputies to Alex Fergusson as presiding officer at Holyrood. They are Alasdair Morgan of the SNP and Trish Godman of Labour. Unlike Mr Fergusson, they don't have to relinquish membership of their party... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/x_marks_the_spot.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/x_marks_the_spot.html Scotland Tue, 15 May 2007 07:15:08 +0000 And so Scotland has a new presiding officer. Alex Fergusson has been elected by 108 votes to the 20 obtained by Margo MacDonald, the Independent MSP. Alex Fergusson is a Conservative MSP - and widely respected for his work within... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/presiding_officer_elected.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/presiding_officer_elected.html Scotland Mon, 14 May 2007 15:31:49 +0000 A fun game you can all play at home. Pick Scotland's next cabinet. Alex Salmond will be elected first minister on Wednesday - and will appoint his cabinet the following day. He's already said he'll cut the number of cabinet... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/name_of_the_game.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/name_of_the_game.html Scotland Mon, 14 May 2007 14:43:24 +0000 Startling us all, Gordon Brown has declared that he wants to be the next leader of the Labour Party. He wants a government of all the talents, he concedes that mistakes were made in Iraq and he wants to listen... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/working_together.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/working_together.html Scotland Fri, 11 May 2007 16:09:25 +0000 It's a deal! In truth, it's not all that big a deal. But we have a contract between the SNP and the Greens. (Is there a sanity clause? You can't kid me, there ain't no Sanity Claus. Copyright: Groucho and... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/big_deal.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/big_deal.html Scotland Fri, 11 May 2007 15:13:30 +0000 What a curious concatenation of circumstances. Tony Blair IS Prime Minister - but soon won't be. In Scotland, Jack McConnell IS First Minister but soon won't be. Are the two events connected? More than one Labour MSP - (and, still... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/pms_and_pos.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/pms_and_pos.html Scotland Thu, 10 May 2007 15:26:22 +0000 Amid the miasma of speculation at Holyrood, here's something vaguely approaching a fact. We've found out the members of the new Business Bureau. What do you mean you couldn't care less? The Business Bureau runs things at Holyrood. In a... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/bureau_of_opportunity.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/bureau_of_opportunity.html Scotland Wed, 09 May 2007 17:08:33 +0000 It was Walter Bagehot, I believe, who divided constitutional politics into two sections, the dignified and the efficient. As I recall, the dignified stuff was the flummery designed to impress the citizens while the efficient was the work, often behind... Brian Taylor (BBC News) https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/dignity_on_display.html https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/election07/scotland/2007/05/dignity_on_display.html Scotland Wed, 09 May 2007 13:44:05 +0000