Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Murphy's respectful strategy

Interesting to read on Brian Taylor's blog that at the meeting of the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster today Jim Murphy carefully referred to Alex Salmond's administration as the 'Scottish Government', while members of the committee for the most part insisted on sticking to the admittedly legally still correct (but utterly absurd) name 'Scottish Executive'. What intrigues me about this is that it was at a meeting of the very same committee just a matter of weeks before becoming Secretary of State for Scotland that Murphy rather gratuitously went out of his way to 'correct' an SNP member who had dared to utter the words 'Scottish government'. And yet just weeks later Secretary of State Murphy was archly explaining why it was so terribly important to use the word 'government'- mutual respect between administrations, don't you know.

A sinner repenteth is naturally always a joy, but this truly was a Damascene conversion by any standards. And as ever the really interesting question is why such a dramatic change of heart? Call me a cynic, but I'm guessing the word 'strategy' might just have loomed as large in his thinking - dare I say even a touch larger - than the word 'respect'.

1 comment:

  1. Or maybe he was thinking that, if he gets booted out at the English elections, and gets himself on to the list for Holyrood. And if he then becomes the leader of the Labour group at Holyrood..... And if (and it has to be faced as a possibility) Labour will the next election.... Then he wants to be the First Minister of the Labour GOVERNMENT....

    ... not a silly little Executive.....?

    Or is that a bit too long term thinking for Jim?

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