Call me a sadist, but what a pleasure it was to see Jim Murphy well and truly floundering on Reporting Scotland tonight on the subject of tidal and wave power. You might say that, in fairness, it's impossible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but isn't this guy supposed to be Scottish Labour's latest Messiah? Water into wine is the required standard, I'm afraid, and any party that freely chose to elect Iain Gray as its leader is in dire need of some miracles soon.
Murphy would have been even sicker when he saw the context in which his feeble soundbite had been inserted into the report. First, it was pointed out in a straightforward factual way that it costs £21 per kilowatt to connect this new source of renewable energy to the National Grid from the north of Scotland, whereas in Cornwall you would actually be paid £6 per kilowatt for your trouble. Then, we heard from Alex Salmond in full statesmanlike mode noting that, while this outrageous discrimination wouldn't stop developments like this, it clearly wasn't helping matters. And only then did Murphy have his chance. So not the most helpful build-up when all you've got to offer is a load of incoherent mumbling about how "there is no evidence to suggest" that any of this is really a problem. If it turned out it was a problem, the UK government might just get round to doing something about it eventually - but no promises, mind.
And surely Jim missed his cue? Given that the UK government had just been shown to be cynically stacking the economic odds against Scottish renewable energy, could there ever have been a more propitious moment to break into some passionate Brian Wilson-style evangelising about how nuclear is the only conceivable option, given that renewables are famously so 'uneconomic'?
I think you are a masochist for watching!
ReplyDeleteMarcia
Do you mean a masochist for watching Jim Murphy, or for watching Reporting Scotland in general?!
ReplyDeleteA great post really enjoyed it and it saved me from having to watch Captain Beaky to boot. Who says you gain on the swings and lose on the roundabouts?
ReplyDeleteAnother great post James.
ReplyDeleteIt is of course impossible to justify the nonsense of the difference between the situation in Cornwall and the situation in Scotland; even a statesman and consumate communicator would have troubles there.
But Jim is such a twerp. He stutters and stumbles and trots out soundbite phrases we've heard overand over again. I don't know who did his communications training, but whoever it was needs sacking!
I've heard Jim on radio phone ins being taken to pieces by ordinary callers with no training. Jim just never has the answer. In short he's not very good.
I sincerely hope he gets raosted at the election... although that probably means that he'll be the next "leader" in Edinburgh for they must surely bin Elmer pretty soon and I don't see any potential leaders in Holyrood at the moment.