Today in Glasgow, the Scottish National Party launched its manifesto for the 2011 Holyrood election. Swankily put together, folded neatly in the party's bumblebee colour-scheme, I must say. For those who prefer to take the document page by page, the party has set up a dedicated manifesto website. For those of you who like to peruse PDFs, the manifesto is downloadable as a single document, here. Do feel free to share any thoughts, criticisms or happy encomiums you may have in the comments. In the Scotch blogosphere, the speedy Burd is the first to have taken to wing, fluffing the bits of the manifesto she approves off, and seizing the opportunity of a peck or two at less appreciated elements. No doubt I'll be sticking my own beak in in due course, not least on one of my own key areas of interest, justice.
I thought it was well put together and well designed. Also easy to follow despite the amount of text.
ReplyDeleteOn a purely stylistic note I genuinely don't understand why anyone would want a black cover - it feels quite dark and forboding. I accept this isn't a political criticism, but an aestetic one!
I was slightly peturbed by the page of marriages and babies of the candidates which felt like a 'we like our families nuclear' advert... but these minor quibbles aside I thought it was very well put together.
Don't you think the front cover looks more like a trailer for a thriller than a programme for Government. I thought Dan Brown, my husband Iain Banks.
ReplyDeleteCall me a total softie, but the people bit in the middle was quite sweet.
And I have also added my own thoughts, which, in deference to your earlier post, are entirely not objective here
http://carons-musings.blogspot.com/2011/04/government-by-crystal-ball-and-magpie.html
The manifesto final lap
ReplyDeleteUnable to download the PDF just now - got a 'Bandwidth Limit Exceeded' message.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is a good sign. I put the Energy page (34) on our blog yesterday http://www.scotsrenewables.com/blog/politics/snp-low-carbon-ambition-and-opportunity/ and had intended to put the Climate Change page on today.
Oh well, better go and do some digging instead. Great news on the YouGov poll this morning :-)
Apologies for being useless in responding. I've been locked away for the last four days, becoming advancingly demented with work.
ReplyDeleteJim, I've always had something of a soft spot for black and white imagery. Often the bubblegum promise of bright hues can prove sickly in practice. No doubt some gallant soul will pop up shortly to remind us that Goebbels used to use a similar colour scheme on his propaganda - more proof that the Maximum Eck is a secret Blood-n'-Soiler. Agree with the marriages and the bairns, by the by. But then I'm a soor ploom.
Caron,
I'm trying to imagine what sort of warped tale Banks would work up, with Salmond as his protagonist. Suggestions?
cynicalHighlander,
Ta for the link.
ScottishRenewables,
Many thanks for your link also. I admit, I'm not terrifically well versed in energy policy. There is certainly a lot of juice to be got out of renewables rhetoric. More, I suspect, than the SNP have made of it. Needless to say, am thoroughly cheered by the most recent polling.
No matter which party an MSP belongs to, if they refuse to reply to an e-mail as promised then their credibility is zero.
ReplyDeleteRead this Jackie Baiilie
http://f2cscotland.blogspot.com/2011/03/scottish-labour-endorses-smoking-ban.html
I have found that reaction to the bit in the middle is 100 per cent divided on gender lines.
ReplyDeleteSome folks do find it difficult to see why voters should be interested in who got married, who had a baby and who passed away. But it's all about showing the human face of the SNP.
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the pleasures of my life that I will never be in the position of having defend Jackie Baillie.
Indy,
Just to be contrary, I should say I was happy to see the worthy departed mentioned. It is only contemporary joy, fecundity and depictions of conjugal bliss which I object to! As I say, a soor ploom.
I have to admit to an uneasy surprise when politicians are introduced with their families.
ReplyDeleteSo few of them seem to have the commitment or integrity to such an ongoing responsibility as to do anything other than abstain.