That was the year that was

Most normal people at this time of year, apparently sort out their finances, springclean the house, get their hair cut etc etc. I just write and write and today I've been on a bit of a writing frenzy - not of the blogging variety. However it's now time to update the blog and review the year - it's a personal review, the political one comes later!

SRI LANKA
It's been a funny old year for me - first the 3 months (Jan to April) in Sri Lanka having never been away on my own, never been to a developing country and never been away for more than 2 weeks. As anyone who read my Indygal in Sri Lanka blog will know, it was something of an adventure for me.

EUROPEAN CANDIDATE
I then came home to find I'd been selected by the SNP as one of the European candidates for next June's elections. As we have an internal ranking system which largely determines who gets elected, I spent a fair bit of time speaking and answering questions at Euro hustings up and down the country. The "biggies" take place in February this year and the results will be known on 10 March. Almost certain to top our list is current MEP and Party President Ian Hudghton who invited me out to Brussels for a few days to shadow him in JUNE. That was a whirlwind visit, my feet barely had time to touch the ground and I know what hard work lies ahead should I be elected.

GLASGOW EAST BY-ELECTION
Hard work is one way of describing the month of July when we were faced with a 24 day campaign to win the Glasgow East by-election. I was delighted when the SNP's Chief Executive Peter Murrell asked me to be Campaign Co-ordinator and I did what I suspect most of our activists did that day - packed my bags, waved goodbye to my family and told them to expect me at the end of the month. Little did any of us know that we weren't going to just put in a good show, we were going to WIN the by election. I loved the international coverage as John Mason's victory sent shockwaves across the opposition parties. Yesterday I looked through the by-election photoblog and it brought back a lot of happy memories.

FIRST VISIT TO IRELAND
The by election was over and it was time for me to get on my travels again - this time to Northern Ireland and to the Republic. I spent time in Belfast, Donegal and Derry. It's the first time I've been to Ireland and I loved it.

WORKING AT THE PARLIAMENT
No rest for the wicked and as soon as I got home I started a new job working for two of our MSPS - Bob Doris (who I'm still working for) and Stuart McMillan - the latter gave me the chance to work closely with the residents of a Greenock alcohol rehab centre which was closing and the former, amongst other things, allowed me to help some asylum seekers which is something very close to my heart.

SNP CONFERENCE
SNP Conference in October I loved! And it was a very different conference for me this year. I found myself leaving parties early to read up on whatever I would be speaking on the next day. When did I get all serious?! My friends and former workmates at SNP HQ were not impressed when I didn't even make it to the karaoke night! This is unheard of for me and I got a bit of a telling off for it!

OFF TO CORDOBA IN SPAIN
It got to November and my feet were getting itchy again so off I went, this time to visit a friend in Cordoba in the South of Spain. It's a beautiful city, if you get the chance to visit, do it.

The end of the year has been just as busy as the rest of it with various parties, friends to meet up with, family to catch up on and more reading than I've ever done. It's becoming obsessive but that's no bad thing! And after the year I've had I think it's time to relax.

I've got my own personal goals for this year which I'll keep to myself but having read all of that I can't believe I told someone last week that "not much has happened this year"! What was I thinking? Anyway I hope you all have (had) a very good Hogmanay and an even better 2009!

Christie says no to trident!

I've been helping my niece with her Higher English recently. Well, when I say HELPING, what I mean is TRYING to help. She didn't want to send me what she'd written so far because she didn't think it was good enough (defeats the purpose a bit but that's beside the point I guess)!

Anyway I've finally got it and I thought (being a lazy blogger and a proud auntie) that I'd share a bit of it with you. See if you can work out why she was reluctant!

"The UK government is planning on spending an estimated £25 Billion of the taxpayer’s money on renewing the Trident nuclear weapon system that has served us so well in the past 10 years by doing…erm nothing actually!"

Tee hee. (That's my comment btw, not the essay.)

And ...

"For the past 10 years the taxpayer has spent millions every year for the up keep of these very “useful” weapons of mass destruction. And now another £25 billion (£50 billion in total) is to be spent: not on schools, hospital, transport, police or anything as insignificant, but nuclear weapons as they are of course what we really need!"

Then ...

"You might as well get £25 billion and set fire to it for all the use its doing for us. Unless action is taken those nuclear weapons will be sitting gathering dust for the next 10 years (until we have to spend more billions renewing them) because if they were actually to be used – as is their purpose, it would be the start of a nuclear war and we’d all be dead or seriously mutated. Probably dead."

And, just to prove that she's incredibly intelligent and has been very well brought up ...

"Oh yes and where are they kept. 3 guesses. Scotland of course – on the river Clyde, just 20 miles from our biggest city, Glasgow. Imagine the uproar if they were kept on the river Thames or just 20 miles from say Manchester. You couldn’t have Trident so near to such important cities! Which funnily enough is what Glasgow is, well to the Scottish people anyway."

Finally, a good old McLaughlin style rant ...

"To the UK Scotland isn’t that important – unless you need somewhere to keep nuclear weapons or dump some nuclear waste. That’s how we got our nickname “the dump of Britain”. And our slogan – 'got waste? Bring it to Scotland'."

I suspect she's made that slogan up, even the UK govt wouldn't be that cheeky. So for that reason and because of the missing apostrophe (look carefully, Christie!) I'm only giving her 9/10 - good effort hen and good to know you were listening to that tape your mum used to play you in your sleep!!

Glasgow Vigil for Gaza - TODAY, Sunday, 4.30pm

I will be blogging about the events in Gaza in more detail later but I just wanted to encourage everyone to get along to the candlelit vigil in Glasgow today. It's at 4.30pm in George Square and the vigil is for the hundreds of people who've been killed or injured in the latest onslaught. As you will no doubt be aware, there has been no let up today. Please, if you can, make your way to George Square in Glasgow today.

Woolworths in Greenock has gone - end of an era

As regular readers will know, my first job (well, the first one I managed to retain for more than 3 hours) was as a Saturday girl in Woolies in Greenock - you'll recall I wasn't cool enough for the record counter - hmmmm! I was sad to see it was one of the first to go and yesterday was its last trading day. It's sad for so many reasons but as always, it's the human cost that matters most. I remember the girls (sophisticated grown ups as they were to me at the time) who worked there - they were all late teens, early 20s and work for them was about more than just earning a wage packet.

It's the same for most people, whether they believe it or not.

It's about having a structure to your day, being needed, have a social life. By the latter I don't necessarily mean going out partying with your workmates, you can take it in its most simplistic form - having someone remember you went home with a headache the night before and ask how you are; workplace banter, there's always someone who can make you laugh; or in the case of the full timers who worked at Woolies, even just having folk who will tell you that no, you shouldn't wear the shorter skirt on Friday night because you really suit the jeans and yes, you should go and visit your granny in Largs if you've not seen her for 2 weeks (I have a good memory)!

What I'm trying to say is that it won't matter to the folk who are being made redundant if they have a good pay off, they will miss everything else about work so much more than the money initially. We all need to relate to other human beings and we all need regular interaction - unemployment is a curse and it takes all that away. I know there are many women (there were men too - usually managers of course - but I only remember the women) who left Woolies in Greenock on Saturday, never having worked anywhere else. It will take a long time for them to come to terms with the changes in their lives and I really hope, but doubt, that there are people out there who will be able to support them through it.

Unemployment used to be my favourite topic to rant about - I suspect you'll be hearing more about it from me in the not too distant future.

What I'm doing tomorrow

This is Toby, aged 2, member of the Clan McLaughlin, travelling from Manchester to Port Glasgow tomorrow. His Nantie (it's a family name!) can't wait to see him. This of course has nothing to do with politics but it's a time for sharing and he's so beautiful, I felt it only fair to share him with you all. (Got his mum's permission first obviously!)

Thank God the adverts will stop now - oh and Merry Christmas everyone!

Not a great deal happening politically right now so I guess I can pack up the blog for a day or so and go and do the holiday thing! Myself and my friend Eric have decided it's best if Christmas comes but once every THREE years from now on. We are but two so it's not likely we'll win that argument. Might as well just get on and enjoy it I guess.

I do like carol singing and last night after the clan (well, 15 of us) went out for a family lunch, we went back to my mum's and sang every carol we could remember. Plus a few we couldn't but hey, you can make these things up. My cousin's wife Ann who's from Thailand pulled quite a few faces as we tried to identify how many lords a leaping, etc. Anyway it was fun.

I like having time off work and this time I've got a list of things to do when I find myself staring into space unable to cope with the boredom. I've got books to read, European campaign plans to make, writing projects, films to watch and fitness to gain!

The best thing about Christmas being over is the fact that these irritating TV ads will stop. What about that one with the guy almost whispering "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" from the start of October? Now I don't mind it the WEEK of Christmas but before then?

Top of my list of hated TV ads is the one for Somerfield. The woman who refuses help from the delightful shop assistant (has anyone ever offered you help in Somerfield - no me neither?!). Anyway she doesn't need help because "John's here"!.

She then sends John off to get the drinks. On his return he confesses he forgot the tonic water. Roll of the woman's eyes - make eye contact with the female assistant - "what are they like?" the wife says of the husband. That of course means "what are men like?" because as we all know, girls, we'd NEVER forget anything, being the superior sex. And men? Well they're ALL too stupid to remember everything on that list you made up for them. What ARE they like? What are the advert makers like?!

Anyway, off out tonight, then going down to stay at my mum's, will be tucked up before midnight in case Santa finds out. Or is it Wee Willie Winkie who grasses you up? Well, whoever it is, better not let him catch me. Have a great Christmas and if I think of anything else to moan about I'll let you know!

PS Pic is from the said clan day out!

Who wants to live in Simon Cowell Street?

This nonsensical idea of having X Factor style votes on how to name local streets and facilities, really has to be knocked on the head now. All that will happen is the only folk who'll vote will be very young people, used to this style of voting and who will they vote for? Whoever happens to be the latest "celebrity". As one guy in this BBC report says celebrity is cheaply earned and short lived.

I remember a recent vote on Channel 4 looking for the 100 greatest songs of all time and do you know what was number 1? Actually I can't remember and that's probably the point, it was something too non descript to commit to memory. It was also something current which tells us it was very young people who think music was only invented this year. And that is precisely what will happen if we go ahead with this stupid idea.

Imagine we'd introduced this a couple of years ago, we could've had ..

Goody Gardens which when she was out of favour would have to be changed to Shilpa Shetty Street. (I had to google the Bollywood woman, proving my point I think.)

Michelle McManus Avenue; Shabhaz Drive; I could go on but I can't remember half these names - again, proving my point.

There are plenty of ordinary people who do so much for their communities. Celebrities may be lovely people, they may be very caring and I'm sure many would give up their seat to an old lady on the bus if ever they travelled on a bus, but getting rich and famous is about helping themselves not their communities and I'd say it's reward enough. If we want to recognise anyone, make it local people who do what they do for no reward. Personally I still prefer to recognise trees - there are no bad trees in the world and there's nothing nicer than a Beech Avenue or an Oak Walk :-)

Now that I think about it, I believe the greatest song of all time was "We like to Party" by the Venga Boys. Hmmmm, quite like that song actually!