I’m confined to quarters with a bug, which annoyingly means I’m almost certainly missing tonight’s annual Herald-sponsored prize-giving. Someone else will have to put out any unduly flammable curtains and finish the minature whiskies for me.
So I’m going to play predictions instead.
The nominations are as follows:
BEST SCOT AT WESTMINSTER
Danny Alexander
Douglas Alexander
Angus Robertson
Three strong contenders, apart from Danny Alexander, who has to be the most out-of-his-depth senior politician Scotland has ever produced. For my money it’s Douglas Alexander: he has found a purple patch since losing Ministerial office and taken full advantage of the profile Shadow Foreign Secretary has offered of late.
DONALD DEWAR DEBATER OF THE YEAR
Alex Neil
Michael Russell
Nicola Sturgeon
Only Nats do debating? For me this is between Mike Russell and the Deputy First Minister – Alex Neil’s style is too student debater for my taste. Although Nicola goes from strength to strength (and would make a far more emollient FM than the current gaffer), Mike’s erudition and grasp of political history are hard to beat.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Ruth Davidson (Con)
Jenny Marra (Lab)
Graeme Pearson (Lab)
Willie Rennie (LibDem)
Humza Yousaf (SNP)
Alison Johnstone should clearly have been on this list, but then I’m biased. Ruth Davidson’s obviously the most prominent newcomer, and, contrary to the spin from SNP head office, her first few days have been steady and thoughtful, so I’m giving it to her by a nose ahead of future First Minister Humza Yousaf.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR
Michael Cook (Ind Borders)
Michael Foxley (LibDem Highland)
David Stewart (SNP Moray)
Foxley here, I think, and not just to counter accusations of anti-Lib Dem bias. He’s claimed a national role and profile, admittedly in part by some pretty bonkers outbursts.
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
Argyll Schools
Coastguard Stations
RAF Lossiemouth
A toughie. The Argyll schools campaigners got Mike Russell to save them, effectively, but that might possibly have been electioneering on his part. For me, professionally, the messaging from the coastguard campaigns was first class, so I’m going for them.
POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE YEAR
Patricia Ferguson (Lab)
Murdo Fraser (Con)
Tricia Marwick (Presiding Officer)
I rate Patricia, but I’m not seeing much political impact from her this year. Tricia’s style of chairing will certainly have a huge impact on Holyrood over this session, but, for impact outside Holyrood, it’s Murdo all the way. His radical proposal to abolish the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and reform some new independent right of centre party meant the Tories’ leadership election was actually discussed by civilians, unlike Labour’s. Outside Parliament. I heard them do it. The fact that he lost doesn’t change the need for change, and although I reckon the panel will probably pick the PO, he’s the right choice.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
They don’t announce nominees for this in advance, so that gives me a free hand. Lifetime achievement award for a Scottish politician the November after an election means someone who stood down or was defeated in May. Name me another politician who single-handedly saved his or her party, who led that party into the mainstream and elected office for the first time, and who stood down having left said party a fixture of the Scottish political scene. It’s a no-brainer. It’s Robin Harper all the way. And yes, in 1994 or so, before I was a party member, he turned round a debate at a demoralised party conference on the question of whether the party should dissolve, as well as fighting countless impossible elections for the Greens. An extraordinary boss, and the party’s only elder statesperson.
But I suppose Jack McConnell would be a strong second place.
SCOTTISH POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR
As above, there isn’t a shortlist here either. But there doesn’t need to be. After the most successful Scottish election campaign in living memory, there can be only one. The First Minister, the Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin’ Race, Alex Salmond.
Could someone record Colin Mackay’s intro for me, incidentally?
#1 by R.G. Bargie on November 10, 2011 - 4:10 pm
Agree with most of that. From sneaking in on the list to leader inside seven months, Davidson has to get the Newcomer award, and similarly Fraser must be nailed-on for Impact. I’d go along with Russell over Sturgeon for Debater, because the Deputy FM can get a bit robotic under pressure, and also with Harper and Salmond. But I’d have to plump for Robertson at Westminster, as much by default as because of any particularly outstanding achievements. The other two are just hopeless, and Wee Dougie’s recent conversion to some sort of reality doesn’t yet make up for a career of colossal mediocrity at best. He was, let’s remember, one of the driving forces behind Labour’s dismissal of any possibility of a rainbow coalition last year, and therefore in significant part responsible for the current government.
#2 by Tom on November 10, 2011 - 4:10 pm
Whoever doesn’t burn down the place…
#3 by Kirsty on November 10, 2011 - 4:47 pm
I’m with R.G. Bargie on Robertson over Alexander – it wasn’t just Salmond’s election campaign….
Agree with most of the rest, except Patricia well deserves Political Impact of the Year for the Property Factors Act, especially over Murdo throwing his toys out the pram.
#4 by Indy on November 10, 2011 - 5:13 pm
If they were going to reward the brains behind the SNP’s election campaign it would go to Peter Murrell aka Mr Sturgeon. But he isn’t a politician so he won’t be in there.
#5 by Stuart Winton on November 11, 2011 - 1:05 am
“Patricia well deserves Political Impact of the Year for the Property Factors Act…”
With the emphasis on the word ‘political’, presumably?
But which from my perspective probably makes James’s* use of the word ‘civilian’ (to describe members of the public) particularly appropriate!
James’?
#6 by An Duine Gruamach on November 10, 2011 - 7:41 pm
Perhaps John Farquhar Munro for Lifetime Achievement.
#7 by Barbarian on November 10, 2011 - 8:13 pm
Think I agree with the choices.
Debater of the year most certainly goes to Mike Russell. I’m a great fan of Nicola Sturgeon, but Mike wins hands down. As to Alex Neil, he is not a debater since lacks any charisma whatsoever. (You can tell I don’t like him!).
#8 by Doug Daniel on November 10, 2011 - 9:38 pm
Danny Alexander nominated for best Scot? Bloody hell, he’s not even the best Scot in the cabinet. Absolutely agree with your assessment of him, James.
#9 by theshooglypeg on November 10, 2011 - 10:37 pm
I have huge respect for Nicola Sturgeon, but emollient? She’s about as emollient as a hedgehog!
#10 by James on November 10, 2011 - 10:41 pm
I’ve met her and I disagree.
#11 by Craig Gallagher on November 11, 2011 - 7:14 am
As have I, and I also disagree. Sturgeon is a very likeable lady, particularly because she has a keen wit (read: bitingly sarcastic sense of humour) that manages to both gently mock and viciously put down at the same time. A rare gift, particularly for a politician.
#12 by Theshooglypeg on November 10, 2011 - 11:22 pm
I’ve met her too, though only briefly. She strikes me as smart, focused and effective. But emollient, as in softening? I’m not sure she’d thank you for that!
#13 by Craig Gallagher on November 11, 2011 - 7:19 am
Danny Alexander even making the list for the Westminster Scot is abysmal. I usually quite like the Herald’s shortlists for these events – indeed, I have little problem with any of the rest – but what other justification is there for putting him on here beyond the fact he’s the highest-ranked Scot? It’d be like putting Gordon Brown on last year’s list because he was Prime Minister. Every single uttering Alexander offers is pure Tory poison, dripping copiously with the blood of all the placemen he had to out-smarm in order to grease his way to the top of the pile of bodies that the Liberal Democrats in Scotland have become.
And, incidentally, Brown isn’t the worst shout for Lifetime Achievement, even though he’s still an MP. As much as I dislike the man I find it hard to think of a Scot who has made a comparable splash in politics who you could regard as recently “retired.”
#14 by Indy on November 11, 2011 - 10:09 am
Do you know what shocked me about Gordon Brown getting the lifetime achievement award – that I had kind of forgotten about him! It is so true what they say – out of sight, out of mind.
#15 by Kirsty on November 11, 2011 - 11:21 am
Absolutely – Gordon being awarded Lifetime Achievement resulted in a facepalm from me…
#16 by James Farmer on November 11, 2011 - 12:07 pm
The Save RAF Lossiemouth Campaign success is down to Cally Day and the people all over the world who supported it. It was a farce that the local councillor collected the award when he spent the most part of the campaign trying to discredit Mrs Day’s efforts. It’s time that man was exposed for taking the credit for other people’s hard work!
#17 by Jack Neald on November 14, 2011 - 12:58 am
Absolutely agree with you there James, it was a disgrace how the councillors and MSPs behaved towards one of the electorate all due to envy. Dispicable! Well done to Cally Day for sticking a rocket up their a***s! A true local hero!!