Ok, Let's Talk About Corruption Then!

The latest bout of virulent anti-SNP propaganda has got my creative juices going. There's gold in them there hills. Later..

Yes, take the latest Scotsman headline:

STV and SNP face 'cash for shows' inquiry

Is about nothing more than the Scottish government giving a tv channel some money to make shows about Scotland. The headline is misleading too as there is an investigation into STV but not the SNP. The regulator OfCom must investigate when something is in the 'public interest'. Now who decides that it is in the 'public interest'? The newspaper press stupid. The details of this story are nonsense and not worthy of intelligent debate.

Clearly, the headline is all part of a concerted campaign to give the impression that the SNP are every bit as corrupt as their unionist opponents. Throw as much mud as possible and maybe some of it will stick or at least apathy will destroy interest in politics enough to let the unionist establishment do what they want anyway.

Given that the British economy is edging towards the abyss and there's talk of war with Iran you'd think that reporters would cover these matters and prioritise them. Well, they're not really reporters. The Eddie Barnes of this world are news-creators. People who get up every day thinking about how they're going to give false impressions on behalf of their political prejudices/corporate paymasters..

This campaign of vilification is aimed at discrediting the SNP leadership. We've had this 'gate' and that 'gate' but none of the gates have swung anything open. The SNP is doing so well that these excuses for journalists are reduced to slinging mud around will-nilly. No stories, just lurid headlines. They're so used to it now that they've got lazy. Their contempt for their ever decreasing readership is self-evident. And so we have a credibility issue. Not of the SNP but of Scotland's media which is widely despised and distrusted. The internet is where more and more people are going for their information. They know they're being lied to and so they've become immune to the lies.

This has created a fantastic campaigning opportunity for the SNP if they have a bit of nous to capitalise on it.

In an election campaign they can compare and contrast their record. By comparing all the inquiries and investigations which have amounted to nothing with Labour's record which have led to arrests and so on they can highlight how their competitors have thrown mud around whilst being corrupt at the same time. This would make for a fantastic political broadcast. This contrast which would prove that the SNP are clean, would also highlight that they are a competent government facing an incompetent opposition. The political capital from such a campaign could be immensely positive for Salmond. It would destroy any doubts that may have stuck in people's minds from these tactics at the same time i.e. set the record straight!

And not only would it be good ground for the SNP to fight on but it would be seen as justifiable 'negative' campaigning. Labour would be severly damaged in this battle.

However the real victory would be to derail the unionist media machine turning all the anti-SNP smears against the unionist parties. What would the Barnes and McDonnels of the unionist propaganda world do then? Hoist on their own petard.

Let the SNP come out fighting, they can only lose by not defending themselves. Yes, make a key part of the election campaign a debate about corruption in public life. Let them stand on their record. Otherwise they'll be leaving an open goal. They should not let this opportunity pass!