By Liz S
“Storm Brann” you say.
Well tomorrow there may be another kind of storm……one created by one of our many many UK nemeses , BBC QT and UK politicians (as in all of those ones whom we see as being sympathetic to and supportive of English Nationalism while opposing Scottish Independence and the SNP).
Tomorrow BBC QT is in Paisley……..the last show before Xmas………of course it is. To no doubt try to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the SNP as a party and also those of us who support them and vote for them. (and also all within Scotland who support and so want Scottish independence).
How ridiculous would it be , and yet how insightful their true agenda, if they , BBC QT, invited onto their panel the newly defected Tory to Reform UK, one Baron Malcolm Offord, who recently told the rally at Falkirk that he planned to stand down from the Lords and campaign as a candidate for Reform in the 2026 Holyrood elections.
His full title is Baron Offord of Garvel of Greenock in the County of Renfrew, he was born in Greenock.
However it was reported that it is not possible to renounce a life peerage, but peers can resign their membership of the House of Lords. Members of the House of Lords are disqualified from becoming members of the Scottish Parliament under legislation passed earlier this year.
So not a noble act by him just a temporary measure , as in gesture, to allow him to stand in next year’s elections for Reform UK……….the same Reform UK who always find a way to try to game the system.
As “Resigning from the Lords isn’t giving up the peerage itself (especially for life peers, which isn’t possible), but simply ceasing to be an active member . (as in no longer attending the HOL’s ).
Perhaps the media could press him on this (Bad dum tish), as is he actually wanting to give up his title or is he just standing down from attending the HOL’s as a peer , as he is a Life Peer….so apparently cannot renounce his Life Peerage/Title.
Bending the rules……..to suit his , Offord’s, needs.
His needs I suspect being this:
1. Be elected on the list as a MSP, perhaps even be the so called ‘Scottish’ branch office manager of Reform UK at Holyrood.
2. Then stand as a MP in a future UK GE for Reform UK
3. Then if Reform UK’s bubble does not burst before the next GE and then they do win , via mostly English votes , then Offord will hope to become a Reform UK government Minister at WM (perhaps the redundant UK government role that is the SOS against Scotland ) .
4. If none of the above options do pan out for Offord then he can still be a Baron/Lord so it’s still a win win for Offord.
Paisley currently has two Labour MP’s for then North & South of Paisley, as from the 2024 UK GE, one of which is Johanna Baxter , so every question she is asked with end up as a response that equates to #SNPBAD.
It will be operation deflect, deflect, deflect mode a La Labour style.
However will there be anyone in either the audience or the panel , apart from the SNP member, who will challenge the Labour representation on the panel.
Indeed it might even be the new Labour SOS against Scotland , as he is gie sleekit with his pat comments which amount to being “Labour are just great while the SNP are terrible”……..all said in different ways.
George Adams, SNP, is the elected Constituency MSP for Paisley just now.
Paisley is part of Renfrewshire Council where in the 2022 council elections(with subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2025) we now see:
The SNP have 20 seats
Labour have12 seats
TheTories have 3 seats
Reform UK now have 3 seats (via 2 Tory Councillors defections and 1 Labour Councillor’s defection)
The Lib Dems have 1 seat
Independents have 4 seats
So then one assumes that there will still be some support in tomorrow night’s BBC QT audience in Paisley, for both George Adams and the SNP ………
Is Offord now perhaps to take over as Reform UK’s spokesperson within Scotland, as in take over from Thomas Kerr, who previously was a far too frequent guest on various Debate programmes as a defected Tory Councillor now representing Reform UK .
As In the same Thomas Kerr , who now may be consigned (back) to the lower league aka the bottom rung of the ladder within Reform UK. (where he always belongs).
However also where then does it leave the former Tory MSP, Graham Simpson, who also defected to Reform UK long before Offord, as now that Offord is on the scene to represent Reform UK within Scotland, I cannot imagine Offord being anything but ‘Top Dog’ (branch office manager) , emphasis on the ‘Dog’.
Of course much depends on whether Offord manages to sneak in and so be elected on the List vote for Reform UK next year
So with Baron Offord’s obvious superiority complex he will want to be the main ‘spokesperson’ aka ‘propagandist’ for Reform UK within Scotland going forward.
That then hat should surely seal Reform UK’s fate aka doom with all of those undecided voters and also those currently slightly tempted to perhaps vote for Reform UK next year in Scotland……..
As pompous and arrogant Tories are neither traits nor a party that many people within Scotland warm to and so vote for ,also who the Hell within Scotland, of sound mind, could ever warm to and so vote for any party led by Nigel Bloody Farage).
Tangled web is what the BBC and Reform UK want to weave (as do Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems also) when we all know for sure they are always likely to try to deceive us ( especially us within Scotland).
Malcolm Offord is a TORY (still) ………pass it on.
Liz S
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
O/T but I thought this interesting, sort of in context.
Well according to this lot, there is a party called, ‘Reform Scotland’…see their paragraph titled ‘The Narratives’. Also they say, ‘to those of a Scottish nationalist persuasion such as the campaign group Believe in Scotland’ in same paragraph, OK. This blog is working alongside ‘The Herald’, not sure how I managed to find this blog or end up with their content via email.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thescottishbeacon/p/the-power-shift-renewables-communities?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
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Baron Offord? Is he once again the leading light in a grassroots movement just like in 2014 when associated with Vote No Borders?
Remember its scaremongering that parents in Scotland would not be able to access rare, specialist medical expertise for their children from Gt Ormond Street Hospital London if we voted ‘YES” in the referendum? The advert pushing this line was withdrawn by cinemas after the hospital formally refuted its claims.
And for those that need reminding of what Offord got up to in 2014, see this article by Douglas Daniel dated May 1, 2014 published by the once much followed Wings Over Scotland. (https://wingsoverscotland.com/while-were-investigating/#more-54313 )
From Daniel’s piece: ‘Vote No Borders first came to our attention a couple of weeks ago whilst perusing the Electoral Commission’s register of permitted participants (which is a very handy tool). No Borders lists one Malcolm Offord as their “responsible person”, and today seems to mark his first foray into the debate.
‘Vote No Borders registered as a permitted participant on the 19th March 2014 – 43 days before the launch of their website. If that seems odd, No Borders only registered with Companies House on the 18th March 2014. It became a permitted participant the day after forming.
‘(The permitted participant address is 26 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, despite Malcolm Offord’s address being listed as a west London postcode, and that of No Borders being listed as 24 Chiswell Street in London).
‘So within 44 days of forming, this “grassroots” campaign has already managed to amass funding totalling a whopping £150,000, despite having absolutely no public profile. Wow, even we’re a little jealous.
‘But the fun doesn’t stop there. VNB’s other stated director (and “communications advisor”) is Fiona Gilmore, director of Acanchi Ltd, whose address is, by a remarkable coincidence, also 24 Chiswell Street. (You’ll note Malcolm is also of Acanchi.)
‘A quick browse of Acanchi’s website sheds no light on what they actually do, other than the catch-all term “consultancy” (although it’s interesting to note that they’ve “taken on many assignments with Governments and leaders to position their countries, regions or cities in the world.”)’ (my emphasis)
The article concludes: ‘So that’s grassroots, No-campaign style. Of course, this was all extremely complicated to find out – requiring the ability to both type some things into Google AND then click the resulting links – which is presumably why the Herald and BBC didn’t bother having a cursory glance into the campaign group’s background, to check just how “grassroots” it really is.‘
We can be fairly certain that Baron Offord’s views will be amplified – once again uncritically – by the likes of the BBC and The Herald.
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I know people can’t help their looks, but, the excellent poet, Stevie Smith; ‘beware the man with the small lips for he’ll give nothing and take all’…springs to mind re this snidey sleekit guy.
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Just seen that he, Baron Offord is indeed on BBC QT’s panel tomorrow night.
As is Anas Sarwar, Russel Findlay & Angela Haggerty…and also Stephen Flynn.
Scottish panellists for next year’s election for Labour ,Tory & the new Tory party disguised under another name, Reform UK, and one of their new Tory members Malcom Offord aka Baron Offord aka as unelected bureaucrat.
Also Stephen Flynn is on the panel too as a future candidate for the SNP next year.
Stephen Flynn should quote to Offord some of the not so warm things below that Nigel Farage said in September 2014 about Scotland, such as:
“We’ve ( is that England ?) had a lot from Scotland but the tail (Scotland) cannot go on wagging the dog (England) any longer.”
“I think England needs a voice – we’ve (England) heard a lot from Scotland. The tail (Scotland) can’t continue wagging the dog (England) any longer.
“We (England) must have English MPs voting on English only matters.”
“Farage maintained that English taxpayers should not be bound by promises made by the three main party leaders during the referendum campaign” (to Scotland).
“Nigel Farage has called on the Queen to intervene in the Scottish independence referendum”.
“The United Kingdom could break up if people in England are not given greater powers, Nigel Farage has warned”
“He (Farage) said it was imperative the wishes of people in England were addressed”
Mr Farage said: “I’ll tell you something – if we don’t give the English a fair voice, there won’t be a union because England will break away. England will say ‘enough is enough is enough'”.
“The Barnett formula itself has to go anyway, even Joel Barnett who invented it admits that,” he (Farage) said.
“Nigel Farage claimed that English voters were “frankly being ignored”, but were “picking up a big bill”, while there were Scottish MPs voting on English-only issues”.
All of these above quotes were sourced from the BBC website dated September 2014.
Note the common theme in these quotes.
England over Scotland, that’s Nigel’s main (public) ‘concern’ and ‘focus’.
England versus Scotland…….guess who Nigel speaks for and also who he wants a better deal for……….clue not Scotland.
So what will Offord have to say tomorrow……apart from #SNPBAD
He , Offord, should be taken to task by Stephen Flynn , in that Offord’s new leader of Offord’s new party is no friend or supporter of Scotland .
As much of the above remarks (there may even be more) prove where his, Farage’s, public loyalty supposedly lies (after himself that is) ….as it is obvious Farage only publicly ‘Bats for England‘ like the old English Nationalist that he is.
In 2014 at WM there was 533 English constituency MP seats in the HOC and Scotland only had 59.
In 2024 , with boundary changes, the figure for England’s allocation rose to 543 and the figure for Scotland dropped to 57 constituency MP’s.
Before devolution Scotland had 72 MP constituency seats at WM, so a mere 13 more than post Scottish devolution.
Before devolution England had 529 constituency MP seats so they had 4 less than in 2014 and 14 less than 2024.
They also have devolution in England just now when the Tory UK government started a new process of English devolution in 2014, negotiating bespoke deals with groups of local authorities who formed new combined authorities chaired by Metro Mayors.
As part of the levelling up strategy launched in 2022, a new wave of devolution deal negotiations commenced. This led to the extension of mayoral devolution in three new areas in May 2024.
There are currently 12 areas with mayoral devolution in England.
The former Tory government also planned that Mayoral devolution was also due to be extended to a further four places in 2025: Suffolk, Norfolk, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire and Labour in their 2024 Manifesto said it will “widen devolution to more areas” if it takes power at the next general election.
As of June 2024 it was reported by the Institute For Government that devolution currently covers 48% of England’s population, 54% of its economic output, and 26% of the land area. If all the new deals were implemented as planned in 2025, this was also planned to increase to 64%, 67%, and 54% respectively, meaning the majority of England’s population will be covered by a devolution deal.
Also the UK government fundamentally controls English public services thorough funding , policy setting & regulation.
So how much more of a voice, control and powers does Farage want for England ?
You see the problem here is that clearly Farage wants Scotland to get less or next to nothing as clearly he wants England to have it all, such as all powers, total control and all of the whole UK’s money.
Scotland is a Nation , devolved areas in England such as Manchester , Liverpool and London ( and other areas in England) are not .
Funny also how Farage thinks that it’s okay if “England says enough is enough” so then they then can just “break away” from what he calls “the Union”, yet now that same privilege and courtesy is not ‘allowed’ for Scotland, in fact Farage apparently was even against it in 2014 when he asked the Queen to intervene for the NO side in 2014.
Hard sell for Reform UK in Scotland but then no doubt the big nad Baron of Reform UK will give it his best shot tomorrow night……….just as he did last year for his former party the Tories.………someone in the audience should remind Offord that democracy , and Peerages, are not for sale and the 9 million pounds in a donation to Reform UK via one donor is a tad suspect, a donor who was a former Tory donor and I suspect still is a Tory supporter too, just a new one, a bit like Baron Malcolm Ha Ha
Liz S
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So much for Labour getting rid of the HOL’s .
Now announced they are adding another 25 new Labour peers into the HOL’s aka the Gravy Train.
One of them is Iceland supermarket chairman Richard Walker, who was initially going to stand as a candidate for the Tory party , then he left the Tory party and he switched his support to Labour (as the new Tory party in town and now also currently morphing into a Reform UK type of party)_.
Richard Walker has also, in the past, been a regular panel member on BBC QT , of course he was.
The BBC website explained that “Most Lords are entitled to a £371 daily allowance for each sitting day they attend – although they can choose not to claim it. Like MPs, they scrutinise the work of government and recommend changes to proposed legislation. Unlike MPs, however, peers are not elected“….(yes we know and so why then do they get a say on our elected Scottish government, as whenever they hold debates about Scotland it always ends up as a ‘SNPBAD Fest)
The Tories nominated Sharron Davies the former Olympic swimmer and vocal critic of trans women in women’s sport, Simon Heffer OMG and also the former Tory MP and English Nationalist John ‘Who speaks for England’ Redwood.
It’s all just never ending is it not………a constant UK S*** Fest……..who all heap their UK S*** upon Scotland time and time again.
Liz S
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Malcolm Offord categorically stated during his interview with Gary Robertson on the Sunday Show on 7th December that Baron Offord of Garvel of Greenock in the County of Renfrew had already handed back the Peerage awarded to him by the Tory Government.
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From the UK Parliament HOL Library online site
“4. Can a member relinquish their peerage?
A life peerage cannot be relinquished. However, the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 enables a life peer to resign from being a member of the House (so they can stop sitting, speaking in the HOL’s and so voting).
There are also limited circumstances where hereditary peerages can be ‘disclaimed’. The Peerage Act 1963 enables hereditary peers to renounce their titles for life. The 1963 act sets out requirements that must be met to do this.
To disclaim a peerage, the person must deliver an ‘instrument of disclaimer’ to the lord chancellor. This must be done within 12 months beginning on the day that the person succeeds to that peerage. The only exception to this time limit would be if the person is under 21 years old, in which case the 12-month time limit would begin on their 21st birthday. Once the instrument has been delivered, the hereditary peerage would be renounced for their life.
Tony Benn was the first person to renounce a hereditary peerage under the 1963 act. He did this on 31 July 1963, the day that the act came into force”.
So on the30 September 2021, it was announced that Malcolm Offord would be made a life peer upon his appointment as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. He was chosen instead of two Tory MP’s John Lamont & Andrew Bowie.
Also as to Gary Robertson, he works for the BBC and the BBC website had an article on their website the day before The Sunday show was broadcast where they wrote of his defection . Where they included this within the article that “It is not possible to renounce a life peerage, but peers can resign their membership of the House of Lords. Members of the House of Lords are disqualified from becoming members of the Scottish Parliament under legislation passed earlier this year”.
So he may have told Robertson that he has “handed back his peerage awarded to him” but the question is to what effect, other than he will no longer ask to be referred to as a Lord or Baron and so he will no longer use the title.
The key here is that in order for him to be able to stand next year in the Scottish elections he cannot be a member of the HOL’s, so if he resigns from being a member of the House, as in he no longer sits in, speaks in or votes in the HOL’s then that I assume is what enables him to stand as a Reform UK candidate in 2026 at Holyrood ?????
So not a ‘noble’ act by him but an act that suits his political ambition.
I have also read that a Lifetime peerage cannot “hand back” or relinquish their peerage; it’s a lifetime appointment that ends with death, but to reiterate they can resign from sitting in the House of Lords .
Perhaps the Tory party could elaborate on this position , re the awarded Life Peerage with Malcolm Offord and that exact status now that he has defected to Reform UK and so has claimed that he has handed the peerage back.
Liz S
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The latest campaign leaflet from Reform delivered across Scotland claims he has “given up his Tory peerage to stand for us as ‘plain old Malcolm from Greenock” in the May elections.
Not that there’s anyone useful to complain to about such misleading claims…
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Why nøt start by giving MSPs who are also Peers their full titles in Holyrood for example referring to Katy Clark as Lady Kilwinning?
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