02/04/2008

Scotland is so highly politically charged right now that even the media is having difficulty keeping abreast of things, while media watchers toil to detect clear signs of the current political persuasions of  the Scottish press.

In his commentary slot in the Daily Telegraph, Scottish editor, Alan Cochrane, claims that Scotland’s obsession with its constitutional future is turning people off.

Says Cochrane: “Frankly, it's a nightmare. It makes for exceedingly boring television, it’s driving  newspaper circulations down and it does absolutely nothing by way of improving our standard of living.”

Cochrane blames politicians for “ruining things”, pointing out: “If they’re not rushing around the country - in Willie Whitelaw’s immortal words - stirring up apathy, they’re dreaming up ever more complex ways of getting voters interested in their latest schemes and stratagems.”

I detect clear signs that the DC Thomson stable in Dundee is lining up behind the SNP, with the Scottish Daily Express group likewise, and the Scottish Daily Mail continuing a virulent  anti-Scottish Labour line. Maybe the Sunday Times Scotland too.

With the Sunday Post apparently pledged to the SNP, although not discernibly totally committed to independence, the Sunday Mail is increasingly throwing its weight behind Scottish Labour leader, Wendy Alexander, and her team.

In its leader column, this week, Scotland’s top-selling newspaper demanded in the headline,‘Give us a Goal Wendy’, claiming Alexander “didn’t put a foot wrong in her keynote speech at Labour’s Scottish conference in Aviemore".

The Sunday Mail asks Alexander to fight a positive campaign to regain the trust of the voters  ..."and hope that, along the way, the SNP score a few own goals”.

Meanwhile, commentators reckon that, while the Daily Record remains pro-Labour, it could begin flirting with backing the Nats because Labour has been giving juicy material to its competitors - especially fierce rival, the Scottish Sun.

Yesterday's front-page exclusive - headed, 'Wendy Turns to Vice Scandal Spin
Doctor' - will not endear the Daily Record to the Labour faithful.

One journalist demonstrably enjoying the political imbroglio is The Courier’s political editor, Steve Bargeton. Editor, Bill Hutcheon, is giving Bargeton his head to write controversial
pieces on the current brouhaha. For example, in a hard-hitting item in his weekly diary, Bargeton said: “It is entirely appropriate that Sir Kenneth Calman was the man chosen to chair the latest talking shop on devolution. In a previous life, as chief medical officer during the Mad Cow Disease crisis, he was the man who pronounced on the safety or otherwise of meat.

"He is therefore quite familiar with the contents of mince."

Hamish Mackay

* Send your Scottish media news and gossip, in the strictest confidence, to  info@allmediascotland.com