It's socialism Jim...

...but not as we know it.

There has been much press comment on Wendy's speech and her claim that Labour are socialist. But as these articles by Iain Macwhirter and Alan Cochrane show it has been taken with a large dose of rocksalt washed down with a couple of Dead Seas.

CyberNat though does wonder if Labour is more of a football club supporters branch (without a football club and who can't play football) rather than a political party with aims to achieve.

After all one wonders what will move Willie Sullivan of Compass to abandon ship and see the aims he wants to be achieved come to fruition.

You know, things like ending "private sector involvement in the Scottish health service, after Scottish Labour put it there under Jack McConnell"; or to have an administration that "abolished prescription charges, saved local A&E units, backdated the NHS pay award, abolished student fees, cut class sizes, begun a pilot for free school meals, given equal rights to the children of asylum seekers, rejected nuclear power, doubled the international aid budget, ended ring-fencing of council spending and condemned the Iraq war." (Thanks again Iain Macwhirter)

But instead he seems to want to cling to the fan club as long as it has the right name and just uses the word "socialist" despite its actions being to the contrary. Is using the word "socialist" more important to him than being in a party that invites Margaret Thatcher to Number 10; joins NeoCon US Republicans in invading Iraq; spends billions on nuclear weapons instead of hospitals and schools; invites Margaret Thatcher to Number 10; promotes the Private Finance Initiative; cuts benefits to single mothers; invites Margaret Thatcher to Number 10; eagerly wants to introduce ID cards; and spends billions on propping up a bank that could have been sold. Oh and did I say invites Margaret Thatcher to Number 10?

Willie's only reason for staying with Labour (and ignoring the two lists above) is that the SNP's "economic policy is set by an ex-bank economist and a financial analyst".

Yes Willie. That's a bank like Northern Rock which is now being run by your party. An economist like Wendy Alexander's other half Brian Ashcroft. And the financial analyst? I take it he means Jim Mather - a businessman. A businessman like Paul Green.

However it is up to Willie to search and soul and ask himself if saving the team when it's gone well past it's founding values is a good use of his time instead of trying to get those values initiated.

If not it all looks like a game to those in Labour who use the word "socialist" but remain supporting the party that brought us the Iraq war. A bit like Wendy's election agent Terry Kelly.