The Labour party and Tony Blair promised open government, no secrets and free speech.

It has sinced issued gagging orders so that party members must ALWAYS tow the party line or risk censure or suspension. Labour, like the Tories demands party loyalty rather than responsibility to the electors who put them in power.

Now it turns out the 1984 "Party Crime" machine is in full swing.

Open government in Labours manifesto

Steve Bruce, the professor of sociology at Aberdeen University and a life-long Labour supporter, advocated a vote for the sitting MP, Malcolm Bruce, as a way of ensuring that the Tory candidate was not elected.

However, Prof Bruce's remarks in a weekly magazine and a national newspaper were spotted by his local Labour party, which reported him to the Scottish headquarters which, in turn, passed the matter on to the Blairs henchmen in London.

Prof Bruce was told informally his opinions had been reported and the next thing he knew he was expelled.!!

HOW DEMOCRATIC

So Blair will use the Scottish parliament as a puppet, his party members will be too afraid to speak out, and the Scottish parliament will be impotent, unless of course (a) Those Scottish Labour reps develop spines or (b) The Scottish parliament is dominated by Scottish Nationalists who will ONLY be interested in Scotlands future and who wont give a hoot about London.

Under Labour's rules Prof Bruce was not given the chance to explain his actions and the party's national constitutional officer ( sounds like the party officer on old USSR submarines....), Mike Penn, told him in the letter that there was no appeal process.

SCOTS TAKE NOTE AND UNLESS BLAIR STATES PUBLICLY HE IS SORRY FOR THIS - VOTE SNP!!

If you don't , you'll be paying for a 'parliament' that is another expensive quango controlled by fear from London.