You really must take your hat off to Mr. Blair, this man could sell a health plan to the dead.

In an another effort to make it seem like the Scots will get real control over their destiny after the Scottish parliamentary election in May of this year, Blair authorized Donald Dewar to let us all (Scots) know we'll have what will be effectively a fronted diplomatic mission in Brussels after May.

BIG DEAL

It will be an outpost of the London controlled Scottish office that will try to persuade the Europeans that they shouldn't listen to the SNP when they push for full independence for Scotland within the E.U.

It will be a sham, a joke, another distorted artifact from Labours spin dotors.

As such, Nu Labour can keep it.

The Liberal party, always wanting to seek out the faintest glimmer of goodness from Labour said "t is clear that we need to have an input at an early stage over European policy. The establishment of a significant Scottish presence in Brussels will bring undoubted benefits to Scotland and Scottish business. It is vital that in the formulation of policy and regulations, distinctively Scottish interests and concerns are fed into the process."

The SNP said "New Labour wants London as Scotland's gatekeeper. Lurking behind Mr Dewar's announcement is a Byzantine structure of inter-departmental concordats, lead committees and ad hoc agreements all intended to ensure that Scotland follows the Whitehall line."