Long memories

I laughed when I saw that Labour leader Ed Miliband had pledged to keep key Scotland games on terrestrial TV. As an MEP I helped put through the European directive which enabled member states to designate “crown jewel” sporting events as being free to air.

So Labour had 13 years in government, several of them with Ed Miliband and Jim Murphy in the Cabinet to do this, but guess what? They didn’t.

England’s home games are free to air because ITV bought the rights but Labour’s one-time friend Rupert Murdoch’s Sky TV got the rest.

The only way to be sure of Scotland getting the right to watch Scottish games is to put the decision in the hands of the Scottish Government.

Of course this is all part of Jim Murphy’s reinvention of himself and Scottish Labour.

So far we have discovered he is not a unionist, and he is in favour of free school meals and taking ScotRail into public ownership.

The only trouble is his party voted against all these things in the recent past. No doubt  he hopes we all have short memories.

However, I am glad to see Murphy has one principle he is sticking to and that is to spend £100 billion on renewing Trident, our very own weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde. I think he will find the Scottish electorate has longer memories than he thinks.

Hugh Kerr

Melville Street

Kilmarnock