| Unlikely Holyrood alliance helps SNP squeeze home in budget vote
Lets face it; this was a good day for the Nats, Tories and Margo. John Swinney and Bruce Crawford did well to get it through at all. It's not a good day for the rest of Scotland though. This is a right wing budget pass by a right wing alliance. It does not protect the most vulnerable in our society. We now have a truly Tory government in Holyrood, and after 10 years of government based on equality, we've regressed. When the SNP speak of Social Justice, its lip service. Social Justice is not part of their mentality; they do not understand the concept.At least Labour and the Lib Dems tried. They must have known after the Finance Committee that it would be difficult. The Greens simply rolled over. Oh well just another three years and four months of Tory rule to go. Let the onslaught of criticism about this post commence.
Snell s planned visit rekindles memories
THE return to Wairarapa of one of New Zealand's greatest sportsmen, triple Olympic gold medallist Peter Snell, next month will trigger special memories for writer Michael Wall and many others old enough to recall his last visit here. Wall had the rare privilege of lining up to compete against the athletic great, and others in a star-studded field, in the Golden Mile, held in Queen Elizabeth Park oval in 1963. Running for Wellington, the young Wall didn't win the race but neither did Snell that honour went to fellow New Zealand Olympian John Davies who nudged out champion Australian miler Ron Clarke, with Snell finishing third. .
Citing principle, Braman relishes the fight
With his latest campaign comes a string of striking ironies and seeming contradictions. Over the years, Braman has been a generous donor to museums and led the campaign to bring the Cleveland Orchestra to the performing arts center. Now he wants to stop the flow of hundreds of millions to support those same institutions. The former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles is angling to kill public financing for a retractable roof stadium for the Florida Marlins -- whose owner, Jeffrey Loria, is a 35-year art world acquaintance. Braman's flagship BMW and Rolls Royce dealership operates in the heart of downtown -- which other dealers fled years ago -- yet he strives to derail Miami Mayor Manny Diaz's downtown vision. At heart, this lanky multimillionaire hasn't forgotten his hardscrabble roots in West Philadelphia.
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