Rennie Panda’s to Chinese Human Rights.

Commenting as the First Minister begins his week-long trip to China, and the pandas arrive at their new home at Edinburgh zoo, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie MSP said:

“There is understandable excitement about the pandas arriving from China this weekend.

“But we must be careful to treat this as an opportunity to engage with Chinese authorities over human rights.

“The pandas have caught the public’s imagination. Now is the time to put human rights front and centre of the political debate while people are listening.

“Alex Salmond has been curiously silent over human rights issue. He must tell us what discussions he has had about human rights during his trip.

“We must make this about more than the cuddly and cute.”

In the meantime, down in London, the Libdems are crowing that the panda’s arrival to the UK and Scotland is thanks to the hard work of the Deputy Prime Minister, Rennie’s own Mr Clegg, and a Union benefit.

Hud oan a minute - Nick Clegg claims it was him who did the deal for the panda's yet according to Rennie its Wee Eck's fault that Chinese Human Rights are atrocious.

So Rennie is basically saying that what he sees as merely a UK regional government at Holyrood should have greater powers of influence over Communist China than his own boss at Westminster. Or is he saying Wee Eck should turn down the offer of the panda's because of China's human rights record which is routinely ignored by Westminster?

Or is the only reason Rennie wants Eck to turn away the pandas is so Rennie can come up with yet another discombobulated “J' accuse” tale this time of the parochially minded SNP’s rudeness towards the Chinese Government and people?

It makes you wonder just exactly what the genii behind the Libdems in Scotland political statements are actually attempting to achieve as they sit in the boot of the taxi which is now the Libdem MSP’s Party HQ.

Maybe part of the problem is they think these great wheezes up in the dark by the diesel fuel inlet pipe and by the time they reach the spare tyre it becomes the ‘one’ that will break the SNP. Rennie hears the excitement coming from the boot so stops the cab and opens the boot wherein he is overwhelmed in equal proportions by the BO and the hubris. He starts up mouth with out engaging brain and ‘whammo’ he is deep in the thick and steaming all over again trying to explain away how Eck was able to negotiate the panda’s from China without the Westminster Government’s knowledge or approval. Worse, the question that should be asked, but wont, by the MSM in Scotland: Mr Rennie, was it not your leader in Westminster who set up the deal for the pandas and is guilty of ignoring China’s Human Rights record in the first place?  Have you registered your disgust at this pandering to China and ignoring of the human rights issues to Mr Clegg?

In the meantime amidst the smell of diesel, BO and festering tyres in the boot of the taxi, the Scottish Libdem campaign team is in their very own dimension of space and time dreaming up their next Alex Salmond - j’accuse - story.