MAY 1999 AND ALL THAT

It would be too banal to say that in Scotland last year the earth moved. However the creaking monolithic British State did move, and Scotland had its first ever democratic elections.

This has transformed Scottish politics from once a month Westminster Questions, into daily discussions and debate and has put a constant focus on to Scottish problems never before experienced.

The Scots Independent is a monthly newspaper and although it has been at various times in its long life a weekly we do not have the resources at present to go down that road. The very nature of a monthly means that we have been unable to comment on political events as promptly as we might have wished. A case in point was the Hamilton By Election which was called by the Labour Party within three weeks. Their amazing speed in calling this was justified as they came within a whisker of losing it. Nevertheless it was over for the Scots Independent between issues.

Very shortly the Scots Independent itself will be going on the Internet but The Flag in the Wind on a weekly basis will enable us to act and react to issues on an ongoing basis. The Flag in the Wind is here to stay.

THE "SETTLED WILL?"

Anent the above; I and every Nationalist I know (and a good many with a small n as well) are heartily sick of hearing the phrase "The settled will of the Scottish people" At the recent SNP Conference in Perth I went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. When I asked what the soup of the day was I was told "Tomato". "All right " I said "I will have the tomato - but it is not my settled will". (The waitress gazed at me uncomprehendingly).

I wanted a plate of soup. I did not particularly want Tomato Soup but it was Tomato Soup or no soup. I did not want a devolved Parliament, but it was a devolved Parliament or no Parliament.

Ergo---.

C.P.I.

It is unfortunate that the new Parliament has been sullied by Labour’s ongoing policy of C.P.I. - Crass Political Ineptitude.

Take the whole Clause 28 / Section 2a debacle - ongoing for a good while yet. People outwith politics may have forgotten that it was an arrogant misjudgement by the Communities Minister, Ms Wendy Alexander which has led to wide fissures opening up in Scottish society which will take some healing.

I understand that in a previous existence Ms Alexander was a management consultant. It has long been my contention that management consultants couldn’t manage; Ms Alexander may be the exception to that rule - she obviously couldn’t consult.

P.F.I.

P.F.I., if anyone remembers, was the clever wheeze by Normant Lamont to begin the backdoor privatisation of those parts of the public sector that could not be openly privatised. It was vehemently opposed by the Labour Party, when in Opposition of course, but it is now an integral part of their policy.

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is being built under this system, and it will have 40% fewer acute beds than at present, due to the need to make an adequate return on the money invested by the private sector. It will have to treat many more patients for the same reason, and do it with less staff. Portering and catering are both being contracted out to save even more money (Not very highly paid posts when you think of it) and although it will be on the far edge of Edinburgh no parking places are being provided for staff. I believe that there will be parking places for the management.

Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary was built under PFI and will need an extra £3.5 million a year to run. It is having to cut its clinical staff budgets to pay the financiers. It is a much smaller operation than Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. It rather looks as if the customers, sorry , patients , won’t get as good a service as their grandchildren will be paying for.

THE SKYE HIGH BRIDGE

And another little mention for PFI. The first PFI project in Scotland was the Skye Bridge, the argument on tolls which is going on as we speak. The original building cost was to be £10.5 million. When all was said and done the cost came out at £23.6 million (Not bad when you consider Holyrood). However the deal signed by the Scottish Office (Run at that time by the "We know how to handle money" Tories) means that the Bank of America who financed the deal will receive £128 million. No I did’t mis-type - £128 million. One hundred and twenty eight million pounds. None of our Secretaries of State over the period, Ian Lang, Michael Forsyth or Donald Dewar, have ever referred to this figure. The figure was obtained from the National Audit Office by Euan Robson, a Lib Dem MSP.

SCOTS INTERNATIONAL

This tasteful picture of Mrs Margery Fee, wife of our Editor Kenneth Fee, is not a virtual one, they actually were in Sydney.

You do not have to take the Scots Independent to Australia, our Postal Subscription Department will send it anywhere in the world.

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

I have not yet seen any formal denunciation (or even an informal one ) of the Labour backing Mirror for its support for the Tories during the English Local Elections. The Mirror, big sister of our very own Daily Record, urged Londoners to vote for Steven Norris, the Tory Candidate for Mayor of London. No condemnation- strange.

Perhaps even stranger; the Editor of that very same Mirror , Piers Morgan, has been cleared of insider dealing by the Press Complaints Committee. On the day before his financial journalists tipped Viglen in the Mirror. Mr Morgan bought £20000 worth of the shares. He told the PCC it was sheer coincidence. The sacked financial journalists, known as the City Slickers, say that they had discussed the shares with him, but the PCC chose to believe Mr Morgan, him being an upright tabloid editor.

Maybe the DTI, who are looking into the affair, will take it further. Maybe.

All the above in the best traditions of one of the former owners of the Mirror Robert Maxwell.

THE LAST DAYS OF EMPIRE?

Alex Salmond has condemned the vastly increased cost of running the Scottish Office.

It cost £2.8 million in 1998, and shot up to £5.5 million in 1999, the year the Scottish Parliament came into being.

As it seems likely that Mr Blair is going to scrap the Scotland Office and the post of Secretary of State for Scotland will no longer exist, what is going on? I remember one journalist telling me after the 1979 Referendum "This is the last kick of the dying horse." Now why should that thought come to mind?

Mr Salmond pointed out that all that Mr John Reid seemed to be doing at the moment was using public money to attack the SNP.

RIP OFF ON SCHOOL BUSES

Kenny MacAskill has been attacking the Government on Fuel Tax.

He is calling for the Fuel Duty Rebate to be extended to School buses and mobile libraries. Scottish Councils spend £77.6 million a year on school transport, and fuel takes the lion’s share of that. For every £ spent on fuel the Chancellor takes more than 80p.

We’ll watch that campaign, fully expecting it to get the support of all Labour Councils

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