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Compiled by Jim Lynch
[Issue 116 -  23rd August 2002]

When General George Monck attacked the city of Dundee in 1651, the city had become a storehouse for the gold and jewels of the Scottish nobility and merchant classes; it was thought that the city was impregnable, so the wealth was sent there for safekeeping. The city was well defended, but Monck had been advised by spies that the guards were often drunk in the early morning, and that was when he attacked; he sacked and looted the city. The treasure was loaded on to about 70 ships, which sank in the River Tay during a storm.

In 1698, Scotland’s merchant classes and nobility, desperate to retrieve their lost fortunes, invested heavily in an expedition called the Darien Scheme, to set up a colony on the Isthmus of Panama, in a bid to rival the growing trading power of England. The whole venture turned into a disaster, disease, unfriendly natives and attack by the Spanish, and no help was forthcoming from England; although King William was approached, as king of both countries, he wanted to keep in with the English parliament and the Spanish, so tough on Scotland. This second outflow of Scottish wealth in less than 50 years, led directly to the further impoverishment of the nation, and to the Treaty of Union, when we lost our Parliament.

One of the signatories to the Treaty, the Earl of Seafield, who had encouraged the mobs to riot, so that English troops could be brought in, said at the time "Well, here’s the end o an auld sang."; the response to that was from Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, an opponent of the Treaty, who said "This is not the end - the Scottish Parliament will rise again", and almost 300 years later, it did. The noble Earl’s successor, Lord Seafield, is now becoming increasingly concerned at the activities of the new parliament, particularly at the draft Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill, which proposes to give tenants a pre-emptive right to buy. The good lord says "In my view, the current land reform measures are not based on any long-term plans, foresight or intent for the common good - but driven by envy and ignorance." As the noble lord is the second largest landowner in Scotland (the largest being the Duke of Buccleuch) we are not surprised at his determination to keep what he regards as his, by an accident of birth, and without any merit; I am also still looking for the details of how much his ancestor, the aforesaid earl, received as a bribe for signing the Treaty of Union. These people are well qualified to preach to us all about greed and envy, as they come from a long line of experts.

Well, that’s chucked a big boulder in the pool.

We give the plug, as we referred to Fletcher of Saltoun in the above article; the Commemoration is sponsored by the Saltire Society.

Further detail can be obtained from Robin MacCormick, 82 Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AF (Tel 0131 662 4040), or email: saltire@saltire.org.uk, and www.saltire-society.demon.co.uk

He has a network of offshore havens and onshore loopholes, and the profits from his finance company in London are not taxed as they are donated to his own family charity; his other two businesses, both farms, pay no tax because they made annual losses, but they have claimed hundreds of thousands of pounds in UK grants, tax breaks and Vat refunds. His daughters have spent £54 million on housing themselves in the UK, including what was the most expensive house in London at the time, and 90,000 acres of prime land in the Highlands. If he paid tax as a British taxpayer then hundreds of millions would have been available to be spent on public services

All Mr Rausing’s actions are legal, even if not moral, and he says "Is it correct to accept the rules and regulations of the state and Treasury? If it is correct to accept them, I cannot reasonably be attacked for doing so."

Lord Swraj Paul, friend of the Blessed Tony, and a noble lord, who owns Caparo Industries, a steel manufacturing business, became a British citizen in 1976, but is still domiciled in India, where he was born; he is worth a mere £300 million, but as all his companies are registered in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, he pays no income tax, capital gains tax, and his estate will also avoid inheritance tax. His workers recently went on strike as he has turned their pension scheme from a final salary to a money purchase one, with very much reduced benefits. When they retire they will no doubt require more state benefits, which the noble lord has cunningly avoided paying for.

The noble lord’s acts are also legal, and he is Tony’s unofficial ambassador to India; in addition he is a Member of the Advisory Council of the John Smith Memorial Trust (what was that about birling in his grave?) and a Trustee of the Police Foundation. He takes up nearly a page in the House of Lords Register of Interests, and while he cannot have a lot of free time to spend his money, he could at least have given some to the Inland Revenue to spend on his behalf.

And, as things come in threes, how about the even nobler lord, Archer of that Ilk? He is in the pokey, serving four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice, but there he is, plastered all over the newspapers, driving to work in the theatre in his BMW, getting weekends at home, and no doubt inviting his friends to dinner at the luxury hotel that passes for an open prison. What a stupid society we live in, where wealth and position count, but right and wrong does not seem to exist, and this crook is being offered millions to write a book about his time in prison?

In an independent Scotland, none of the three sets of circumstances would apply; Mr Rausing would either cough up, or be returned to Sweden, or both; a similar fate would befall Lord Paul, and Lord Archer would learn drystane dyking. On the other hand, they all live in England, so it’s their problem; mind you, we would still have Lord Seafield, who, as a large landowner, might quite like drystane dyking, but Land Reform is happening. There is a way forward.

FERRY CONFUSING

A little bit of deja vu, as I wrote about this in June 2000: in 1997 Caledonian MacBrayne wanted to run a ferry from Campbelltown to Larne, which would have opened up the Kintyre peninsula. Michael Forsyth, the then Secretary of State for Scotland did not want them to run it, and awarded the contract to Sea Containers. He ordered Caledonian MacBrayne to sell the ferry Claymore to Sea Containers - for £500,000. After three seasons Sea Containers gave up the service. They then sold the ship to a Dutch leasing company, ING, at a handsome profit, and then leased it back.

A company called Kintyre Ferries, run by a local businessman wanted to restart the service, and Sea Containers, who said they didn’t own the ferry, wanted £1.2 million for it. Brian Wilson, at that time Deputy Secretary of State for Scotland, said he could do nothing.

Now, we have another scandal in the making with the Gourock Dunoon ferry; at present there are two ferry routes, Gourock - Dunoon operated by CalMac, and one to Hunter’s Quay, operated by Western Ferries. The CalMac one comes into virtually the centre of Dunoon, whereas the Western Ferries one is a couple of miles out; CalMac is subsidised but Western Ferriers is not. According to the Scottish Executive, European rules do not permit them to offer a subsidy to CalMac, as they are competing against a private operator, so CalMac will have to remove their vehicle ferry service, and provide a passenger only one. This would be subsidised, just as it is now, but CalMac say that carrying vehicles reduces the subsidy; they do not receive any subsidy for vehicles. So CalMac can have all the passengers, but no vehicles, and Western Ferries will be able to carry both; having travelled on both ferries, the CalMac one is very good, and Western Ferries is very basic.

Strange things happened here; before any decision was made, Western Ferries ordered another ferry to cope with the increase. In addition, CalMac employed a man called Gordon Ross to do the assessment; Gordon Ross’s father, Alistair, is a non-executive director of Western Ferries, and holds 11% of the equity, and a decision in Western Ferries’ favour would add more than a quarter of a million to their value. CalMac knew all this when they appointed Mr Ross, so it appears that they were not terribly competent or they would have seen a conflict of interest coming a mile away. SNP leader, John Swinney, has been visiting Dunoon and spoke to residents and the CalMac crews; he said "I have become convinced of the need for a Public Inquiry. The new arrangements are creating a private monopoly and are a potentially illegal use of public funds."

With the level of ineptitude shown at the time of the Kintyre ferry, one would have thought that both Government and CalMac would have been a bit more aware; as it is, the population of Dunoon will be the losers. With passenger only and vehicle only, what will happen when a busload of people want to cross? Is this the present railway system writ large?

This week we learn from Alex Salmond MP that he has received a letter from Brian Wilson, the Energy Secretary, telling him that planning consent for new nuclear power stations in Scotland was the responsibility of the Scottish Parliament. Mr Foulkes had been asked the question EIGHT times in the House of Commons, and had failed to answer it; no wonder they made him a Privy Counsellor.

A company spokesman said "It is just that we handle so many projects that it is impossible to mention them all." Or could it be that their management of the Scottish Parliament project has been so abysmal that they do not wish to advertise this fact, especially as the spiralling costs have led to them getting spiralling fees?

The person in favour was a convicted murderer in Shotts Prison; must have been hoping for a day out to present his case in person.

For 18 weekends, started on 10th August, the West Coast Main Line, Britain’s busiest, will be closed to allow engineering work; this will add hours to the journeys of about 60,000 people each week.

The line will not be closed on the weekend of 28/29th September, as three special trains will be running to take Labour grandees to Blackpool; ordinary mortals need not apply.

The second reactor at Torness Nuclear Power Station was shut down last week, because of vibration in the cooling systems; the first reactor was knocked out in May by a fault on the gas circulating system. Strangely, there has been no impact on electricity supply, and no nuclear panic.

The newspaper headlines? "Shares slump as Torness shuts its reactors."

SYNOPSIS

SNP PROMISES TO INVEST IN HEALTHCARE
Wed 21 Aug 02

A bumper pay rise for nurses and shorter waiting times are promised by the SNP if they win next year's Scottish Parliament elections. Shadow health minister Nicola Sturgeon also promised that no patient would wait more than six months to see a specialist under an SNP government. And she said the party would bring in a not-for-profit trust scheme to build new hospitals while scrapping the private finance initiative (PFI). Ms Sturgeon made the policy announcements in a speech to an audience of health professionals in Edinburgh. She said an SNP government would increase nurses and midwives' pay by 11% within a year in a move which would impact on 52,000 staff. "What I have announced is a statement of good faith, a statement of intent and a clear indication of my commitment, my personal commitment, to tackling staff shortages within the NHS," she said. Ms Sturgeon also announced that the SNP would extend the Patient Guarantee to ensure that no patient would wait longer than six months for a first out-patient appointment by the end of an SNP term in office. She claimed the present guarantee only covered the time which the patient waited for treatment after being diagnosed and assessed by a consultant. "It therefore totally fails to take into account the period of time that the patient has to wait to actually see the consultant in the first place," she said. Ms Sturgeon argued that replacing PFI with a not-for-profit trust would save millions of pounds. She is now writing to every Scottish health board to seek backing for the public trust idea.

CALL TO REDUCE INTEREST RATES
Wed 21 Aug 02

Scotland's economy needs interest rates to be halved, an economic expert has claimed. Although interest rates in Britain are currently at a 38-year low of 4%, a "correct" level for Scotland would be just 2%, said the London-based Tenon accountancy group. The accountants' suggestion will fuel long-standing Scottish National Party claims that Scotland's economy is labouring under rates set by the Bank of England's monetary policy committee. Earlier this month the disclosure that Scotland was technically in recession - gross domestic product fell for two consecutive quarters - led to a furious political row. SNP economy spokesman Andrew Wilson said of the claim: "This is interesting research which confirms what all of Scotland must now know, that London-centred economic policy is not working for Scotland and hasn't done over an extended period."

LEGAL ACTION THREAT OVER PPP
Tue 20 Aug 02

A Scottish council could take ministers to court unless they approve alternative funding plans for building schools. Falkirk Council, which is controlled by the Scottish National Party, wants to use a not-for-profit scheme. But the Scottish Executive favours public private partnerships (PPPs) which transfer the risk of projects to the private sector. The leader of Falkirk Council said a legal challenge could be mounted if ministers do not fund not-for-profit schemes. The threat of legal action is the latest twist in a long-running row over funding for public services. The authority's leader, Councillor David Alexander, said: "We believe that we have a model that not only delivers schools but also delivers the type of accountability that private finance scheme can't. If the executive say no at that point then I believe they will find themselves in serious trouble with the electorate first and foremost and with audit Scotland." SNP shadow finance minister Alasdair Morgan said Labour had loaded the dice in favour of PPP schemes. "All the impetus is behind PFI-PPP projects," he said. "You talk to any council that's been asked to submit a bid - it's been made very clear to them that the way to get to success is to put in a PFI bid."

SNP FURY AT MASSIVE COST OF PFI HOSPITALS
Tue 20 Aug 02

Modernising some of Scotland's busiest hospitals will cost an extra 600 million pounds if health chiefs opt to use PFI, the SNP claimed today. According to SNP shadow health minister Nicola Sturgeon, improvements outlined in the Greater Glasgow Acute Services Review will cost taxpayers a fortune more in interest with the Private Finance Initiative than with traditional public borrowing. The Glasgow PFI deal will cost an extra 607.5 million pounds during the 30-year contract. SNP health spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon said: "PFI is the most expensive way of building hospitals," Ms Sturgeon said. "The lower interest rates a public trust could secure would mean that, for the same annual repayments the board would make under PFI, it would be able to borrow an extra 300 million pounds. So, instead of being able to afford investment of 700 million, the board could spend 1 billion pounds." Writing in the Evening Times, the Glasgow MSP called on health chiefs to examine alternatives to PFI and not let government obsession with private finance stand in its way.

SCHOOLS "NOT READY" FOR NEW TERM
Tue 20 Aug 02

About 3,500 pupils in West Lothian have been told their new schools are not ready for the start of the new term. Five schools being refurbished or rebuilt, some with funding from public/private partnerships (PPP), are affected. The schools were due to reopen on Tuesday after being upgraded over the summer holidays as part of a 27 million pounds investment. The schools concerned are Linlithgow Primary, Bathgate, Broxburn and Whitburn Academies and Burnhouse special school. SNP shadow education spokesman Mike Russell said the Scottish Executive's "dogmatic approach" to PPP had been found wanting in West Lothian. "It appears that they are more concerned with providing profits for shareholders than desks and classrooms for our children," he claimed. The party's Lothians MSP Fiona Hyslop added: "This latest episode just highlights that just by going private doesn't mean that you get a better service."

RISE IN NURSING SHORTAGE
Tue 20 Aug 02

The number of unfilled nursing posts in Scotland is rising, according to the latest health service statistics. Between October 2001 and March this year, the rate of nursing and midwifery vacancies rose by 0.4% to 3.6%. The SNP described the figures as "shocking" and claimed that there had been a 46% rise in vacancies since 1999. SNP shadow health minister Nicola Sturgeon accused the Scottish Executive of making expensive blunders. "The Labour executive has manifestly failed to deal with the crisis in nurse recruitment," she said. "Rather than actually tackle this growing crisis, the executive has relied more and more on agency nurses, at a cost of nearly 25 million pounds last year alone. This is not the answer, and actually increases the burden that the taxpayer has to pay."

SNP SETS SIGHTS ON WOMEN VOTERS
Mon 19 Aug 02

The SNP is to target women voters in the run-up to next year's Holyrood elections, encouraged by the results of a survey showing increasing female support for financial independence. According to a poll carried out on behalf of the party, a higher proportion of women than men are in favour of the Scottish parliament being given responsibility for setting and collecting taxes in Scotland. The poll, carried out by NFO System Three, showed 72 per cent of women favouring fiscal autonomy for Scotland compared with 67 per cent of men. Only 18 per cent of women believe the taxation powers should remain at Westminster compared with 26 per cent of men. Fiona Hyslop, the SNP parliamentary spokesperson, said: "We are very encouraged by these figures. Women are very conscious of the need for financial independence and control of our own resources." Ms Hyslop said the party would be looking at new ways of presenting its message to women voters. "We need to make sure we can put across a message that women can identify with but the outcome of the opinion poll shows were are right on the button in terms of targeting women." The poll showed that 57 per cent of women are of the view that England benefits more from Scotland being part of the UK economy. This compared with 48 per cent of men. Only 14 per cent of women agreed that Scotland benefited from being part of the UK economy against 19 per cent of men. John Swinney, the SNP leader, has already pledged to change the party's selection system to make sure there are more women candidates in future.

SNP LEADER GOES ON THE BEAT TO SPOTLIGHT YOUTH CRIME
Mon 19 Aug 02

John Swinney went on patrol with Lothian & Borders police today to be given a frontline briefing on the force's youth disorder initiative. The SNP MSP also visited the East Lothian Crime Initiative: "Breaking the Cycle" to see how it supports young people and diverts them away from a life of crime. "The SNP are committed to a dual approach to youth crime," he said. "The full force of the law must be used against repeat young offenders however at the same time support services must be available to prevent young people becoming criminals in the first place."

CIVIL SERVICE FACES OVERHAUL
Mon 19 Aug 02

Jack McConnell is to press ahead with plans to shake up the civil service after announcing that private sector trouble-shooters are being brought in to spearhead the reforms. The First Minister is setting up a performance improvement and innovation unit which will be headed by a senior private sector figure who will report directly to Mr McConnell. The major initiative comes just days after Muir Russell, Scotland's top civil servant, announced that he is quitting the post next year to become principal and vice-chancellor of Glasgow University. The new unit will consist of about half a dozen private sector, industry and public sector experts. SNP leader John Swinney said he hoped appointments to the unit would be made in an open and transparent way and that there would be "no whiff of cronyism from Jack McConnell".

COURTS OWED 20 MILLION POUNDS IN FINES
Sun 18 Aug 02

Figures revealing Scottish courts were owed 20 million pounds in unpaid fines over the past four years were today described as "breathtaking". SNP shadow justice minister Roseanna Cunningham MSP blamed the amount on the Executive's "complacency". She was highlighting figures received in written answers to parliamentary questions. According to the shadow minister, the figures showed courts used civil powers available to them to recover only two hundredth of 1% of all fines imposed. She said: "It is difficult to comprehend the staggering level of complacency that allows 20 million pounds worth of money owed to the public purse to remain uncollected." She questioned why fine defaulters were being sent to prison, adding to overcrowding, when civil powers were not being taken to recover money. "It would seem obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense that we should use the powers we have to collect outstanding fines." Ms Cunningham claimed information from written answers revealed only seven of the 50 Sheriff Court districts detailed by the Executive had made any use of civil powers in an attempt to recover unpaid fines. She said that level was unacceptable against Scotland's rising prison population. Highlighting statistics showing that in the year 2000, 41% of non-violent offenders sent to prison were fine defaulters, she said: "It is no wonder that Scotland has one of the highest prison populations in Western Europe, and it is no wonder that our prisons are creaking at the seams and we have record levels of overcrowding in places such as Corton Vale. The Lib-Lab Executive seems to have totally abdicated any responsibility towards the use of civil procedures to collect unpaid fines in their unseemly haste to send people to prison."

PUPILS FACE SIX-MONTH WAIT FOR TB VACCINE
Sun 18 Aug 02

Hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren face a six-month delay in getting vaccinations against the killer disease TB because a Labour donor's firm cannot guarantee provision of the vaccine until next year. Health experts say that without the protection of the jabs, dozens of children across the country will come down with the disease, caused by bacteria which attack the lungs. Hospitals and clinics have been ordered not to use the controversial vaccine provided by Powderject Pharmaceuticals, owned by Paul Drayson, who has contributed 100,000 pounds to Labour funds. Earlier this month shares in Powderject dropped by nearly one quarter following its decision to withdraw the vaccine from the UK after it provided under-strength doses of the drug to thousands of people in Ireland. Scotland on Sunday has discovered that Powderject will not be able to provide suitable vaccines until April next year. And experts believe it will be six months before a rival supply can be sourced, licensed and produced in large enough quantities. SNP shadow health minister Nicola Sturgeon today called for an inquiry into how the contract was awarded. "I am extremely concerned that the firm involved in the supply of the TB vaccine are unable to guarantee provision of this vaccine until next year," she said. "Any delay in the supply of this vaccine can only lead to an increase in cases of tuberculosis and can only put the lives of Scottish children at risk. This is the same company which won a multi million pound contract recently to supply the smallpox vaccine to the Government despite allegations that it was the wrong strain. There must be an urgent inquiry into how this company was awarded the contract when it was unable to guarantee provision of the vaccine until next year."

CALL FOR PROBE INTO LAW LORDS' SECRET SOCIETY
Sun 18 Aug 02

The Scottish Executive is facing calls to look into the membership of a secretive, all-male Edinburgh club, after it emerged that large swathes of the Scottish legal establishment are listed as members. The Lord Advocate, Colin Boyd, is to be forwarded an exhaustive membership list of the Speculative Society, a 250-year-old club which excludes women from its membership and which meets in candlelit vaults below Edinburgh University's Old College during the winter. The list, taken from the 'Spec ' handbook and verified by two members, is populated by law lords, advocates, sheriffs and businessmen, and includes a former Cabinet minister, a prominent publisher and one of the country's leading bankers. It came to light after an investigation by Robbie the Pict, the Skye Bridge anti-tolls campaigner, who is to petition the parliament once it reconvenes after the summer recess. Last week, the SNP's Alex Neil alleged a similar network was responsible for the appointment of Sir Muir Russell, Scotland's top civil servant, as the new principal of Glasgow University . Russell is not a Spec member. "Scotland is a small country but it seems to be particularly susceptible to an incestuous relationship among the powers that be," said Mr Neil, who is convener of the Scottish parliament's enterprise and lifelong learning committee. "Even if there's no formal or verbal agreement, it's almost an unwritten law that you'll scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. It's an old boy network. Very often these people are in law, the civil service, senior banking or are senior businessmen. The fact there's a so-called Speculative Society, which I certainly didn't know about, suggests the network is even more formal than we had expected."