THE WIDE SPECTRUM

On Monday I was visiting a depot I used to work in over in Dunfermline in Fife; as I walked in the door one of my former colleagues greeted me with "Hey, Jim Lynch, I’ve just been reading about you." As I looked puzzled as to why there would be anything about me in the depot, he said "I’ve been reading the Scots Independent on the Internet." It seemed so out of context that I can’t remember what I replied, but I was pleased; mind you, he never said if he agreed with me or not!

Also on Monday, I received an email from Tom Winsor, the Rail Regulator, asking me to correct something I had written, as I had attributed words to him which he did not say. I had referred to Mr Winsor as the outgoing Chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority; the outgoing Chairman was, in fact, Sir Alastair Morton, and the remarks should have been attributed to him. Mr Winsor is the Rail Regulator, an entirely separate statutory officer. I may have misquoted the press report on which the article was based, and normally I retain the cuttings, but in this instance the article was in January 2002, and the press cuttings were recycled a long time ago.

Anyway, my apologies to Mr Winsor, and I note that he did not disagree with the tenor of my remark, which was that there was not enough money for spending on anything " North of the Watford Gap". Well, out of 17 projects, 11 were in London and the South of England, and only 2 in Scotland, rebuilding Waverley Station in Edinburgh, and rail access to Edinburgh and Glasgow airports by 2010.

You never know who’s watching! The archive will be corrected forthwith.

OLIVER BROWN AWARD

The toast to the paper will be proposed by Ian Hudghton MEP. Tickets cost £16.00, and are available from the Scots Independent at 51 Cowane Street, Stirling, FK8 1JY or from this website. We now accept credit cards!

SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND

I would imagine that I myself will be one of the biggest users of this facility, as I keep saying to myself "I remember I wrote about this once before", but cannot remember when. I have already tried the system out when checking out the email from Tom Winsor, see The Wide Spectrum above, but I do wonder why it locked when I put in George Soros? It took me a wee while to remember what else I had included in the piece, and then find it that way.

PURSUING OUR INQUIRIES

All sorts of scenarios are being played out here; in the course of the Election Campaign, Mr McConnell, leader of the Labour Party, sent Mrs Sillars a letter saying that he would hold an inquiry into the Scottish Parliament building project. How very noble, and nothing at all to do with giving another opponent of the SNP a wee backhander; interesting that in the voting for the composition of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, Mrs Sillars was defeated by 93 votes to 24, by a Tory. There are only 18 Tories, but obviously her fellow Parliamentarians, who know her well, would rather trust a Tory.

Anyway, to the Inquiries; first, David Black, an Edinburgh architect and author of "All the First Minister’s Men", has submitted a 20 page dossier to the European Commission, asking it to investigate mismanagement, secrecy and bias in the Holyrood parliament project. This inquiry, if it goes ahead, will pull the UK government into the affair for the first time; as the original decisions were all taken by the Westminster Cabinet, not before time! The separate inquiry, promised by Mr McConnell during the Election Campaign, is seen by Mr Black as "inadequate"; certainly, for all the heat and noise generated by Mrs Sillars, we are not aware of any follow up, and we believe that scenario was pure electioneering.

The second inquiry, or third one, as the case might be, is being called for by David Hogg, a designer from Edinburgh, who has lodged a formal request with the public accounts committee at Westminster, calling for a formal investigation into the financial problems of the project. It is difficult to see this one going far, as Westminster has no jurisdiction, although it was the Cabinet which made all the decisions which caused the problem; any involvement with the public accounts department would put the blame firmly where it should lie, and that is a definite no-no.

Amidst all these very public pronouncements, the fact that someone else is pursuing another inquiry is being completely overlooked; Fergus Ewing, SNP MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, has been doggedly pursuing a company called Flour City International Inc, whose subsidiary, Flour City Archtitectural Metals (UK) Ltd , were awarded the contract for the wall cladding and windows of the MSP block. This company had assets of £2 (Yes £2, not thousands, or millions, but 2 lonely pounds!), no Scottish Directors, no track record, no knowledge of the Scottish construction scene, and their parent company was not a party to the contract. Fergus sent a dossier to the Auditor General, Sir Robert Black, who broadly agreed with his allegations; the reason for this was, of course, that Flour City went bust, leaving the Parliament with a bill for £4 million. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Corporate Body, Lord Steel of Aikwood (Just call me David) described Fergus’s investigations as "peddling conspiracy theories", and claimed that any losses would be met by Flour City International Inc. As this firm has now been insolvent since July 2001, has lost every contract that it was involved in, been ejected from NASDAQ, and is being sued by various banks, Fergus is sure that this is a non-starter. One of the contracts they lost was the Los Olas City Centre project in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and I was minded to nosey around there when I was in Fort Lauderdale in January; that was a non- starter for me , too.

So, someone was hard at work, trying to get somewhere with at least a part of this shambles, and questioning the role of Bovis Lend Lease, the main contractor; all the thanks he got was that Lord Steel apparently referred to him as "That bastard, Ewing." Well, that’s not bad.

Fergus tells me that he is confident that Bovis who are responsible for this reckless decision are likely to be required to repay the taxpayer the whole of the losses. He says that the figure is likely to be much more than £4Million. That is his "unfinished business " and he means to complete it when the Scottish taxpayer gets some of the money back.........

PANIC IN THE PORK BARREL

Next we had the Westminster Labour MPs, finally finding a cause to occupy their time, joining in the chorus; isn’t it strange that all these claims and protests are made in the name of democracy, and the representation of the people, when the current system is so anti-democracy and against the representation. Talk about making a virtue of necessity!

The current system does not work, and is unique to the United Kingdom; I am quite sure that when the voting system in Northern Ireland was changed, from property and business votes, and votes were given to people who neither owned property nor businesses, but were by some strange chance, nearly all Catholics, there was a similar outcry, and demands to preserve democracy, as a corrupt political system finally bit the dust. This was, lest anyone forget, a part of the United Kingdom, and not some banana republic, or Communist one party state.

According to Pat Watters, president of Cosla, the uneasiness is not confined to Labour, as many independents were alarmed as rural wards would "balloon to unimaginable sizes". From recollection, I think Scotland is the only country where the term "independent" in local government means Tory; I also do not believe that the Labour president of Cosla speaks on their behalf, or if he does, then that’s the first time.

What is now intriguing is that Labour is calling for a Special Conference, as Conference decisions are binding; we all remember Trident being banished from the Clyde after successive Labour Conferences, or perhaps not, as Labour only pays attention to what suits them. They are also calling for a Referendum; now there’s a thing. A great campaign to fight against the iniquity of taking away the seats on the gravy train, and then a Referendum. What would all that cost? Who would pay for it? Money no object, public money that is, but surely the taxpayer cannot be expected to pay to perpetuate Labour hegemonies? Mind you, Labour have always treated public money as if it was their money, when it is ours.

We do know that Labour MPs have the power to change the Scottish Parliament voting system, but if they do try that one it is likely to open Pandora’s box even further, and the consequences might well prove fatal, for them; once the chicanery becomes so obvious that the average Labour voter notices it, they are in trouble, and even their Tory friends won’t bail then out.

As there are now some 50 million mobile phones in use in Britain, we are sure that the campaigners against them have to keep in touch - no doubt by mobile phone.

Shocking headlines this week about the charity Breast Cancer Research (Scotland); one headline said "Mystery of £8 million missing from charity."

The money is not missing; it was legally, if not morally, removed, while politicians worried about foxes.

Commiserations to Celtic Football Club on losing in Seville.

The upside is that there were 80,000 football fans in Seville, not one arrest - and their team lost!

You can’t believe all you read in the papers, as I discovered last week when I commented that the Sports and Culture Minister, Frank MacAveety was in Seville for the Celtic match.

Next day I saw his picture in the paper outside Bute House in Edinburgh on the Wednesday afternoon.

Something strange is happening in our educational circles; so many young people are taking higher education that there is a shortage of tradesmen/women.

Coincidentally, we are not training enough people in the trades, as the plumbers, for instance, are making more money from plumbing than they could from teaching plumbing!

The story starts with PFI, which Private Eye defines as Preposterous Financial Idiocy; I am sure that the guilty politicians and civil servants now refer to Private Eye as PFI, but that the F word is neither Financial nor Federal.

DRUG AND VIOLENT CRIME HIT 10 YEAR HIGH
Wed 28 May 03

CUNNINGHAM CALLS FOR INCREASED POLICE NUMBERS

Official statistics released today (Wednesday) show drug crime and non-sexual violent crime have hit ten-year highs.

The figures, released by the Scottish Executive show:

* Non-sexual violent crime is at it highest level since 1993, with 16,461 offences committed in 2002, a rise of 25 percent on 1997.
* Drug crime is now at its highest level since 1993, with 40,379 offences in 2002, a rise of 37 percent on 1997.

Commenting, Shadow Justice Minister Ms Roseanna Cunningham MSP said that these increases in crime highlighted the need for more police officers. She said:

"Drug offences and violent crime are exactly the kind of criminal activity that increased police numbers would tackle. More police on our streets, protecting our communities, means less street crime.

"This is not rocket science. The Executive's own figures show that increasing police numbers increases the crime clear up rate.

"It's time for Jack McConnell to bite the bullet. He lost the argument during the election and must now commit the Executive to increasing police numbers. These figures should be the final nail in the coffin of Labour's complacency."

THOUSANDS FACE LOSS OF FREE SCHOOL MEALS
Tue 27 May 03

LACK OF POWERS FORCES EXEC INTO EMERGENCY LEGISLATION

The Scottish Parliament's lack of powers over the tax and social security system has forced the Scottish Executive to introduce emergency legislation into the Scottish Parliament to stop thousands of children losing their entitlement to free school meals.

The emergency bill, to be introduced on Wednesday 4 June, follows changes to the tax and social security system that would have left 6500 children from low income backgrounds, without free school meals.

Speaking after the legislation was timetabled, SNP Shadow Parliament Minister Ms Fiona Hyslop MSP, highlighted the danger of Scotland's children losing out because of London's control over Scotland's tax and benefits. Commenting she said:

"Holyrood's lack of power has left thousands of children from low income families facing the prospect of losing their right to free school meals.

"Now, emergency legislation is having to be introduced to correct a mistake that would never have happened if we had control of our own tax and social security system.

"This time, emergency legislation will correct the problem, but it throws into stark relief the need to sort out the constitutional contortions of devolution. While London holds vital powers such as taxation, this kind of ridiculous situation will inevitably arise again and again."

EDITORS NOTE:

Children from families receiving Income Support or Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance are currently entitled to free school meals.

The Tax Credits Act 2002 will change the benefit many families receive from Income Support or Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance to Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit, removing 6,500 Scottish children's entitlement to free school meals.

STAFF SHORTAGES DAMAGING PATIENT CARE
Tue 27 May 03

CHISHOLM MUST HEED WARNINGS SAYS STURGEON

Commenting today (Tuesday) on the report from Quality Improvement Scotland SNP Shadow Health Minister Ms Nicola Sturgeon MSP said that it is clear that the systems in place are not working and the understaffing of the service is damaging patient care. Ms Sturgeon said:

"The problems that have been plaguing the NHS have not gone away. Staff working in the service are continuing to give their all to patients but they are getting very little support from the Scottish Executive.

"With unfilled vacancies for nursing and consultancy posts across Scotland at an all time high, it is time for positive action to be taken.

"It has been clear for some time that the lack of trained workers is having a damaging effect on patient care and this report proves it.

"It is about time that something is done, and I hope that Malcolm Chisholm heeds these warnings and takes this opportunity to make a greater impact in his second term as health minister."

PROPOSED EXCLUSIVE EU POWERS "WHOLLY OUT OF PLACE"

The SNP in the European Parliament has reacted with dismay at the inclusion of fisheries matters as an area of exclusive EU competence in the proposed European Constitution, published today. SNP Euro-MPs Neil MacCormick MEP, member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, and Ian Hudghton MEP have vowed to fight for the removal of the clause relating to "the conservation of marine biological resources under the CFP" from the list of exclusive EU powers. The only other exclusive powers relate to monetary policy, commercial policy and customs union.

Commenting, Prof MacCormick said:

"There have been some welcome changes in the new draft Constitution when compared against the original version. On the whole, it's a decent job. However, it is imperative that the reference to marine conservation is removed from the areas of exclusive EU competence.

"The other areas of exclusive competence relate to such matters as customs union, monetary policy and common commercial policy - clearly areas of fundamental importance to the EU. However, fisheries policy by its very nature is something entirely different, and its inclusion as an area of exclusive EU power is wholly out of place.

"The European Convention still has important work to do on the proposed Constitution and I intend to fight hard to remove fisheries from the Union's exclusive powers. I hope that I will receive the UK government's support on this - regardless of what other splits they may have on Europe."

Mr Hudghton stated:

"The EU's management of fish stocks over the last twenty years has been an unmitigated disaster. To suggest that Brussels should now have exclusive control enshrined in a constitution is madness - particularly at a time when the number of land-locked nations in the EU is set to rise.

"It has been universally accepted that the way forward for fisheries management is for there to be more localised and regional control. Today's draft Constitution is therefore a step in the wrong direction.

"The SNP intend to fight this proposal tooth and nail and I will be raising the matter in the European Parliament. Scotland's fisheries management should be under the control of the Scottish Parliament - not under the remote control of land-locked Brussels."

A Worried Wife!

Read and listen to Jokes in our Scot Wit section