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I read Scotland on Sunday regularly – it’s not my favourite paper but you have to know what it’s saying if you want to take part in political conversations. On Sunday I read with incredulity a piece about the SNP leadership contest which will be decided democratically at this year’s conference at the end of September. In this piece it was being argued that the SNP leadership was downplaying Independence. The following statement had me choking on my toast. "The SNP is supposed to be the party of independence but under the current leadership we have started to walk away. We have been asking to run the Scottish Executive and manage devolution within the United Kingdom."

In my view the SNP is the only Party which puts Independence first! It’s the reason the Party was founded. It’s the reason it has kept going for 69 years. It’s the reason why people join. I am a member of the Party’s National Executive Committee and attend meetings regularly. I cannot think of one member of the Party’s elected leadership who is not absolutely committed to delivering Independence for Scotland. The SNP members who not only donate hard earned cash but also work very hard on a voluntary basis knocking doors and delivering leaflets do so because they are committed to the cause of Independence. Even when we are campaigning on other issues the sub-text is always – It does not have to be like this. In an Independent Scotland things would be managed better. No person or group in the SNP should kid themselves that they believe in Independence more than any other member.

As I see it the argument is really about how we get this Independence. What is likely to be the most effective method of achieving our goal? The strategy agreed for the Scottish Elections was that we would aim for the administration of the Scottish Executive because that would put us in a position from which we could present to the Scottish people a Referendum for Independence. To win that Referendum the SNP will have to make a convincing case. To do that, we have to win the trust of the Scottish people. To do that, we have to demonstrate our ability as a Government. John Swinney did not just make that up on the spur of the moment. A Referendum on Independence is agreed SNP policy and has been for many years. Scottish Independence is not just for the SNP; it’s for the people of Scotland and we will not win it unless we take the people of Scotland with us.

This is the case John Swinney makes. I have yet to see an alternative strategy for achieving our goal set out in a reasoned way by his challenger. He rather raises issues about the alleged imposition of organisational and policy matters - which have not yet taken place. Some are to be items on the Agenda for National Conference. They will be debated and voted on. If there is support for them they will go through. If there is insufficient support, they will fall. Some other matters are more long term but I am confident that they too will appear on a future Agenda for the Party to debate and vote on.

Hot weather was very much in the news. It’s great if you are on holiday and can pick and choose what you’re going to do and where you can disappear for a siesta at the hottest time of the day. It’s not so much fun when you have to go to work in buildings which were not designed with such high temperatures in mind. There were regular media reports of how high the temperature was and comparisons made between cities and regions. That was fine to start with but I often listen to the radio during the day and seemed to be hearing weather reports every hour on the hour and it began to irritate me. Was nothing else happening? I knew how hot it was! I liked the cartoon in the Sunday Herald. It reflected my feelings quite well. Media commentator says "We interrupt this bulletin to bring you a weather flash. In Upper Didcombe-Chorley-West Sussex it’s the hottest Sunday this week! Now back to our top story and Angus in Basra…Angus…32 degrees in Aviemore – what do you make of it?

Across the road from my home is one of Glasgow’s favourite parks. Because it is surrounded by tenement buildings with little in the way of gardens it is widely used by a great many folk for a variety of purposes. Dogs are walked, children play in the swing parks, youths play cricket, families play rounders, little children try to catch baggy minnows in their nets and take them home in jam jars. (Do they still use jam jars or is there a new equivalent?) Other folk admire the hothouses or sit in the Rose Garden and enjoy the sun. On really hot days folk sunbathe. On some days during the recent really hot spell it got so hot that I did not venture out of the house during the hottest part of the day but at other times it was a joy to watch the children playing.

To encourage more people to make use of the park there was a proposal that the Council should lease part of the park – a bandstand that was no longer used and the surrounding area - to a commercial venture to redevelop the site into an outdoor concert venue with a bar / restaurant. Some local residents thought there might be a few problems. Glasgow City Council banned drinking in public parks about ten years ago and a swing park would have to go to make room for car parking. Claims were made by the Council that the local Community Council had been consulted as had the "Friends of Queens Park" group.

But wait a minute! Hadn’t the Community Council been declared defunct two years ago? And was it not true that the "Friends of Queen’s Park" had met only a couple of times and was not yet properly constituted? Accusations were made and there was much local talk of jiggery-pokery and "manipulation". And guess what? The Council have put their controversial plans on hold! Well done to the folk who raised the alarm. I have not formed a view on this but now that it’s out in the open we’ll be able to find out what local people really think. I am glad to see that local activism can still influence local events.

On Wednesday I attended the funeral of Jim Yuill of Clydebank SNP. Jim died at the age of 63. I first met Jim in the mid eighties and over the years was impressed by his commitment to the Independence cause and to the people of his community. He proved to be a tireless worker who served on many community organisations and was very well known in the area. Around three hundred people attended Jim’s memorial service in Clydebank Town Hall. Family, friends, SNP colleagues and representatives from the many organisations in which he had an interest joined together to celebrate the life of a remarkable man. There were moving tributes from the Community, from his family and from the Scottish National Party. Jim made a huge contribution to public life in Clydebank. He had a short spell as a District Councillor, was a Community Councillor, stood as an SNP Candidate on four occasions and was involved in many other community organisations. He will be sadly missed.

I don’t properly understand the way that exams are conducted these days. That’s my fault. I haven’t kept up with the changes. It seemed simple when I did my Highers, it was still easily understood when my children did theirs and if I try hard I may be able to get my head round the system before my grandchildren do theirs. So a lot of the fine detail of the criticism and analysis has so far passed me by. It was the headlines that caught my attention. The doom and gloom headlines that told of the difficulties of the Higher English exams where about 40% of the young people who sat the exam failed. Some blame the changes to the structure of the exam. The Scottish Qualifications Authority claim that children are being put forward for the exam when they are really not able to tackle it. We should offer congratulations to the young people who were successful and hope that the folk responsible for managing the exam system undertake an in-depth analysis to find out what happened and to do something about it because English is a key subject for young people.

SNP politicians keep the pressure on even when they are said to be "on holiday".

WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE FEEL UNSAFE IN SCOTLAND
Monday 11 August 2003

COALITION MUST GET PRIORITIES RIGHT SAYS ROBISON

Commenting today (Monday) on the figures from the Scottish Household Survey that show an increase in the number of women and young people who feel unsafe in their local communities SNP Shadow Social Justice Minister Ms Shona Robison MSP has called on the coalition government to take action to bring security to Scotland's streets. Figures show:

* One third of women feel unsafe walking in their local community at night, a rise from 26 percent to 33 percent.
* The number of 16 to 24 year olds who feel unsafe walking in their local community at night has risen by 77 percent in the last year from 13 percent to 23 percent.
Ms Robison said:

"It is very worrying that one third of women feel unsafe when walking around their local community, coupled with a dramatic rise in the number of young people who don't feel safe walking down the street.

"The coalition government must take action now so that people can go out into their local area at night without living in fear of crime.

"It is a very worrying trend that the number of young people who are afraid to leave their homes in case they become victims of crime has rocketed by almost 80 percent in the last year, and this cannot be allowed to continue.

"The Lib/Lab coalition must get their priorities right and make sure that people across Scotland feel safe in their local community and the best way to do this is to get more police on the beat."

RYANAIR BOSS BLAMES BAA FOR DAMAGING TOURISM
Wednesday 13 August 2003

BAA EMPIRE MUST BE BROKEN UP SAYS MACASKILL

Following the criticism from Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive of Ryanair today (Wednesday) that the British Airports Authority monopoly has not developed tourism in Scotland, SNP Shadow Transport and Tourism Minister Mr Kenny MacAskill MSP has called for the BAA Empire in Scotland to be broken up. Mr MacAskill said:

"The British Airports Authority's monopoly restricts Scotland's ability to fly high in transport and tourism. I wholly agree with Michael O'Leary that the airports controlled by the company are losing out in a big way.

"It is already very clear that tourism in this country needs a boost. We need to make Scotland accessible and at an affordable price. That means more direct flights and low cost carriers.

"The BAA emphasis on forcing passengers through London results in two flights instead of one and it's time to break up the BAA Empire.

"It's time for Scotland to set its sights higher and let the tourism industry really fly high."

NORTH-SOUTH WEALTH GAP DOUBLES
Thursday 14 August 2003

SCOTLAND 5,300 POUNDS PER PERSON POORER THAN LONDON

The wealth gap between Scotland and London has doubled in ten years and now stands at a massive 5,300 pounds, official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed today (Thursday).

The figures, compiled following a major revision, revealed Scotland's National Wealth per person to be just 12,800 pounds, almost one third lower than London's 18,100 pounds.

In the ten years up until 1999, the wealth gap has more than doubled from just 2,500 pounds in 1989 to today's figure of 5,300 pounds for 1999. Commenting, Shadow Minister for Enterprise and the Economy, Mr Jim Mather MSP said:

"Up until today, the government couldn't even tell us the size of the Scottish economy.  Now, they've told us that Scottish long-term growth is only just over half the English rate.

"As a nation, we are now more than 5000 pounds poorer for every man, woman and child than in London. That is the price we are paying for staying part of the UK.

"What's worse, these dismal statistics are just further confirmation of what we've been seeing on the ground. With economic opportunities so limited, people are voting with their feet. Young people are moving away and Scotland is projected to have the worst population decline in Europe.

"Today's statistics show a decade of economic underperformance at the hands of Westminster.  Since then, our economy has teetered on the brink of recession. The Executive has taken us from low growth to no growth.

"It's time to break the cycle of low growth, low expectations, emigration and poverty. We have to take control of the economic powers that can turn the country around. Scotland simply can't afford the status quo.

Mr Mather also expressed concern about what implications there might be for European funding in the Highlands and Islands.  Last autumn the ONS revised figures downward for Scotland, suggesting that the Highlands and Islands might have met the criteria for continued Objective One funding.  Today's figures replace the autumn data.  Mr Mather said:

"Millions of pounds in EU funds hang in the balance on this kind of data. The government owes it to the people of the Highlands and Islands to make sure that they get their figures right."

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