LABOUR CHALLENGED ON FREE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY
If
you were to ask for positive examples of how the Scottish Parliament had
made a difference in Scottish society I am sure that very near the top of
the list would be the introduction of free care for the elderly. This has
made an enormous difference to the lives of a great number of people, has
helped to avoid unnecessary admission to hospital and has made it easier
for older people to be discharged to their own homes, where they are more
comfortable and much happier, safe in the knowledge that care can be
provided at no extra cost. This, in turn, frees up beds for those who
really need to be in hospital and enables older folk to stay in their
communities for longer than was previously the case. My aged aunt, of whom
I have written before, benefited from living in “very sheltered
accommodation” where the normal sheltered advantages were augmented by
care services. This made a tremendous difference to the quality of not
only of her life but the lives of many others in like circumstances. Free
Care for the Elderly was SNP policy for years before it was adopted by the
Parliament and the Party campaigned strongly to bring it to the point
where it was approved, against the odds.
For Sam Galbraith, one time Labour Minister in the
Scottish Executive, to emerge from his retirement and call this a
“disastrous policy” in an article written for the Holyrood magazine is
incredible. The suggestion that the finance for the policy was got by
raiding funds for the treatment of cancer victims is unfounded and
disgusting. Shona Robison, SNP Health Spokesperson, said that there has
always been a strong suspicion that Labour MSPs had not really got over
their opposition and are still smarting from their defeat. However they
were defeated, the policy was approved by the Scottish Parliament, and is
the settled will of the Scottish people. The question is “How many Labour
MSPs secretly share Sam Galbraith’s views?”
Shona laid a motion before the Scottish Parliament in
which she challenged Labour MSPs to affirm their support for Free Care for
the Elderly and repudiate Sam Galbraith’s intervention by signing a
Parliamentary motion condemning his comments. The text of the motion
reads:
"That this Parliament deplores the attack on the
policy of free personal care by former Scottish Executive Minister Sam
Galbraith and the offence caused to older people by his remarks; rejects
the assertion that cancer services have suffered because of the decision
to fund free personal care; is concerned about the negative impact his
comments will have on both older people and cancer patients; is pleased
that the policy of free personal care has helped to tackle some of the
discrimination towards those with an age-related illness; and believes
that this policy has been of huge benefit to many thousands of Scotland's
elderly and one of the most successful achievements of the Scottish
Parliament."
NOW IS THE
TIME……………..?
I
picked up the Sunday Times at the weekend (8 February) and spotted a
piece by Neil Rafferty headed “SNP begs for election funds”. Reading on I
learned that the SNP had sent a letter to all its branches asking each
constituency to make budgetary provision of around £500 to meet the cost
of publishing and distributing 2.4 million campaign leaflets – sounds like
one going through every door to me, could even be the election address for
the European Elections. How, I asked myself, can this be a newspaper
story? Since time began, SNP branches and constituency organisations have
been responsible for funding election campaigns in their area at every
level - Council, Scottish, Westminster and European. As soon as one
election is over, local organisations start fundraising and putting money
by for the next one. That’s the way it works and I know it’s happening
all over Scotland. I read further and discovered that although this was
ostensibly a gripe about money it was really yet another attack on the
Leadership of the Party. A piece of mischief – no names attached –
designed to damage.
Since May of 2003 there
have been more opportunities for members to say their piece – critical or
supportive (and there have been plenty of both) – than I can remember.
And I know that all of that opinion has been considered, some has been
taken on board already and some we may come back to later. There was a
leadership challenge, which was soundly defeated, giving reinforcement to
John Swinney’s leadership. So the democratic processes of the SNP have
been used and the Party has said “This is what the overwhelming majority
of SNP members want. Now let’s get on with preparations for the next
election.”
So why can’t we ALL do
that? I’m not against people fighting their corner, quite the contrary,
but let’s do it in the open instead of these anonymous, twisted, leaks.
In the course of every year there are four national meetings of the SNP
where all Office Bearers are open to question by local organisations; they
are accountable for their words and actions. The majority of SNP members
and activists are working hard in preparation for the European Elections
and, after that, the Elections to the Westminster Parliament. There are
so many elections nowadays that we seem to just have finished one when
it’s time to start working for the next. Now is the time for all good men
(and women) to come to the aid of the Party and for those who can’t, maybe
it’s time for them to “consider their positions”.
THE TRAIN NOW
STANDING………….
Towards
the end of last year Network Rail announced plans to switch responsibility
for planning Scottish timetables from Glasgow to Leeds. These train
planners have a very complex job arranging the timetables for more than
2,000 daily services in Scotland. The Glasgow team is widely recognised
as possibly the best in the UK. Protests were made, of course, and the
proposed closure of the Glasgow planning unit was strongly criticised by
sources within the rail industry. Even the Chair of the Scottish
Parliament’s Transport and Local Government Committee , Labour MSP Bristow
Muldoon, was critical. When the matter was discussed on Radio Scotland in
December last year, he said
“I don't believe that this will enhance Network Rail's
ability to deliver on our aspirations in Scotland. I think it will detract
on our ability to do so.” Mr Muldoon questioned whether many of the
existing 19 staff would take an opportunity to relocate to Leeds. He said:
“I would be concerned that the loss, potentially, of very expert staff who
have a great deal of knowledge of the Scottish railway industry would mean
that that would delay any improvements to the timetable which we wish to
see”
On Tuesday (10 February)
Alex Salmond, the leader of the SNP’s Westminster group, challenged
Scottish Secretary Alistair Darling about these plans. Mr Darling was
dismissive in his reply. Afterwards Mr Salmond commented that although Mr
Darling seemed not to think the switch of responsibility from Glasgow to
Leeds was important, Mr Muldoon did. He said
“If rail industry sources
and the Chair of the Scottish Parliament’s Transport Committee regard this
as important, then Mr Darling’s belittling of the issue indicates that he
is out of touch with transport issues in Scotland.”
THIS TIME
LAST YEAR
On
15 February 2003 around 100,000 people took to the streets in Glasgow to
demonstrate against the proposed war in Iraq. People of all political
parties and none, people of all ages, some who had never been on a
demonstration before. Our protests were in vain and Tony Blair’s New
Labour government took Britain to war in support of the US president
George Bush. Much has happened since then. Discussion, criticism,
questions with no answers or unsatisfactory answers, politicians and
broadcasters at loggerheads, the Hutton Inquiry and the public reaction to
Lord Hutton’s report.
On 28 February Tony Blair
will address the Scottish Labour Conference in Inverness. The Highland
Coalition for Justice not War in conjunction with the Scottish Coalition
has organised a demonstration on Saturday 28 February assembling at 1.00pm
in the Bught Park, Inverness for a march (quite short) and rally. Rob
Gibson MSP will speak for the SNP.
The main points being made
are
-
Over 20,000 lives lost
and over 30,000 people injured
-
£6.3 billion squandered
while basic services at home suffer
-
instability, fear and
violence across the world
-
abuses of basic human
rights at home and abroad
-
AND WHERE ARE THE
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?
ON A FRIEND
Last
Saturday (7 February) found me, and many nationalist colleagues, attending
the funeral of David Bowie of Strathaven. David had been a member of the
SNP for about 30 years and in that time was active in many areas of the
Party’s work. Active at Branch and Constituency level, David also
contributed to the SNP’s policy-making process. David was an excellent
communicator and joined the tutoring team of the Scottish Self Government
College. He was also a member of the team who ran the series of
Organiser’s Courses in the mid to late 1980s attended by hundreds of
organisers or would be organisers from Branches all over Scotland. I
first met David in 1983 when I was a very inexperienced election agent for
the Westminster Elections and he was my “liaison” person with
Headquarters. I was panicky and wishing I had never taken the job on,
David was kind, helpful and supportive. Over the next few years I got to
know David well. I worked with him in SNP-CND, of which he was a founder
member, and on the National Organisation Committee chaired by the late Dr
Allan Macartney. David was a great family man with a gift for friendship
and at his funeral his cousin, who conducted the proceedings, read a Burns
poem which encapsulated all I would wish to say of him.
An honest man lies here at rest,
As e’er God with his image blest;
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age and guide of youth;
Few hearts like his, with virtue warmed,
Few heads with knowledge so informed:
If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
Our thoughts are with Gwen and her daughters.
SYNOPSIS
FOOTBALL CRISIS TO BE
DEBATED IN SCOTS PARLIAMENT
Sunday 8 February 2004
MACASKILL CALLS FOR
WHOLESALE REFORM OF NATIONAL GAME
The SNP will next week
sponsor a Scottish Parliament debate on the growing crisis in Scottish
football and propose wholesale reform of the sport, SNP Lothians MSP Mr
Kenny MacAskill announced today (Sunday). In the wake of Livingston,
Motherwell and Dundee all being forced into administration, and financial
difficulties besetting other senior clubs, the Parliament will be given
the opportunity to examine how it can help support the sport.
"Our national sport is in
crisis. It's time our national Parliament looked at what it can do to
help. The game has a special place in Scotland's history and culture. It
needs to be fostered and nursed back to health. The fans, the players and
the clubs themselves, can best do that but our Parliament can play a role
by focusing the debate on solutions that will benefit the whole game.
"This is not a question of
public money - there can be no bail out - but we can look at the strategic
direction and structure of the sport. Football is currently governed by a
structure more suited to the nineteenth century than the twenty-first.
There are too many governing bodies and too little joined up thinking.
That needs to change.
"The Scottish Executive
currently puts cash into youth development. I believe that opens up the
opportunity to link this money to internal reform and play a proactive
role in helping football through this crisis. By focusing on reform that
will deliver resources to the game's grassroots, we can work with the
sport to establish a solid foundation for the future. It is this approach
that has seen other countries of Scotland's size prosper in world
football. It's time we took a leaf out of their book. Other ideas will no
doubt come forward as part of the debate and I am keen that they are all
given a fair hearing. No one will thank politicians if we try to dictate
to football how it should proceed, but we can provide a forum for
constructive ideas and I look forward to hearing other people's ideas on
how we can help dig the game out of the hole it finds itself in."
SWINNEY REVEALS SHOCK
NEW BANKRUPTCY FIGURES
Tuesday 10 February 2004
25 PERCENT INCREASE IN
PEOPLE GOING BUST
The number of people
declared bankrupt has jumped by more than a quarter under Labour, Shadow
First Minister Mr John Swinney MSP revealed as he published figures
obtained by the SNP from the Scottish Executive.
The figures reveal that
across Scotland, the number of bankruptcies has jumped from 2,534 in
1996/97 to 3,228 in 2002/03, a rise of 27 percent. In North Strathclyde
bankruptcies have risen by 50 percent. Grampian, Highlands and Islands
bankruptcies have risen by 34 percent and even in areas often thought to
be booming, such as Lothian and Borders, bankruptcies have risen by 19
percent
Mr Swinney branded the
figures the latest sign of the desperate need to take more financial
powers in order to support entrepreneurship in Scotland. Commenting, he
said:
"These figures reveal the
reality behind the Scottish Executive's rhetoric. Bankruptcies are up by
more than a quarter yet Ministers continue to mouth their mantra that we
don't need more powers to support our economy. Their complacency is
condemning businesspeople across Scotland to going bust.
"All over Europe, nations
are using imaginative ways to help business, yet here in Scotland the
Executive is hamstrung by their lack of powers. The result is we can't put
the support in place that could make the difference between new companies
flourishing or going bust.
"If we don't take more
powers to help our economy, we will continue to see businesses slide into
bankruptcy, with all the job loses and social problems that come with
that. It's time Ministers recognised that the status quo simply isn't
tenable."
POLL BACKS MORE POWERS
FOR SCOTS PARLIAMENT
Friday 6 February 2004
CRITICAL MASS BUILDING FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE
A critical mass is
building in favour of Financial Independence, Shadow First Minister Mr
John Swinney MSP said today (Friday) as he welcomed the findings of the
Scottish Social Attitudes Survey.
The poll, conducted by the
Scottish Centre for Social Research, revealed that 59 percent of Scots
back more powers for the Parliament and commenting, Mr Swinney said:
"A critical mass is
building for Scotland to take more powers over our own affairs. Just this
week we heard from the outgoing Scottish Enterprise chief Robert Crawford
that the economy will not prosper until we have Financial Independence.
Now we can see that he speaks for the majority of Scots.
"Four years on from the
advent of devolution, people recognise that Holyrood has not made the
difference they hoped. More than that, however, they recognise that
without more powers, Scotland will remain trapped in a cycle of low
growth, child poverty and social exclusion.
"The message from the
Scottish people is clear: they want to take the next step. It's time for
Scotland's politicians to listen."
HYSLOP CALLS FOR "REAL
POLICY SOLUTIONS" FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Monday 09 February 2004
450 MILLION POUND
FUNDING GAP "CLEAR RESULT OF NEGLECT"
Following reports that
Scottish universities are going to be faced with a 450 million pounds bill
for repairs and modernisation, Shadow Education and Lifelong Learning
Minister Ms Fiona Hyslop MSP has accused the Scottish Executive of
treating the third phase of the Higher Education Review as a data
collection exercise and has challenged the Minister to come up with real
policy solutions. Ms Hyslop said:
"This 450 million pounds
price tag that is set to hit universities for repairs and improvements is
a clear result of the level of neglect that they have had to endure over
the years at the hands of both the Westminster Government and Scottish
Executive.
"We cannot continue to
ignore the problems faced by universities across the country. The Scottish
Executive must recognise that more attention is needed to ensure that
Scottish universities can compete globally. We need to have full control
over our own finances so that we can have all the levers available to
provide financial support. We also need to engage in fundamental thinking
about where we want our Higher Education sector to be in 20 years time. We
should be looking creatively at pooling funding mechanisms and investment
options such as bond issues as part of this process
"This is why I am
challenging the Scottish Executive to turn the third phase of the Higher
Education Review from data collection into real policy solutions. All the
stakeholders including the Higher Education sector and the Scottish
Parliament need to be involved in this policy debate to secure this
national interest. Only then can we be sure that our Higher Education
system has a real chance of competing with the rest of the world."
EXECUTIVE MUST EXPLAIN
ITSELF OVER SUPREME COURT REPORT
Tuesday 10 February 2004
JUSTICE MINISTER AND
LORD ADVOCATE LEFT LOOKING FOOLISH
Shadow Justice Minister Ms
Nicola Sturgeon MSP and SNP Westminster Home Affairs spokesperson Ms
Annabelle Ewing MP have today (Tuesday) labelled the Justice Minister and
Lord Advocate as being left looking "rather foolish" and called on them to
explain why they were prepared to sign up to proposals that, according to
a cross-party House of Commons Committee, did not address "issues that are
significant to the maintenance of Scottish law as a distinct entity."
Commenting, Ms Sturgeon
said:
"The Justice Committee and
Lord Advocate have got some serious explaining to do. Last November, the
Justice Minister said that "the creation of the UK Supreme Court would
respect the unique nature of the Scottish justice system" and only last
month the Lord Advocate described it as "the way forward. Now that a
House of Commons Committee has said that the proposals have in fact
ignored the interests of Scots law, both the Minister and the Lord
Advocate have been left looking rather foolish. But even worse, it looks
as if they have neglected the interests of Scots law in favour of
pandering to their political masters who, according to the House of
Commons Committee, want to rush through these proposals for political
purposes."
Speaking later, Ms Ewing
said:
"The House of Commons
Committee is right. It is time to call a halt and apply some serious
scrutiny to these proposals in the Scottish Parliament. A good start
would be for the Minister and Lord Advocate to confirm that a UK Supreme
Court could not exercise Scottish jurisdiction without
legislation in the
Scottish Parliament."
