SNP LEADERSHIP
ELECTION
I
generally regard my turn to compile the Flag as an
opportunity to share with you my thoughts about the news
items that have interested me most in the past week. This
last week or tern days has been so filled with news and
views about the Scottish National Party that it has been
difficult for someone like me, who is very involved, to
get past the SNP stuff and have a look at what’s happening
in the rest of the world.
For the third time in four years the Scottish National
Party finds itself facing an election for the Party
Leader. There will also be an election for the post of
Depute Leader. Last week – Tuesday 22 June – John Swinney
MSP announced that he would not stand for the Leader’s
post this year. It was his view that his leadership had
become an obstacle in the way of the SNP getting publicity
for its opinions and its policies because, no matter what
was being discussed, it all came back to journalists
talking about John’s leadership. I am angry and disturbed
that a relatively small group of members could cause such
destabilisation by feeding material to journalists who
seemed more than happy to print it. I am a Constituency
Association Convener who has put contact details on the
SNP website and I have been contacted by a number of
journalists for comment. My line has been that I support
the Party Leader, not just because I voted for him and
thought he was the right man for the job, but also because
he is the democratically elected Leader and is entitled to
my support until there is another election for the post.
When that is said, it signals the end of the
conversation. For journalists Party loyalty is not news
and does not get reported. SNP structures allow for the
accountability of any Office Bearer at our national
meetings and there is no need to have our internal
differences fought out in the public arena
At the SNP’s Special Conference in Aberdeen in April this
year one of the most radical changes in the constitution,
brought about in no small measure by John Swinney himself,
was the move to the election of the Party’s Leader and
Depute Leader by OMOV – One Member One Vote – and the
procedures for this have now been put in place. Later
this year there will be a postal ballot of all members in
good standing and the result will be announced on 3
September. With a mandate from a majority of the whole
membership the new Leader will surely be given loyalty and
support from all sides as she or he takes on the job of
re-invigorating the SNP and leading us forward in our
campaign for an Independent Scotland.
The SNP National Council on Saturday 24 June was a
watershed occasion. Recent events were analysed and
discussed. Party representatives made it clear that they
were unhappy about the way some members had behaved. John
Swinney made a powerful and emotional speech. And
contenders for the leadership collected signatures to
support their nominations. It’s the way it has to be.
Politics can be a ruthless business – and I count myself
among those who are always ready to move on to the next
challenge. But I hope we can all learn from the mistakes
that were made individually and collectively.
CONTENDERS FOR
LEADERSHIP
The first hat in the ring for the Leader’s post belongs to
Roseanna Cunningham MSP. Roseanna is MSP for Perth and
Spokesperson for Environment and Rural Affairs. She is
currently the Depute Leader so her challenge leaves a
vacancy for a new Depute Leader
The next hat belongs to Nicola Sturgeon MSP. She is a
Regional List MSP for Glasgow and is the SNP Spokesperson
for Justice.
The third hat, thrown in on Tuesday last, belongs to
Michael Russell. Michael is a former MSP and SNP Chief
Executive.
Rumour has it that there may be a fourth contender but, at
the time of writing, no fourth hat has yet been sighted.
CONTENDERS FOR
DEPUTE LEADER
Kenny MacAskill MSP was the first to declare. Kenny is a
Regional List MSP for Lothian and is Spokesperson for
Transport, Tourism and Telecommunication.
Fergus Ewing MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber,
was next to declare. Fergus is the Spokesperson for
Finance and Public Services.
A third declaration came from Christine Grahame, Regional
List MSP for South of Scotland. Christine is Convener of
the Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee.
THERE MAY BE
MORE NOMINATIONS
The
closing date for nominations is July 16 so there is still
time for more people to come forward if they feel that
they have the ideas and commitment necessary to be a part
of the Leadership of the SNP. These elections for Leader
and Depute Leader – the first election where every Party
member is able to vote – are very significant for the
Party. This is an ideal time for the Independence vision
to be debated and fleshed out, for the “big ideas” to be
presented and for the Candidates to make clear their
thoughts and hopes for the way forward for the SNP and for
Scotland. And when the votes have been cast and counted
and we have a result then it’s time for all members to
accept the democratic outcome, unite behind the new Leader
and Depute and start the work that will take us towards
our goal.
SECRETIVE GOVERNMENT WMD PLANS
The
Mutual Defence Agreement is a mechanism by which
information on nuclear weapons and materials for use in
nuclear weapons is exchanged between the United States and
Britain. Originally signed in 1958 and titled "Agreement
for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual
Defence Purposes", the Mutual Defence Agreement, as it is
commonly known, dictates the nuclear weapons collaboration
between the US and the UK.
The
Agreement is about to run out and both the US and Britain
want to extend it for another 10 years. In the States the
President has approved an amendment to the MDA and
presented it to Congress. That amendment has to “sit” in
Congress unchallenged for a period of time – I think it is
90 days.
Meanwhile
an Agreement to renew the Mutual Defence Agreement has
been placed before the United Kingdom Parliament in
Command Paper 6261 and the Labour government is coming
under fire for blocking scrutiny of it. With renewal
expected shortly, the government has still not provided
the Parliament or general public with either the proposed
new text of the Agreement, the schedule for its scrutiny
and ratification or indeed any clarification of its view
on the MDA's role in the future.
The British
American Security Information Council (BASIC) released a
report entitled: US-UK nuclear weapons collaboration
under the Mutual Defence Agreement: Shining a torch on the
darker recesses of the 'special relationship'. The full
report is available on the BASIC website:
http://www.basicint.org/
The
Executive Summary of the report states: Since at least
July 2003, the British Government has been discussing the
renewal of a bilateral agreement with the United States
that has its origins in the Cold War and permits the
exchange of classified nuclear information, advanced
technology and a range of materials (including plutonium,
enriched and highly enriched uranium and tritium) which
support both countries’ nuclear weapon programmes. The
Labour Government has declined to set aside time for a
full parliamentary debate and it has been parsimonious
with the actuality of the agreement.
Leader of
the House of Commons Peter Hain MP declined calls by the
Scottish National Party (SNP) for a debate on the subject
in government time. Angus Robertson MP said: "It is a
travesty of democracy for the Labour government to deny
full and open debate on new rules about UK Weapons of Mass
Destruction. Scotland is home to the entire British
nuclear fleet and has the highest mega-tonnage of nuclear
weapons per head of population in the world. The SNP is
opposed to Labour's expensive plans to replace Trident and
believes there should be the maximum scrutiny of rules
which are being updated with the US.
"The last
time the treaty was updated, there was widespread outrage
over the Conservative government pushing it through after
a rushed debate at 2 o'clock in the morning. At that time
Labour MPs were highly critical of the lack of scrutiny.
Sadly nearly all of them - with a few honourable
exceptions - seem to have forgotten their opposition to
that travesty, and seem to be intent on repeating it! It
is ridiculous and insulting for the Labour government to
continue passing this off as nothing more than a
tidying-up exercise which is an insult to the intelligence
of MPs and the general public.
RELIANCE – AN ONGOING FARCE
On
Monday last the latest Reliance story was of a prisoner
absconding from custody through the roof of an escort van.
This follows the stories we have already heard about
prisoners who should have been detained being released and
innocent people being locked up. Nicola Sturgeon MSP,
called for their contract with the Scottish Prison Service
to be terminated because it wasn’t worth the paper it was
written on.
Two days
later on Wednesday came the news of plans to begin the
roll out of the Reliance contract in Dumfries and
Galloway. Nicola called it “totally reckless”. Farce is
not really the word for it. If you wrote this as part of a
comedy script you’d be told it was too ridiculous for most
people to start to believe.
The emblem of Scotland
I’m
sure that must be from a song but I can’t remember which.
The task was to find out what Scotland means to people who
might become visitors to our beautiful country. What
images they have of us etc. A market research study to
find out all the things that will make Scotland an
attractive location for business and pleasure. That’s
fine, but I cringed a bit when I heard that they were
seeking a new logo. How glad I was when I read that the
Saltire is such a powerful image of Scotland that we’re
just going to keep using it.
We’ve had
the debate in the Scottish Parliament about the correct
shade of blue and we’ve spent a small fortune finding out
that it is a splendid image. Now all we have to do is to
get national and local authorities to agree to fly it at
every possible opportunity at home and abroad.
DUNGAVEL
Another
two stories coming out at around the same time that draw
our attention to what is happening in the Dungavel
Detention Centre in Lanarkshire and to the UK’s asylum
policy.
Kathleen
Marshall, the new Children’s Commissioner for Scotland
visited Dungavel, a former prison. After her visit she
said that she found the issue of the detention of children
and young people "morally upsetting", and in contravention
of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly states that
'detention must be used only as a measure of last resort
and for the shortest appropriate period of time’, but it's
clear from reports from Dungavel that the best interests
of children are not considered by the Home Office.
Scottish
National Party MP Annabelle Ewing called on the Government
to end the detention of children at the Dungavel Detention
Centre in Lanarkshire following the condemnation of the
regime by the new Children's Commissioner for Scotland.
"Given the
recent statements by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and
the Children's Commissioner, not to mention the valuable
work undertaken by Scotland's churches against the
detrimental detention of children in the facility, it's
time for the Government to reconsider their discredited
asylum policy. At a time when experts predict that
Scotland needs to drastically reconsider our immigration
policy to combat our declining population, this Government
are locking children up before deporting them, and this
morally unacceptable situation must be stopped.
The second
story is about an asylum seeker who was chained to
security guards while she had surgery. The asylum seeker,
who is currently being detained at Dungavel was receiving
surgery at Hairmyres Hospital. Linda Fabiani MSP (SNP)
said this was an appalling way to treat someone who needs
medical attention and who has committed no crime. “There
can be no excuses for this incident and this is not an
isolated incident. The Home Office must stop this
inexcusable treatment of asylum seekers.”
SYNOPSIS
Thursday 24
June 2004
FRESH
TALENT INITIATIVE UNDERMINED AS AUSTRALIAN IS TOLD TO
LEAVE
'NEED
FOR SCOTTISH SOLUTIONS TO SCOTTISH ISSUES'
SNP MP for
North Tayside raised the case of Ms Jemima Speed at
Business questions in the House of Commons. Ms Speed is
an Australian citizen who works in the Isle of Skye Hotel
in Perth. Her Visa application was turned down in spite of
the Scottish Executive's fresh talent initiative. Mr
Wishart has been involved in helping Ms Speed with her
case.
Pete
Wishart MP said:
"Jemima is
being treated in a disgraceful manner. She is being forced
to leave Scotland in spite of the fact that she has a job,
wants to stay and is planning to get married. She is an
ideal candidate for the Scottish Executive's fresh talent
initiative. Not only is Scotland under-populated but the
population is falling with many young people leaving the
country. Ms Speed is exactly the kind of person who we
should be trying to encourage to stay in Scotland.”
"In this
case the Home Office policy of discouraging immigration
conflicts with the Scottish Executive policy of
encouraging immigration so the Scottish Executive is
over-ruled. That is a disgrace and once again underlines
why immigration policy needs to be devolved to the
Scottish Parliament. We need Scottish solutions for
Scottish issues not hand-me-down failed policies from
London."
Friday 25
June 2004
VISITSCOTLAND
MISS THE BOAT
NATIONAL
TOURIST AGENCY ‘NO SHOW’ AT CRUISELINER SUMMIT
Shadow
Tourism Minister Mr Kenny MacAskill MSP has criticised
VisitScotland for failing to attend a meeting of the major
players in the Scottish cruise liner industry. Mr
MacAskill organised the meeting at Parliament Head
Quarters today (Friday), in order to discuss the way
forward for the industry in the wake of the Executive’s
reorganisation of the Area Tourist Boards and question
mark over the future of CruiseScotland. The meeting was
chaired by Alan Rankin, Chief Executive of the Scottish
Tourism Forum, and attended by representatives from Forth
Ports, Clydeport and Cromarty Firth Port Authority as well
as various Area Tourist Boards. VisitScotland declined an
invitation to the event, claiming it was not a high enough
priority.
Mr
MacAskill said:
“VisitScotland have completely missed the boat. The cruise
liner sector represents a huge opportunity for increasing
tourism in Scotland, yet our national tourism agency feel
it is not worth attending a meeting to discuss the
industry’s future. The cruise liner industry is growing
rapidly world-wide and Scotland is ideally placed to
benefit from that growth. We have excellent ports offering
access to world class tourism facilities, from shopping to
golf. Even short visits by cruise liner to our country can
encourage tourists to return for longer visits in the
future.
Tuesday 29
June 2004
AUDITOR
GENERAL HIGHLIGHTS FAILINGS IN HOLYROOD CONTRACT
EXTRA
COSTS REACH ALMOST 150 MILLION POUNDS
The Auditor
General’s report into the Scottish Parliament highlights
the failings of the organisation of the Holyrood building
contract said Shadow Finance Minister Mr Fergus Ewing
MSP. Robert Black’s report states that had design work
been carried out properly from the start, there may not
have been extra costs of 150 million pounds.
Mr Ewing
said:
“At first
sight Mr Black’s report appears to endorse the arguments
that I have advanced; that the major and fatal errors were
made before the Scottish Parliament was in existence.
Those errors lay in a wholly unrealistic timetable, the
choice of site, the mismatch of the architectural team,
the choice of Construction Management, where the client -
the taxpayer - picks up the tab, and the selection of a
Construction Manager whose bid was substantially more than
the lowest bidder.”
“I have
argued for some time that the total costs should have been
approximately 150 million pounds less, which appears to be
what the Auditor General has now concluded."
“Whether
the building is a good one or not is for the public to
decide. But it is clear from this report that it has cost
one third more than it should have, had the procurement
and contract management process been properly organised.”
Wednesday
30 June 2004
GLASGOW
IS MOST DEPRIVED CITY IN THE UK
SCOTLAND
NEEDS MORE POWERS TO TACKLE THE ISSUES HEAD ON
Glasgow is
the poorest city in the UK according to research by
Sheffield University. The study shows that the north-south
divide is increasing with the south of England leaving the
rest of the UK behind in terms of living standards, health
and employment.
Commenting
on the report Shadow Social Justice Minister Ms Shona
Robison MSP said that this proves that while the Executive
claims that they are tackling poverty, it is clear they
have done very little due to the lack of powers in the
Scottish Parliament. Ms Robison said:
“Despite
the Scottish Executive trying to claim that they are
tackling poverty, these figures show that this is clearly
not the case. However, it would be unfair to blame the
Executive for the level of poverty in Scotland, because
they do not have the powers in the Scottish Parliament to
tackle the issues head on. The people of Glasgow have put
their trust in Labour at all levels of government but with
half still living in deprivation the question is does
Labour really deserve their loyalty?
The facts
are clear. Parents in Scotland are going hungry so that
their children can eat, education and skills levels are
far lower than in the south and people in parts of our
country are more likely to suffer from long term ill
health. This is why Scotland needs the powers to reduce
poverty and start making a real difference to the lives of
people across the country.”
SNP MEPS
REACT TO PORTUGUESE COMMISSION PRESIDENT NOMINEE
ANOTHER
SMALL NATION SUCCESSFUL IN EUROPE, WHY NOT SCOTLAND?
Commenting
on the news that Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, Portuguese
Prime Minister, has emerged as the compromise candidate
for the Presidency of the European Commission for the
coming term, SNP MEPs Mr Ian Hudghton and Mr Alyn Smith
have said that the appointment still remains subject to
the approval of the European Parliament. They have also
pointed out the irony that at a meeting called by the
Irish Presidency, a candidate from another small nation on
the maritime fringe of Europe is being promoted for
Europe's top job, while Scotland does not get a look in.
Commenting,
Mr Hudghton said:
"It would
appear that the heads of government have reached agreement
to promote Mr Durao Barroso as the head of the Commission
for the next term. The European Parliament also has a say
in the appointment. It is not good enough that a number of
fine candidates have been rejected because of member state
objections, only for this compromise candidate to emerge
as the least bad option. It remains to be seen if the
Parliament will endorse this appointment, not least
because his ideas on Europe are too much linked to Tony
Blair and George Bush."
Mr
Smith said:
"Portugal
has only ten million people, and is on the maritime fringe
of Europe, yet here is their man being promoted for the
top job in European politics while Scotland does not get a
look in. Scotland will not even have a Commissioner in the
Commission Mr Durao Barroso will lead, if successful.
"And for
anyone who doubts that the European future is small
nations co-operating, the meeting was called by Irish
leader Bertie Ahern as Ireland holds the European
Presidency. I suspect that Mr Durao Barroso will be
promoting the cause of small nations within Europe, and
over the next few years his Commission will be dealing
with the effects of enlargement, structural fund reform,
fisheries policy and agricultural reform, all crucial to
Scotland.
