NORWEGIAN OIL STORY
 

Jim Mather Scottish National Party economy spokesman and Member of the Scottish Parliament opened a recent debate on the Scottish economy.

Jim said that in the world competitiveness index the UK came 22nd, but Scotland only 36th.

He pointed out that Norway had established a petroleum fund in 1995 which was now worth £89 billion.

And with our oil reserves looking good for at least another thirty years and oil at $44 a barrel, we have a second chance to fuel a Scottish renaissance.

No-one is trying more than Jim Mather to educate the Scots in the facts of life of their own economy.

So what was the reaction of other MSPs?

Liberal leader Jim Wallace accused Mather of running Scotland down.  Wallace claimed that recent quarterly figures for Norway showed its GDP down by 1%, while most recent figures for Scotland were up 0.9% over the last three months!!

So Wallace's basic message is:  Scotland is doing tremendously well while Norway is sinking badly.  If you can find anyone who really believes that, then good luck!

Tory Murdo Fraser claimed that the SNP argument contained a £4.4 billion black hole, and Scotland unlike Norway ran a substantial annual deficit.   This seems to me to be a good argument for Norwegian style independence and against Scotland style dependent status.

The Greens jumped in with arguments for  sustainability - OK, but that was not really what the debate was about.  And the SSP went off at a tangent  to discuss state-owned as opposed to private oil companies.

It is a pity really that when you try to get a serious discussion going on the economy opponents either deliberately and cynically ignore   the main points, or go off on their own personal hobby-horses.

DAFT POLITICAL POSTERS (1)
 

For one day during the 1997 general election campaign I drove around towns in the Scottish Borders with one of those mobile poster vehicles advertising the Scottish National Party.

At least, that is what I was supposed to be doing ...

The only trouble was, that on the huge poster there were pictures of John Major and Tony Blair.  Nothing of SNP leader Alex Salmond, and only a small print mention of the letters SNP near the foot of the poster.

It was meant to be clever and amusing, but I realised that the idea had misfired when I went into a pub in Galashiels for lunch and a voter told me he had seen a poster for the Labour Party moving around the town that morning!

It is generally bad tactics for a political party to give free publicity to its opponents.

Yet the SNP has continued to do this kind of thing right up to the present day, with the most recent poster unveiled in January showing a photograph of Labour First Minister Jack McConnell.

Yet this came after recent discussions at two annual conferences when our last publicity convener promised not to publicise our opponents in this way, and then the following year had to apologise for doing just that.

I understand that the poster was roundly criticised at the latest meeting of the SNP National Executive.  Nobody tried to defend it.

Let us hope that our publicity people - whoever these unknown people may be - get the message this time.

DAFT POLITICAL POSTERS (2)
 

Latest update.  You will not believe this - or maybe you will!!

The newest political poster produced by the Scottish National Party has a huge picture of the face of a well-known politician on it.

You've guessed it - Tony Blair!

OK, so Tony is wearing what seems to be a stetson.  And OK, there is a piece of text beside it:  WHO IS NICKING OUR OIL?

But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and as you are driving past posters it is the face you see before you read the words, if you manage to catch the words at all.

So this is what our money is being spent on.  Makes you want to weep!

UNDER THE SEA TO ORKNEY?
 

If you have read this column before, you will know that I am a great fan of the Norwegian way of doing things.

In an earlier article I marvelled at the number of tunnels and bridges that had been added to the Norwegian transport infrastructure in the past twenty years or so.

It seems that the figure for sub-sea road tunnels is actually 24, and that such tunnels have also been constructed in Iceland and the Faroes.

Now a report to the Orkney Islands Council transportation and infrastructure committee has suggested that it may be possible to link the Orkney Islands to the Scottish  mainland, as well as some of the smaller islands to Orkney Mainland.

The committee has agreed to invite a leading Norwegian tunnel engineer to investigate the prospects.

But it is interesting that not only Orkney but Scotland in general is an obvious case for such tunnels, but we have to ask the Norwegians how to do it.

Just as we have to go to Denmark to ask about wind-power generation, in spite of the fact that you would have thought that windy Scotland would have been in the forefront of such a green development.
 

ENLIGHTENED NATIONAL SELF-INTEREST

There was an excellent letter in a recent edition of the Herald newspaper from Jim Mather, MSP, SNP spokesman on enterprise and the economy.

Jim quoted a conversation he had had with a couple of Labour MPs, which went as follows:

Jim Mather:  If I could give you a cast-iron proof that independence would deliver higher growth, higher living standards, higher life-expectancy and halt our decline in population, would you vote for it?

Labour MP:  No!

JM:  If we could prove it beyond doubt guaranteed by the IMF ... what then?

Labour MP:  I would still stick with the Union.

JM:  Why?

Labour MP:  Because we need to show solidarity and stick with the Union to help the poor folk Hackney, Liverpool and other parts of the UK.

Jim rightly finds this attitude depressing and comments:  Rather than create a vibrant Scotland ... Labour MPs would rather us all take a vow of poverty.

I can well remember hearing this Labour argument for the Union in the 1970s and it was as  illogical then as it is now.

So let us show it up by asking some pertinent questions:

Does this mean that Britain should scrap the Westminster parliament and send representatives to Washington so that we can help the poor folk of deprived areas of the USA?

If we are, by implication, being greedy by wanting to leave the Union and not help the poor  folks of England, are all those other small independent countries of Europe also greedy because many of them also broke away from larger,  more powerful neighbours?

And how is the contradiction resolved of Scotland staying in the Union to help the poor of England while at the same time, according to Unionists, being so poor itself that it cannot exist without English subsidies?

As a rider to the Labour point of view, I can remember an English socialist friend arguing that Scotland should stay in the Union to give England the chance of a socialist government which, she believed, English voters would never vote for themselves.

It did not seem to matter to her that her argument meant that while England might get its occasional socialist government, Scotland would have to put up with years of right-wing governments which we never voted for.

NO COMMENT!
 

For the extract below,  who was the author, what was the book and when was it published?  Answer in a fortnight.

Two Scots discuss the Faroese:

They're a fine people, he said ... They're better than we are in some ways. They're independent, for one thing, and they're clean and tidy, for another.
- You're Scotch yourself, are you not?

Not only that, but Highland Scotch, I said.

Well, if you're born to it, he said, you've just got to make the best of it. But you'll admit, sir, that as a nation we're a dirty, untidy, scruffy lot of bastards!  Look at any of our towns and villages, and you can't deny it. We're fully as bad as the English, sir.  - You¹ll have been abroad, I suppose?

Once or twice, I said.

I've been abroad three times, not counting this, he said.  I made good money on civvy street.  I'm a fitter by trade and I shouldna be in the army at all, I ought to be earning twenty pounds a week in munitions, but what the hell!  Money¹s no everything, is it?  Well, as I was saying, I've been in Holland and Belgium, in Switzerland, and Denmark and Sweden - twice on bus tours and once on a cruise - and that was a lesson worth having!  All those countries are well swept and sweet and clean: they make you ashamed to be British, they're so clean ...

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THE MCDONALD ROAD GANG

 

Every week, up the General Election, we will be profiling a member of SNP Headquarters staff;  we will also supply a comprehensive list of who they all are.  This will help Party activists  know who to contact.

               

Peter Murrell, the Party¹s Chief Executive celebrated his 40th birthday in December 2004 with a surprise party thrown by SNP Headquarters staff. At the same time he was marking 17 years of working with the Scottish National Party. Having spent four years in the Communications Department of the Church of Scotland, Peter's career in the SNP started in 1987 as a 23 year old assistant to Alex Salmond MP.

Since then he's worked in Aberdeen and Peterhead for the Late Allan Macartney, Ian Hudghton and the Westminster Group.

A lifelong member and activist and, indeed, former national secretary of the Young Scottish Nationalists, Peter was appointed as Chief Executive in October 2001 to co-ordinate the work of the sixteen members of staff. Since then he has revolutionised the way in which SNP Headquarters operates including cutting running costs by more than ten per cent.

Born and educated in Edinburgh Peter now lives in Livingston and says that if he ever had any spare time, he would enjoy cooking and travelling. His ambition is to open a fish restaurant by the coast.

 

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The Working Life of Linda Fabiani MSP

Click here to read SNP MSP Linda Fabiani's working diary.

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SYNOPSIS

A brief snapshot of what some of our Parliamentary representatives have been up to over the last week.


Monday 7th February

FSB INDEX OF SUCCESS ONLY TIP OF ICEBERG

The silver bullet for the most successful nations has been independence.

Reacting to the publication of the FSB report Index of Success 2005, SNP Shadow Spokesperson for Enterprise & the Economy, Jim Mather MSP, has called for urgent and united action to turn round Scotland's economic prospects and performance.

Mr Mather said:

There is an iceberg coming for Scotland. It is called 2043, for by that time we will have lost 550,000 working people. This report is the credible tip of that iceberg and proves that action is needed now to turn things round so we can fulfil Scotland's huge potential for prosperity.

The FSB have been courageous and public spirited in commissioning this report, which is a wake-up call to everyone who cares about Scotland.

However, my major criticism of the report is its failure to table radical solutions. It says that there are no Silver Bullets and it could be seen as a virtual green light to the Government to Keep on Failing.

Other countries are showing us that success needs a blend of policies plus the vital ingredient: financial autonomy and independence. The road map is there and instead of pointing to it, this report sadly chooses to do the equivalent of giving Bertie Vogts a new contract after 40 years of failure and permanent occupation of the bottom rung.

Mr. Mather continued:

On Thursday in parliament, I read out a ten-point charge sheet against the Scottish Executive, this reports endorses that speech and in addition adds its own charges.

Yet, although the results are bad, they do not reflect fully the harsh realities of life for many Scots,  the erosion of Scotland's economic competitiveness and the vulnerability we have in our present powerlessness position.

In every case, the FSB statistics actually show Scotland to be doing better than it really is.

For example, they use GDP per capita, which is provides a flattering assessment of Scottish wealth, calculated as it is by reference to a declining population in Scotland. This view is endorsed by the poverty data also included in the report.

There is an enthusiasm for treating the symptoms, which is right but only if the core problem of Scottish competitiveness is also tackled. And it is not tackled here in any credible way.

Equally, there is little in this report to create more customers with deeper pockets for FSB members and a more vibrant Scotland.

But is just might start that process. We in the SNP and the millions who care about Scotland will make sure of that.

Note

There are a number of areas, in addition to use of GDP per head, where the statistics used actually help paint a better picture than the reality:
 

1. The Labour Participation score is also based on suspect data, which is a function of economic necessity and Government manipulation and distortion. This is because the value is calculated without any reference to the army of economically inactive people, who would like to work, and the out migration of many Scots to high growth parts of UK & elsewhere. And the necessity aspect is highlighted by the facts that:

   -	80% of women are employed in Scotland compared to 65% in the UK
   -	85% of 55-64 year-olds are employed in Scotland compared to 55% in the UK
   -	85% of people without higher education are employed in Scotland compared to 55% in the UK

    

2. As for Educational Attainment this is clearly an important measure but surely the big issues are retention and productive employment of talented people in Scotland. This is especially so as a majority of students from overseas and the rest of the UK leave Scotland, along with many of our own best graduates, to fulfil their full career potential in higher growth economies.
    

3. On the issue of Life Expectancy the data is disastrous, and maroons Scotland at the bottom of the heap out of 24 nations. But even this tragic record is artificially boosted by the fact that people from more affluent parts of the UK are choosing to retire to Scotland and they thereby boosting Scotland¹s lower average.

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Monday 07 February 2005

HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS PROJECTS FACE £20 MILLION EC CLAWBACK

WALLACE MUST MAKE STATEMENT TO PARLIAMENT - EWING

SNP MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Mr Fergus Ewing has called for a Ministerial Statement about the financial status of projects in the Highlands and Islands after it was revealed that their accounts have been mismanaged, and over 20 million pounds could be clawed back by the European Commission.

Mr Ewing said:

This is the most devastating example of financial mismanagement since devolution.

The sums clearly don¹t add up and now projects in the Highlands and Islands face having to pay back over 20 million pounds to the European Commission.

Of the 14 projects which had their finances examined, concerns have been raised about each and every one.

This is bad enough, but the fact that the Executive has been fully aware of this problem since September last year adds insult to injury.

Not only does it suggest that the Executive intended to do nothing to solve the problem, but also that they intended to cover-up the matter until after the election.

It is time for Jim Wallace to make a statement to the Parliament to tell us exactly what the Executive knew and why they did nothing to try and avert this crisis.

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Monday 7 February 2005

SCOTLAND NEEDS POWERS TO TACKLE POPULATION CRISIS

BIGGEST SINGLE CHALLENGE FACING SCOTLAND IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS ITS FALLING
POPULATION ­ HOME OFFICE

The Leader of the SNP, Mr Alex Salmond MP, challenged the Home Secretary over the Government¹s immigration plans. He challenged the Government over reports that some applications accepted under the Fresh Talent Initiative were subsequently turned down by the Home Secretary.

During today¹s statement on Immigration in the House of Commons, no Conservative, Labour or Liberal Democrat MP called for Scotland's population crisis to be tackled in spite of the Home Office document published today, Controlling our borders: Making migration work for Britain which stated ­

The biggest single challenge facing Scotland in the 21st Century is its falling population.

Alex Salmond MP said:

Labour and the Conservatives are involved in a cynical auction over immigration and asylum seekers which has more to do with trying to win votes in Middle England. It is bad news for Scotland.

There are huge benefits to be gained from immigration. Scotland's population is falling and we need distinct policies to attract people to Scotland to work and boost economic growth.

The Home Office has admitted that the biggest challenge facing Scotland is a falling population, yet the problem is ignored by Labour, Conservatives and Liberal MPs.

It has even been reported that the Home Secretary had blocked some moves to attract more people to Scotland. It is time for Scotland to tackle its population crisis itself and for power to be devolved to the Scottish
Parliament.

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Tuesday 08 February 2005

MACASKILL WELCOMES FAMILY LAW BILL

Commenting on the publication of the Family Law Bill Shadow Justice Minister Mr Kenny MacAskill MSP said:

The Family Law Bill should be broadly welcomed.  Scottish society has changed and evolved and Scots law must reflect that. Parental rights for fathers need to be addressed as does the role of grandparents

The needs of the child must remain paramount but changes to reflect greater rights for unmarried fathers and the important role of grandparents are welcome indeed. 

Putting the needs of the child at the heart of the legislation has always been the position in Scotland and so it must remain. However, recognition of social changes is long overdue.

The important role of both fathers and grandparents, even when relationships break down, must be assisted, not restricted by the law.

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Tuesday 8 February 2005

OIL COMPANIES PROFIT BUT SCOTLAND DOESN¹T

GOVERNMENT SQUANDERS OIL WEALTH

The Leader of the Scottish National Party, Mr Alex Salmond MP, reiterated his calls for the establishment of an North Sea Windfall Fund. His calls come as figures show that the high oil prices have contributed to the record profits announced by BP today and Shell last week.

The SNP yesterday unveiled their proposals to establish an North Sea Windfall Fund similar to the Fund successfully operated by Norway to ensure that Norway¹s oil fund lasts in the long term. The Norwegian Fund currently stands at £89 billion.

Alex Salmond MP said:

The Government has taken £200 billion in oil revenues over the past 15 years which it has used to fund an illegal war in Iraq and Trident, our own Weapons of Mass Destruction based on the Clyde. BP and Shell have also announced billions of pounds in profits over the past few days. During this time Scotland has failed to benefit from its oil wealth.

The SNP's proposals to establish an Oil Fund would ensure that our oil wealth is not squandered by the London Government but is invested to ensure that Scotland and future generations benefit from this win on the natural lottery.

With the current average price of oil at $45 and 30 years worth of oil and gas left to exploit, Scotland stands to benefit from a further trillion dollars in the future. Scotland needs equal status with other countries so that we can pursue these forward thinking policies.