ISSUE NO 250

As I have commented before (yawn) we get two bites at the anniversary cherry with the Flag; we get the decimalised version, as 100, 150, 200 and now 250, and we also get birthdays. So here we are at 250, and in May we will be 5 years old.
I cannot remember whether we ever considered where we might be 5 years down the road when the Flag was started; certainly we saw the need for more political coverage as the advent of the Scottish Parliament generated a vast amount of political news. I can also remember Alastair McIntyre of ElectricScotland, in our earliest discussions, saying that unless we updated each week, then it would fail; well, we have managed to update every week 250 times, although with holidays, Christmas and New Year, Alastair going back and forward to America and Canada, and other vagaries, we have had to cheat a few times! The point, of course, is that we did update every week. Thanks and appreciation are due to Peter D Wright, who stepped in quite often, in addition to his weekly cultural stint, and to Ian Goldie, Allison Hunter and Richard Thomson; the latter two are currently in the power of the McDonald Road Gang, but we expect to ransom them in May.

THE SCOTTISH STANDARD

It is appropriate at this time, to welcome the appearance of a new weekly print newspaper, the Scottish Standard; a slight quibble in that they do claim to be Scotland's only Pro-Independence Newspaper. It might have been more correct if they had said "Weekly", as the Scots Independent Newspaper has been published monthly since November 1926; we also published weekly from time to time. It is not the case that the publisher is unaware of that fact as we met him at least three times a few years back.

The Scottish Standard has had a good start, and was on prominent display at the SNP Pre Election Conference in Dundee last weekend; it also generated a fair amount of publicity in other parts of the media, getting good TV coverage. They were shrewd, or fortunate, in launching the paper in the week of the SNP Conference, when all media eyes were on the SNP. The print press were a bit nonplussed; I was surprised at a comment by the Scotsman's Stephen McGinty (In the online Scotsman) which mentioned the SNP's political pin-up, Dorothy Grace Elder. Dorothy left the SNP in the huff about three years ago, and the last I heard she was supporting the Scottish Socialist Party; perhaps her fellow hacks didn't notice. The general impression I gained was that the Official Print Media did not think it would survive, but as a member of the oldest profession once said "Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?"

So, a pleasure to be joined by another independence seeking newspaper, and yes I will be ordering it from my newsagent. At the same time, if the SNP had put some backing into the Scots Independent we would have had a much better Scots Independent Newspaper years ago, but we can't change the past.

MAKE SCOTLAND MATTER

I attended the SNP Pre Election Conference in Dundee at the weekend. Well to be strictly honest (no wonder I failed as a politician) I went to the Conference to meet people and to test the mood of the Party. This of course meant spending time in the bar, but as I was driving back to Edinburgh each day, nae whisky!

Tay Rail Bridge It was not so much a Conference as a Rally, and we did get a lot of news coverage, especially as we were putting forward policies that were relevant to Scotland, which was the direct opposite of the other parties. Prime Minister Blair was in Dundee last week, talking about England and English issues at the Scottish Labour Party Conference, I think, and he had the backing of Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, defending his Dunfermline seat, Alastair Darling, English Transport Secretary, and Secretary of State for Scotland one day a week, or a month - or a year, defending his Edinburgh seat, Dr John Reid, English Secretary of State for Health, defending his Lanarkshire seat; what the latter parliamentary seat is called I cannot quite call to mind, as all the bounders have changed. Whatever, the whole thrust of the Labour Conference was concerned with England.

When I go to a Conference my wife videos all the sessions available, which prompted my youngest granddaughter to ask "If Grandad's there, why are you videoing it?" but the coverage can be in the hall, or interviewing party grandees in the tearoom, and I can't be in two places at once, so the video lets me see quite a bit one way or another. For instance I saw Jim Mather MSP being interviewed by Brian Taylor of the BBC, who was holding court in the foyer, so delegates did not see this; Jim was arguing the economic case, "Let Scotland Flourish", and in response to one of Brian Taylor's questions he said "Look, it's all there, it's all possible; all we need is a little bit of fiscal fairy dust." Brilliant comment, encapsulates a broad sweep in a magical wee phrase. I saw it on video.

Apart from meeting friends, I really only attended two sessions, the speech by Nicola Sturgeon on the Saturday, and the speech by Alex Salmond on the Sunday; the full text for both speeches can be seen at Nicola Sturgeon for Nicola, and Alex Salmond for Alex. They were good speeches, well received by the audience, and well and fairly reported in the press; you cannot ask for more than that. Nicola was on a high before the Conference started, because she had brutally sandbagged First Minister Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions two days before; Labour's assertion that hospital waiting times were coming down was demolished by Nicola pointing out that whereas in 1999 885 people in Scotland had waited more than a year to see a consultant, today 7679 were in that category. I also liked her comment on the "All things to all men" Liberals - "the people who put the "moan" into "sanctimonious.""

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon The treatment of pensioners was highlighted by both Nicola and Alex (For which I thank them!) and the fundamental truth hammered home by both of them; we cannot fix Scotland's ills through Westminster or devolution. Only Independence will protect Scotland and see her prosper, and we must focus on SNP votes to bend Westminster's will to Scotland in the short term. One issue which received overwhelming applause was when Alex touched on the House of Lords. How appalling that in a country with a democratically elected Parliament, the people had to rely on a hereditary and unelected House of Lords to defend civil liberties; you couldn't make it up.

One interesting comment was made regarding the provision of NHS dentists in Scotland, a subject which is causing distress and pain all over Scotland, toothache "the hell o' a' diseases", and one to which the Scottish Executive is totally oblivious. In Grampian there is one NHS dentist to every 5400 patients, in Eastwood (posh area just outside Glasgow) there is one NHS dentist to every 1700 patients, so people in the latter have a three times better chance of getting an appointment. Now just a wee thought; why not have a table of waiting lists for dentists? NHS dentists are part of the Health Service are they not? Stewart Stevenson MSP for Banfff & Buchan, told the audience that the best way to obtain treatment from an NHS dentist was to go out in the street, and punch a policeman. He stated "You will go to gaol. In Greenock Prison, you will wait 1 week for treatment from an NHS dentist; in Porterfield Prison, Inverness, there will be a maximum of 4 weeks. In Scotland's prisons, the average waiting time is two and a half weeks." Odd, indeed, that criminals can get treated for toothache, but taxpayers cannot. Alex Salmond cautioned delegates to wait until the Election was past!

Bits of Conference coverage will also appear under the Synopsis, and Alex and Nicola's speeches are printed as noted, missing perhaps Alex's wee poem "It wisnae me" - a comment on the Holyrood building saga; I must get it from somewhere and get Peter Wright to put it on under Scottish Poetry. After his speech I left the hall to attend a prior engagement; my eldest grandson was playing for Hutcheson Vale Under 14s in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup at North End Park in Dundee, so I went to support him. They won 2-1, and ironically they were playing St Joseph's Boys' Club, Dundee; I was christened in St Joseph's in Dundee!

THE GATHERING PLACE

I have just watched the second instalment of the BBC "Documentary", The Gathering Place, and was fulminating at its content, to which my wife said "You're a wee bit prejudiced." to which my response was the time honoured Dundee phrase, "Wha? Me?"

When the Fraser Inquiry into the Holyrood building fiasco asked to see the tapes of the programme, this was refused, on the basis that they were sacrosanct until the programme was aired; apparently now, Lord Fraser can look at the tapes. Whether he would want to do so is another matter, as anything meaningful is on the cutting room floor. The first programme, and the series is in chronological order, showed the billing and cooing of Kirsty Wark and her cronies over the design of the new building, and the lionising of the world famous architect, Enric Miralles.

It completely omitted the row over the selection of a cramped site at Holyrood, which popped up like a jack in the box from nowhere, to become the only location to be considered; to be fair (?) in the blurb at the beginning of each programme, the phrase "Anywhere but Calton" does appear, but the significance of that is lost. Anyway, the first programme showed the architects and builders getting pressure from MSPs, what nasty people, and here were our noble besieged builders and architects struggling to build a monument to posterity and hounded by these penny pinching Scots. No mention that the site, the architect, the design and the builder were all chosen by the Westminster Establishment long before the Parliament was even elected, and the anger of MSPs at being expected to make a silk purse from a sow's ear, and pay through the nose for it, was justified.

On thinking about it a wee bit more, another aspect came to mind; in the first programme, it was not MSPs kicking up a stink, it was Opposition MSPs. They showed Margo MacDonald, at that time SNP, Christine Grahame, SNP, Winnie Ewing, SNP, all being severely critical, Alex Salmond SNP, Mike Russell SNP and Fergus Ewing SNP likewise; the only member of the coalition to attack the project was Donald Gorrie of the Liberals, and he disagrees with his colleagues all the time, so I don't think he is regarded as one of them. The impression given was of the Opposition carping at this wonderful project, and the Establishment backing the beleagured builders. It was also particularly shameful that they showed Margo MacDonald passing acid comments on Enric Miralles swanning off on a lecture tour of America when the project was in crisis, when in fact Miralles was in hospital in America being treated for a brain tumour, which killed him. No one told the Parliament; they kept that quiet until the vote to continue had been taken.

The second instalment was given over to the bitter row between Enric Miralles' widow and the Edinburgh architects; she said that as she was Miralles' widow, she inherited his place as senior architect and the rest had to dance to her tune. This went on and on, and by this time there was a Parliamentary Progress Group; far from being able to make progress , they got hamstrung by the dispute, and finished up by saying "Look, sort this out between yourselves ( Mrs Miralles and Brian Stewart) or we will fire you." In this part, Linda Fabiani (SNP) emerged with credit as she showed her exasperation and frustration with the delays occasioned by this architectural brouhaha. The threat of sacking had the desired effect, it appeared, but Mrs Miralles still kept trying to run the show, or that is what we have been shown. Other things, like the method used of design and build, which means they make it up as they go along, caused havoc. There was not a complete detailed plan of all that was required laid down at the start; there was an outline of a building, and the debating chamber was the wrong shape, and a rough plan of what would go where, but details were added as they went along. So the MSPs wanted toilets - plan that in. They would need space for staff - we never thought of that - plan that in. Where will we put desks, power points, lights, windows even.

Everything wrong with the Parliament building, the site, the contractor (and there are still ructions to come on that one), the architect, the design and the method of design and build, go back to the misjudgement of Donald Dewar and the Westminster Establishment, and all that has been airbrushed out of existence. Future generations will regard The Gathering Place as history, and so far it is a cover up.

THE MCDONALD ROAD GANG

Every week, up until 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. We had a slight hiccup last week, due to the SNP working on a new website and the Pre Election Conference, but abnormal service is resumed.

Beverley Murray Beverley Murray is the person who processes the most membership in SNP HQ. As Member Advisor, Beverley ensures all information is correctly recorded and deals with a variety of enquires as well as organising National Assembly and assisting with plans for Conference and Council.

Beverley started working for the Party in North Charlotte Street in 1989 when her children were just 2 and 5. Joanna and Daryl are now seventeen and twenty one and Beverley says the years have “just flown by”. One of Beverley’s first ever jobs at SNP Headquarters was to type up all the names on the petition to get rid of the Poll tax.

Beverley’s main interests include swimming, reading, walking her Yorkshire Terrier “Smudge” and running – in fact she has run many half marathons to raise money for the Chest Heart and Stroke Association.

When Trudi Logan started working for the SNP, it was to provide six months maternity cover … in December she celebrated 20 years of working for SNP HQ! Initially employed as a receptionist, Trudi is now Event Co-ordinator for Annual and Special Conferences as well as her official title of Head of Member Services. She had originally planned to be a police officer and sometimes feels like one particularly when she’s using her crowd controlling skills to marshall late delegates at conference.

Trudi has a number of different interests which she lists as “reading, eating and drinking” (though she’s currently part of the SNP HQ Weightwatchers team) “and shopping when my credit card allows it”. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her nephew who she often takes along to watch her football team – Hearts. She is also a keen painter and decorator and has been known to transform her Edinburgh flat in a weekend much to the confusion of her cat Thomas! Trudi was Miss Penicuik 1977.

FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES

Kirsty Wark will not be the anchor for the BBC's General Election coverage in Scotland for the forthcoming election; instead she will be shadowing the Tory leader, Michael Howard, on polling day, and getting his reaction as results come in. The BBC say that this is not a punishment for her close association with the Labour Party, but is in effect, a promotion.

That puts these Scots in their place.

I have been looking at the Royal Mail website to check the price of First Class stamps; I find that it is 28p, which is what I have been paying, and there is no indication of a price increase. The stamp went to 28p in February 2003.

Why have they issued a picture of the First Class stamp for Charles and Camilla's wedding showing 30p? I think we should be told.

The recent proposal by the Liberal leader, Charles Kennedy, that prisoners in our gaols should be given votes in General Elections has puzzled many. It is also puzzling that the detention without trial squeezed through the House of Commons by 14 votes, when Mr Kennedy and 16 of his MPs did not turn up to vote against the bill.

Not a lot of evidence of joined up thinking.

Peterhead Prison Two years ago, the Scottish Liberal leader, Jim Wallace, was Justice Minister in the Scottish Parliament; in this capacity he took £13 million allocated in the Scottish Prison Services budget to eradicate slopping out in Scotland's gaols, and gave it to the war on drugs, where it disappeared without trace. Convicted prisoners are now suing the Scottish Parliament, maintaining an infringement of their human rights, and it is estimated that their claims under the European Human Rights Act will cost us in excess of £200 million.

Mr Wallace is now the Minister for Enterprise; I shudder.

While there is a severe shortage in nurses in the National Health Service, I sometime wonder if this has not been exacerbated by sending nurses to university, where they now have to gain a degree in nursing; anecdotal evidence indicates that graduates may not be all that keen on emptying bedpans.

A new drive to make nurses responsible for the cleanliness of wards in an effort to counter MRSA seems sensible to me.

The Working Life of Linda Fabiani MSP

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

SYNOPSIS

At the weekend, all of the SNP's parliamentarians were at the Pre Election Conference in Dundee, so some of the Press Releases emanated from there - as one would expect; also the Budget is due this week.

Monday 14th March 2005

Speaking today following the announcement by the Executive of £15m to combat hospital acquired infections in Scotland's NHS, Shadow Health Minister Shona Robison called for further action to tackle this serious and growing problem.

Shona Robison Ms Robison said: "We support today's announcement as far as it goes, but there's still a lot more work to be done to combat the scourge of hospital acquired infection.

"While action such as putting nurses back in charge of wards to help in the fight against such infections should be welcomed, there are a number of other serious issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. For example, those contracts still in private hands should be brought back in house now so they are part of the NHS hospital team, while staffing levels on wards must be improved. We know that higher levels of staff are central to maintaining good hospital hygiene as this reduces the pressure on existing staff.

"Our NHS also needs improved levels of pre admission screening, particularly in those areas with highest risk such as the elderly and those who have recently been in hospital. We need to hear more from Minister how he intends to tackle these issues if we are to be reassured that all possible action is being taken to eradicate this scourge from our hospitals."

Monday 14th March 2005

Shadow Education Minister Fiona Hyslop today (Monday) wrote to the Education Minister Peter Peacock urging him to act with the Sports Minister and sportscotland to ensure volunteer run school football clubs are given national support for a collective insurance scheme. The schools teams currently affiliated to the Scottish Schools Football Association may no longer be covered by the local education authority's insurance in East Renfrewshire cover as volunteers not teachers are running the clubs.

Fiona Hyslop Ms Hyslop said: "Currently the Scottish Youth Football Association already provides a national insurance scheme. This programme operates on behalf of 3000 teams at a price of £30 a team and they would be more than happy to extend the scheme to the schools clubs. This is a welcome offer and would help resolve the issue currently being wrangled over by the bureaucrats at this and possibly other councils. Even the Scottish women's teams are affiliated so it is possible to make this work by extending the scheme further.

"How we can expect our young people to be enthusiastic and develop the skills necessary if even the very possibility of playing in the first place is threatened by unthinking red tape? The people that are being forgotten about this are the most important group, the pupils themselves. It would be a far better use of sportscotland's budget to spend £90,000 on supporting a national football insurance policy for schools teams than on the bloated administrative costs it currently bills for its own existence.

"Youth sport is currently under attack from all sides. From the culture of claim and compensation to the administrative costs on the horizon for child protection disclosure check bills - they need every bit of help they can get and certainly deserve from the Executive.

"This would be a simple step but a welcome one and a strong signal of support for Scotland's youth and sport.

"Only last week in Parliament in the debate on PE in schools I spoke about the SNP's Action Plan for Fit Healthy Young Scots and urged the Sports Minister to ensure support for grassroots community clubs working with schools - here is test of the executive's commitment to that concept. "

Sunday 13th March 2005

Mike Weir MP and Shadow Scottish Minister for Work and Pensions and Perth MP Annabelle Ewing today spoke on a resolution on the SNP policy to introduce a citizen's pension for all older Scots.

The SNP proposes to introduce a Citizen's Pension of at least £110 per week for single pensioners and £168 per week for pensioner couples. The citizen's pension would end the policy of means testing and restore the link with earnings, removing the demeaning current system.

Mike Weir said: "Since we launched our Citizens Pension policy a few months ago, the SNP has taken the lead in making the case for decent rewards for older Scots.

"Our plans, which would see all single pensioners receive £110 a week - compared to £79.60 today - and pensioner couples £168, have piled the pressure on the other parties.

"The SNP's Citizens Pension would see money paid to all pensioners as of right and would end Labour's unjust means test. A means test that stops as many as a third of pensioners receiving the money they are due.

"With 1 in 5 Scots pensioners in poverty, this is a scandal that the UK government should be ashamed of. Pensioners matter. We want the best for Scotland's 1 million pensioners and at this election, will be taking that powerful message to every town and community in Scotland. Lets make sure that they matter in May. Let SNP success mark the start of a better deal for Scotland's pensioners."

Annabelle Ewing MP added: "In the UK we have one of the lowest pensions in the world.

Annabelle Ewing "The Tories took away the earnings link, but Labour won't restore it - and thousands of older Scots lose out. While council tax rises above inflation pensions don't - and year on year thousands get poorer.

"Labour will keep the means test even though it penalises thousands of pensioners with modest savings - ordinary Scots who have put a little aside throughout their life, and never expected a Labour government to punish them for their good sense.

"Labour penny-pinch on our pensions while they are flush with Scotland's oil. Britain will pocket as much as £8 billion from the North Sea this year, but will still deny older Scots what is right and fair.

"Across Scotland it is SNP votes that concentrate London minds. When the SNP wins, Scotland wins too. That's why together, in May, we can win a better deal for Scotland's pensioners."

Saturday 12 March 2005

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has today revealed that the UK government has under-spent its international UN aid commitments by £76 billion. According to the calculations by the House of Commons library every UK government has failed to commit 0.7% of national income since it
signed up to the UN target in 1970.

Angus Robertson More than half of the under-spend of UK past and planned development assistance, worth £42 billion is by the current Labour government.

Shadow Scottish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Moray MP, Angus Robertson, today pledged that an SNP Government would fulfil its UN obligations to increase Scotland's spending on International Development to 0.7% of Gross National Income rising to 1% in the longer term.

Angus Robertson MP and Alyn Smith MEP also made a commitment that an SNP Government would back debt cancellation, prioritise fair trade and create a dedicated unit within a Scottish Government to work with NGOs to co-ordinate the Scottish domestic response to emergency and disaster
relief.

Angus Robertson MP said: "The UK promised to spend 0.7% of GDP on international aid some 35 years ago, yet today only spends half of this sum on international aid. Every single Labour and Tory government has failed to fulfil their promise to the developing world.

"This has short-changed the poorest countries by a massive £76 billion pounds, with more than half of that: £42 billion is by the New Labour government of Tony Blair.

"This is not a good record. We need action not words if we are serious about international development. We call upon the Government to make the fulfilment its own decades old commitment to international development and tackling the scourge of global poverty a priority.

"The recent response by the Scottish public to the Asian Tsunami disaster was overwhelming. It contrasted sharply with a Government that was slow to react to the scale of the tragedy and the Ministry of Defence even charged the relief effort £2.5 million for the use of equipment used to facilitate
that effort."

Tuesday 15th March 2005

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has been caught passing the buck on Scotland's low economic growth. Responding to parliamentary questions from SNP Leader Alex Salmond who was investigating the truth for Scotland of Labour claims that we have "enjoyed the longest period of economic growth for 200 years", the Treasury wrote: 'The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked me to let you know that your parliamentary question . . . is more appropriate to the Secretary of State for Scotland.'

Alex Salmond Commenting, Mr Salmond said: "Gordon Brown has abdicated responsibility for Scotland's economy. He has been caught passing the buck and is running scared of the truth about Scotland's low economic growth.

"He knows that while he has been Chancellor, Scotland has not enjoyed the longest period of economic growth for 200 years. Indeed Scotland's economy has experienced downturn three times while he has been in charge.

"That is why he has passed my questions off to the Scotland Office for answer, even though the Scottish Secretary has no role and no power to get Scotland's economy back on track.

"The Chancellor knows that his British boasts do not apply for voters in Scotland. He has been caught out pushing a British agenda that fails to meet the chronic needs of his own country.

"Gordon Brown is no Scottish Chancellor. He has presided over a period of faster relative decline which means lower wages, fewer opportunities, and dislocation to families and communities as thousands of Scots are forced to move south."

Editor's Note:

The Chancellor launched Labour's general election campaign with a poster which claims we have "enjoyed the longest period of economic growth for 200 years". But it is a boast that doesn't hold true for Scotland. Alex Salmond asked the following questions to illustrate the point. We also asked the House of Commons library for answers:

Q1. If he will state each quarter that Scotland has slipped into negative growth since 1997?
Official Scottish Executive growth figures (provided by the House of Commons Library) show that Scotland was in negative growth on three occasions in just four years under Labour – in Q3 of 1998, Q2 of 1999 and Q1 of 2002.

Q2. What is the longest period of continuous quarterly economic growth in Scotland in the last thirty years; and if he will make a statement?

The only figures we can access are for annual growth and the longest period of continuous annual growth occurred from 1982 to 1997 (figures from HoC Library). The longest period of quarterly growth under this government is just 3 years.

Under Labour, Scottish growth has lagged 30% behind the UK, under the Tories it was 20%.
Over the past two years, Scotland has lost out on £2 billion in its economy because of low growth. Under Labour and Tories, Scotland has experienced the lowest growth of any EU nation.

Tuesday 15th March 2005

Central Scotland SNP MSP and Convenor of the Enterprise and Culture Committee Alex Neil today managed to get confirmation that Scotland stands to lose out big time from the London Olympic Bid.

Whilst convening the Scottish Parliament's Enterprise and Culture Committee today (Tuesday 15th March) Mr Neil questioned the Scottish manager of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Colin McLean, on the potential impact that the awarding of the 2012 Olympic Games might have on the fund. Mr McLean admitted that the Scottish Heritage Fund stands to lose out up to a third of its £30million annual budget if London wins its bid.

Alex Neil In a paper presented to the Committee by the Scottish Heritage Fund they stated that across the UK some £750million will have to be found to fund the games from existing lottery sources, including £340million from sport Lottery distributors. The Scottish share will run into tens of millions of pounds lost for good causes and grassroots sports in Scotland, possibly as much as £75million.

This does not take account of any potential overspend that may be involved in preparing for the Olympics, so the figure may be even higher.

Mr Neil is also angered at the total failure of the New Labour-Liberal Scottish Executive to stand up for Scotland in relation to the Olympic bid. Despite it being clear that the country stands to lose out financially they have committed public money towards arguing that London should be awarded the games without referring as to how the shortfall in monies available to good causes and sports in Scotland can be overcome. Mr Neil argues this is a dereliction of duty to pursue Scotland's interests.

Mr Neil said: "It is clear from Mr McLean's evidence today that Scotland stands to lose many millions of pounds worth of money available to good causes and grassroots sports. This worries me greatly as surely many Scottish projects will have to close down, or many new initiatives may now never get off the ground."

"On top of this, Sport Scotland has committed £50,000 just to support the bid, at a time when it is refusing funding to a number of good local organisations. It is a national disgrace."

"Clearly an agenda to railroad Scotland into backing London's bid is being pursued despite it clearly being contrary to Scotland's interests. No one has identified how Scotland will benefit if London is awarded the 2012 Games."

"Tens of millions of pounds could be lost for Scottish causes and I for one am not convinced that enough of a case has been made for the benefits of any London games to our country that means we can afford this subsidy. If London wants the games, London should pay for the games."

Tuesday 15th March 2005

Shadow Justice Spokesperson Kenny MacAskill MSP today called on the Executive to put Scottish police officers directly in charge of local and operational policing of the G8 Summit in June. The demand follows the publication of the response to a Parliamentary Question on the matter in the Scottish Parliament.

Kenny MacAskill Mr MacAskill said:"The Executive's response is entirely unacceptable.

"Assistance from police forces outside Scotland will be essential as a result of the size, complexity and numbers of protesters that are expected to attend the G8 Summit.

"However, this is Scotland not Surrey. We have a unique legal system and a distinctive policing culture. We cannot afford to have problems caused by police officers from outwith Scotland acting against the laws we operate or inappropriately for the communities we police in.

"The Scottish Laws, Scottish attitudes and fundamentally the Scottish Police must be in charge. Officers from outwith must act in accordance with our laws and our customs and practice. That means they must be guided and advised by Scottish Officers not act as they see fit or as they would in a different country and policing regime."

NOTE FOR EDITORS:

The full text of the Parliamentary Question and Answer are below:

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers from forces outwith Scotland will be deployed during the G8 summit, who will be in overall control of these officers at a local and operational level, whether a Scottish officer will be in command of individual units or be attached to such units for liaison and advisory purposes and what advice or instructions will be given to these officers on the police service and its links with the community it serves.

Cathy Jamieson: It is too early to be precise about the number of officers from forces outwith Scotland who will be deployed in Scotland during the G8 Summit. That will depend on operational decisions to be taken in due course by the Scottish Police Service. Those officers, for example, who are deployed in this way around Gleneagles will be directly under the command of the Chief Constable of Tayside Police and will receive, through him, advice and instructions appropriate to the specific circumstances of their deployment.

Monday 14th March 2005

Shadow Transport Minister Fergus Ewing MSP today responded to the announcement that Caledonian MacBrayne workers have voted by two to one in favour of strike.
Mr Ewing said: "This is devastating news for communities up and down the West coast of Scotland, and in particular our island communities.

Fergus Ewing "The basic fact of the matter is that this strike was entirely preventable. Rather than representing the best interests of all concerned to the EU, the Scottish Executive have failed in their duty to stand up for those they represent. Instead of responding to the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament the Transport Minister has failed to pursue alternatives to putting vital ferry services to tender.

"While the SNP have been fighting in Scotland and Brussels on behalf of all those reliant on these services, the Lib/Lab Executive have been sitting on their hands. This inaction has led directly to this strike, and this dereliction of duty is unforgivable.

"I call on the Minister to act now in taking his case to the Commission and fighting for the future of Scotland's ferry services."

Tories say Scotland "unattractive" place to live

"I am afraid it is to do with the fact that Scotland is not a very attractive place for people to come and settle."

Schiehallion, Perthshire With the Tories holding their Conference in Dumfries on Friday it's a good time to know what they really think about Scotland. The quote above, expressed on Good Morning Scotland on Radio Scotland by Dominic Grieve, the Shadow Attorney General and MP for Beaconsfield, sums up just how out of touch the Tories have become since they were kicked out of Scotland in 1997.

If you're in Dumfries on Friday and you get the chance, ask Michael Howard why the Tories think Scotland is so unpleasant, or why not telephone Dominic Grieve, MP for Beaconsfield, on 01494 673745 or 0207 219 6220.

If you want to know more about how the SNP is working to Make Scotland Matter at the Westminster Elections, just click here.

Footnote: We begin a short series of Irish songs which were popular in Scotland during the folk revival. Jug of Punch was a great song to drink and sing along to!