The Scots Independent Newspaper Online

ALL CHANGE OR NO CHANGE!

As planned, I will be doing the Flag each week until the General Election is over. Allison Hunter and Richard Thomson are heavily involved working in SNP Headquarters, and Ian Goldie is the Election Agent for Colin Beattie in Midlothian; Ian's wife, Margaret, wise woman, has departed for Australia to see some of the grandchildren, leaving Ian to look after himself for the duration of the election campaign.

A TRUER PICTURE

We have been having some funny opinion polls recently, just days after Iain MacWhirter in the Herald was saying that no one really knew what Scottish voters were thinking as no opinion polls were being conducted. Someone, MORI, I think, produced a poll that showed the SNP in fourth place, behind the Tories and the Liberals. Come on guys, be your age, this is Scotland, not Sussex!

Anyway, here is a poll from our old friends (joke) System Three; it shows the SNP on 23%. Not wonderful, but fairly consistent with what we were used to when it came to a Westminster election; as it is we are bombarded with Blair, Howard, and Kennedy, all singing to an English tune, the Coronation Street Blues, and all being hyped to the heavens. I even watched Fiona Ross on the ITV Seven Days programme talking up the Liberals, at the expense of the SNP, and behaving as if she was an impartial journalist and not a card-carrying member of Her Majesty's British Imperial Labour Party, whose aim in Scotland is to talk up their Unionist opponents, with whom they have common cause, and to downplay the real threat to their cosy cabals - the SNP.
I also noticed that Jonathan Dimbleby quoted British opinion polls when interviewing Alex Salmond on "Meet the Nationalists" on ITV on Monday night; Alex put him right, but he used the same technique on the leader of Plaid Cymru in the second part of the programme. Dimbleby introduced Alex as "an ageing pop star", a obvious reference to him making a comeback; Alex responded by saying that if he was an ageing pop star, Dimbleby himself was a positive geriatric. Dimbleby didn't laugh at that. Excellent performance by Alex, who never gets fazed or irrtated; I think I would have punched Dimbleby for his Anglocentric arrogance.

                    The poll was taken from 944 adults from 44 constituencies between 31 Mar 05 and 7 April 05; in 2001 Labour had 43%, SNP 20% Tory 16% Liberal 16% Others 5%.

		SEX		CLASS
	Total	Male	Female	AB	C1	C2	DE
Unweighted base	707	343	364	139	199	145	224
Weighted base	700	347	352	149	184	146	220
Conservative	96	46	50	35	33	15	13
	14%	13%	14%	23%	18%	11%	6%
Labour	317	153	165	52	76	80	110
	45%	44%	47%	35%	41%	55%	50%
Liberal Democrat	97	52	45	34	29	8	26
	14%	15%	13%	23%	16%	6%	12%
S.N.P.	161	85	76	21	38	40	62
	23%	24%	22%	14%	21%	28%	28%
S.S.P.	15	6	9	4	5	1	6
	2%	2%	3%	2%	2%	1%	3%
Other party	13	6	7	4	4	1	4
	2%	2%	2%	3%	2%	1%	2%

MAJORITY OF SCOTS BACK INDEPENDENCE

The Leader of the Scottish National Party, Mr Alex Salmond has welcomed an opinion poll showing that the majority of Scots back Independence.

An opinion poll for TNS System 3 asked the question:

"Do you support or oppose Scotland becoming a country independent from the rest of the United Kingdom?"

46% were in favour, 39% were opposed and 15% didn't know.

Saltire Commenting on this key campaign development, Alex Salmond said:

"This poll is good news for the SNP and for Scotland. Independence is the big idea in Scottish politics and is now set to move to centre stage in this campaign. We have a chance to make Scotland's Parliament a Powerhouse Parliament.

"We don't need more of the same from London politicians who either ignore Scotland or damage our interests. We need a Scottish Parliament that can make a real difference. In this election we will be making Scotland matter. While countries much smaller than Scotland are discussing the big issues such as tackling global poverty, Scotland is left on the sidelines. In the EU, tiny landlocked Luxembourg has more of a say over Scotland's fishing industry than Scotland does.

"The Scottish people have been persistently let down by politicians who only care about votes in the south east of England - or their own personal ambition. Too often Scottish Labour MPs forget the folks back home.

"The angst over the Holyrood project is now fading and people are turning to discussion on the future of Scotland.

"Whatever the controversy, now that we have a real parliament building, people clearly want a real parliament to be meeting inside it. This poll demonstrates in dramatic terms the new appetite for moving towards
independence."

NOTE - Full details and copies of the poll, by TNS System Three, are
available from the SNP press office. 922 adults were interviewed in-home
in 44 constituencies between 31st March and 7th April 2005

THE COP OUT KIDS

One of my early encounters with the Liberals was during the Edinburgh North By Election in 1973, when a Liberal Polling Agent, decked out in their colours, said to me at the Polling Station "If I knew you were as strong as this I would have voted for you." How was that for a conversation stopper?

Janus I have always felt that a vote for the Liberals was for people who did not want to do anything decisive, but just wave a feeble hand of protest meekly in the air, conscious that nothing would come of it. If you doubt my thinking, look at Charles Kennedy, their leader; what a nice chap, down to earth, laid back, very much at home in TV studios, and liked because he is - well - nice. It is all an illusion; I am not saying that Kennedy is a bad person, but Liberals are every bit as nasty as all other politicians, but good at acting. And very good at being all things to all men - and women.

We need to look at their track record; they claim to have abolished tuition fees in Scotland, and a headline in the Herald last week said "Students face £700 rise on tuition fees". A simple question - how can tuition fees rise if they are abolished? If they are abolished they don't exist. Answer - they have not been abolished - just deferred; the bill is still there but has to be met later rather than sooner. They also claim to have provided free care for the elderly, not so loudly now that somebody has got the sums wrong, but I always thought that it was Henry McLeish who pushed that one through, dragging a reluctant Labour Party with him; the Liberals were happy to follow through an open door.

And being historical for a moment, during the 1974-79 Parliament, the Liberals had a pact with Labour, negotiated by David Steel, to keep them in power; no one was very sure what the Liberals got out of that pact, but come the vote of confidence, in 1979, they abandoned their bedfellows and voted with the Tories to bring down Callaghan. Good reliable friends.

Another little slip in the House of Commons just the other week; the anti terrorist legislation, allowing detention without recourse to law, was "vigorously" opposed by the Liberals. Come the vote in the House of Commons, Labour imposed a three line whip, but many of their troops rebelled, and the most anti-democratic legislation ever scraped through by 14 votes. How fared the Liberals? Charles Kennedy and 17 of his colleagues were not interested enough to hang around and had gone to the pub, so did not vote. It was left to the unelected House of Lords to limit this legislation. The Liberals could have killed it.

This very week, Liberal duplicity again becomes public; the Minister for Transport, Nicol Stephen, Liberal, had authorised an enquiry into the extension of the M74 through Glasgow. The enquiry cost us £750,000 - three quarters of a million smackeroos, and the result was that the enquiry came down unequivocally against the extension, in line with the Liberals much publicised environmental credentials. Nicol Stephen, Liberal, rejected the findings, gave the go-ahead, and it was revealed that he had already authorised, and spent, £40 million of our money buying the land for the extension - most of this before the enquiry had even begun. A public enquiry that was a sham from start to finish.

I lose patience with myself, and the electorate, with this bunch of charlatans. All the political parties agreed that there would be no political campaigning on the day of the Pope's funeral, and Blair, Howard and Kennedy all went to it, as did Jack McConnell, Scotland's First Minister. On the day of the funeral, the Liberals launched an attack on the SNP for using Sir Sean Connery's voice in a telephone message to voters, claiming it was illegal, because recipients had not agreed to it. This poses, for me, an immediate question. I am sick fed up of my phone ringing with people trying to sell me something, or not even being there when I answer, and I have not agreed to any of these calls. If this is illegal the Liberals must have known this, so why have they not done something about it before now? Have I , and my wife, been forced to answer the phone sometimes a dozen times a day, at quite often inconvenient times, when this could have been avoided? Why have the Liberals kept this a secret, or did it only become important when they felt threatened? I think we should be told.

The SNP deny any breach of the law, and Alex Salmond has written to Charles Kennedy asking for an apology from him for his party's dirty tricks department breaching the political truce. He will not get a response, but the Liberals have again fallen victims to the law of unintended consequences; thanks to them highlighting the fact, everyone in Scotland now knows that Sir Sean Connery is helping out the SNP campaign.

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

Last Saturday, accompanied by my friend and fellow Nationalist, Alastair Kidd, I went to Dumfries for a Day of Action. I had been "invited" by Douglas Henderson, our candidate there, to give a wee bit of help; it is a new constituency, combining Galloway, Tory, but previously SNP, with Dumfries, Labour, but previously Tory. It is a vast constituency, 75 miles from Stranraer to Dumfries, so a lot of ground to cover.

Douglas Henderson We had a good day, and Douglas had managed to inveigle Winnie Ewing, plus Gordon and Edith Wilson, to help out. Alasdair Morgan MSP and his wife were there, as was Malcolm Fleming, a previous candidate, now working for Oxfam. The weather was reasonable enough for canvassing in the morning, and early afternoon; I was glad of that, because I had learned a long time ago that it is not possible to canvass with an umbrella. We did not encounter any hostility, but a lot of people were out, or watching the Royal wedding, which had been postponed due to the Pope's funeral; also we had that bane of the canvasser's existence, the entry phone systems. It rained in the afternoon, but there was a bit of street work in Dumfries town centre, which also went well; we missed that, as the car cavalcade was broken up by the sheer volume of cars emerging from where we started out. We took a wrong turning, got lost, but managed to find the hotel where the buffet was; one other car arrived just after us, as they had followed us, thinking we knew where we were going!

I like knocking doors, as you never know what you will find from one door to another; at one door I knocked, the lady was not sure, but was interested, and would consider voting SNP. Her husband, a man of about my age, was hovering in the background, so I asked "How about you? Do you think you'll be voting SNP?" "No way, pal!" quite vehemently, followed by a tirade about "That Parliament in Edinburgh. A waste of time." plus a wee bit more, and then he said "I'm British, pal, I fought for my country!" This was manna, so I said "So did I, and this lot are disbanding my regiment!" (Well, National Service in the Black Watch in Kenya does count, even if it was 50 years ago!) "That's Labour " says he - I said "The Tories were worse". At that, his wife rounded on him "What did Margaret Thatcher ever do for us " and they started shouting at each other. I muttered "Thank you for your time", or some such platitude, and slid quietly away. I don't know who won that argument, but would have put my money on the wife.

Douglas was ebullient, and he certainly has a good team working with him; they are doing all the right things, and I think they can provide an upset in that seat. There is a strong history of SNP voting there, so who knows? He did ask if I would come back, but I prevaricated; a two hour drive from Edinburgh and the same back is not terribly productive, but I really enjoyed my day.

BOSTON MARATHON PATRIOT'S DAY

Monday 18th April is Patriots Day in the north-eastern states of Massachusetts and Maine and it is celebrated in honour of the first battles and skirmishes between the British troops and the Minute Men of Concord and Lexington that led to the American War of Independence, "the shot heard 'round the world". They also commemorate Paul Revere's midnight ride.

A major part of the celebration is the Boston Marathon, and this year a friend of mine in Edinburgh, Paul Walker, is taking part. Paul is running under his Sunday name of John Paul Walker ( no doubt after John Paul Jones- another famous Scot!). He had to qualify for the Boston Marathon - he's got a good time for his age bracket - his best is 2h 59 mins 48 secs which he set in Inverness last October. He'll be hoping to get close to that time again, but he missed some training due to a virus just when he was scheduled for a couple of long training runs so he's not fully confident of breaking 3 hours. I don't care about his time, I just hope he 'enjoys' it!

He runs for Corstorphine Amateur Athletics Club (CAAC) and he's kept an online diary of his training on their website, so they are all behind him too.

After the marathon, he and his wife Marie Ann, who will be waving the Saltire during the race, are spending a few more days in Boston - doing some whale watching and sightseeing, but it depends on how Paul manages to recover from the run!

Let's hope it won't be too long before we have an Independence Marathon in Scotland.

FOOT IN THE MOUTH NOTES

English Transport Secretary and Scottish Secretary of State (same person), Alastair Darling, gave a TV interview somewhere in Scotland this week.

He should be more careful of his surroundings; he was filmed beside a sign saying "Visitors' Car Park".

It was agreed that there would be a minute's silence for the Pope at the start of the Hearts-Celtic Cup semi-final at Hampden Park Glasgow; this was abandoned after 20 seconds as a section of the Hearts' support booed and jeered.

The match was televised all over the world, severely damaging Scotland's image; the supporters concerned were waving Union Jacks.

Hampden Park, Glasgow And still at Hampden Park Glasgow, Scotland, where the Tory leader of all England, Michael Howard, launched the Tories' manifesto; its main plank, and his impassioned words, were about controlling immigration, as Britain was about to be swamped by immigrants.

Scotland has a declining population, and the Scottish Executive has a positive policy to attract and retain immigrants.

First Minister Jack McConnell visited the Western Isles, a marginal Labour constituency on Monday of this week, bringing his visit forward by a day; he was accompanied by the Labour candidate which is illegal, as the visit was paid for out of public funds. As Parliament was not dissolved until 5 pm on that Monday, lip service was paid to the fact that the constituency MP became the Labour candidate at that time.

Labour has always been adept at using public money, even altering the First Minister's diary to suit. He claims it was changed as another Labour candidate, for an English seat, was visiting Edinburgh. (Somebody called Blair).

Getting a bit frustrated at TV timings these days; the Scottish News comes on BBC at 6.30, according to the newspapers. It seems to come at 6.25. When I watched "Meet the Nationalists" due to start at 11.00 pm, it did not start until 11.14 pm; most irritating when trying to video anything.

As both programmes followed on "British" coverage, I am now convinced that the TV companies are treating us to "Scottish" time. As soon as the English are finished with what they want to say, we can have it, early or late.

The Working Life of Linda Fabiani MSP

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

SYNOPSIS

The General Election is well and truly with us, so there will be no lack of SNP press releases over the next few weeks. I do note however, that New Labour will not be holding press conferences ; the reason, not admitted by them, is that they do not like answering questions. I suppose that statement is a bit of a misnomer; they do not like publicly avoiding answering questions.

Wednesday 13 April 2005

The Scottish National Party Candidate in Ochil and South Perthshire Annabelle Ewing has challenged Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who is in Scotland today for a campaign visit, to apologise to Scottish soldiers serving in Iraq for the Government depriving them of the right to vote.

Thousands of troops serving overseas - including those in Iraq and Afghanistan - received voter registration information too late for them to register in time for the General Election. It is estimated that up to 80% may therefore have lost the right to vote.

Annabelle Ewing said: "Scottish soldiers risked their lives so that Iraqis could vote.

"Jack Straw must apologise to all those soldiers who have been denied that same right at home.

"It is no surprise that a Government which dragged us into an illegal war, and which has betrayed the Scottish regiments, does not want soldiers to
vote.

"Labour knows full well that Scottish soldiers would take revenge at the ballot box against a party which has stabbed them in the back."

Wednesday 6th April

Alex Salmond said; "Labour are presenting a fantasy picture of Scotland's economy. Being part of Britain means we lose out on growth, have more jobless, earn on average £2000 less and don't see the benefit of Scotland's huge oil revenues. With his British boasts, the Chancellor has
clearly forgotten the folk back home."

Alex Salmond Labour's Tax record

Council tax in Scotland has risen 55% under Labour at an average cost of £380.

The Scottish Economy

Scotland has the lowest long term growth in Europe and the highest unemployment in the UK - under a Labour government and a Chancellor who represents a Scottish seat.

Over the past 25 years Scotland's average annual growth has been 1.8%, the UK has grown by 2.3%, small EU countries by 3.1% and Ireland by 5.2% (House of Commons Library). The cost to our economy of Scotland's low growth since the mid-1970s, is £10 billion. In the last two years it has been £2 billion.

Labour boast of 50 quarters of growth but the Scotland Office has admitted in a parliamentary answer to Alex Salmond that this has only been 10 in Scotland and there have been 3 downturns in Scotland under Labour (Hansard, 17 March 2005, col. 409W)

Scotland has the highest unemployment rate (%) of all the UK countries.
Scotland - 5.7 Wales - 4.1
England - 4.6 N Ireland - 4.6
UK - 4.7
Labour Market Statistics March 2005

Saturday 9th April 2005

SNP Leader Alex Salmond MP and Defence spokesperson, Angus Robertson MP, have revealed figures from the Treasury and Ministry of Defence, which show that Scotland received less spending on defence procurement in 2003/04 than its population share.

Commenting, Mr Salmond said: "At a time when Scotland's regiments are being amalgamated out of existence, this devastating information confirms the raw deal Scotland gets from the MoD.

Angus Robertson "This is about money that could be invested in the Scottish economy - creating jobs, boosting research and development, and helping a manufacturing sector that has lost 100,000 jobs since 1997. Instead the
money is focused on the already over-subsidised south and south-east.

"The MoD is shaping up to be the most anti-Scottish department. These latest figures show that they cannot be trusted to serve Scottish interests."

Mr Robertson added: "The Ministry of Defence have left communities across Scotland high and dry with regimental mergers, base closures and job cuts.

"They expect Scotland to bear the risk of dangerous weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde. But they don't give us the benefit of jobs and investment.

"There is even a Scottish minister at the MoD. Clearly he is another Labour MP who has forgotten the folk back home.

NOTE: MoD current spending on procurement in Scotland is almost £420 million less than Scotland's proportionate share:

UK spends 45% of defence budget on procurement = £12,000,000,000
Scotland's share of procurement Spending (8.5%) = £ 1,020,000,000
Actual expenditure on Procurement in Scotland = £600,466,000

Underspend = £419,534,000

Saturday 9th April

Alex Salmond said; "Gordon Brown has paid a flying visit to Scotland. For all his talk, it is clear that the Chancellor has forgotten the folk back home. Scotland takes second place to his personal ambition. The Chancellor would sell out Scotland if it helped him become Prime Minister of Britain."

The forgotten 100,000s

oil rig The Chancellor made plenty of promises but forgot the 100,000 manufacturing jobs that have been lost in Scotland on his watch and the (more than) £100,000 a head of oil reserves that are left in the Scottish
sector of the North Sea

The forgotten people

New poverty figures for Scotland were published on 30 March 2005. Poverty levels are defined as the proportion of people living on an income below 60% of the median, After Housing Costs. They show that in 2003/04 there were:

1 in 5 (19%) of all individuals in Scotland living in poverty
1 in 4 (25%) Scottish children living in poverty
1in 5 (18%) working age adults living in poverty
1 in 5 (18%) Scottish pensioners living in poverty

The forgotten boast

Brown's big British boast of 50 quarters of growth does not apply to Scotland. He passed a parliamentary question from Alex Salmond to the Scotland Office to avoid the embarrassment of admitting that there have only been 10 quarters of growth and 3 economic downturns in Scotland under Labour (Hansard, 17 March 2005, col. 409W)

Saturday 9th April

SNP Leader, Alex Salmond MP, has released a letter from HM Treasury which confirms that the Chancellor holds material requested by the SNP on the 'reform. amendment or scrapping' of the Barnett formula.

The Treasury has refused to release the information on the same grounds as No. 10. The Treasury stated: "All the other information that we hold relevant to these requests falls within section 35 of the Act that exempt it from disclosure. This is a qualified exemption and having considered the balance of the public interest, the Treasury has concluded that the public interest in non-disclosure outweighs the public interest in disclosure."

Commenting, Mr Salmond said:

"Now Gordon Brown is in on the act. The web of secrecy about Labour's plans for spending cuts in Scotland is spreading.

"Somewhere in Whitehall a plot to cut Scottish spending exists. The people of Scotland have a right to know what Labour plans for Scottish spending after the election.

"Empty assurances are not good enough at this stage. Material exists on plans to scrap or change Barnett. That we know. Labour must now publish these papers or be damned by voters in Scotland."

A recent System 3 survey asked "which politician do you trust most to stand up for Scottish interests in the Westminster Parliament? (System Three for SNP, 2nd February 2005) Alex Salmond 32% Charles Kennedy 22% Tony Blair 17% Michael Howard 4%

SUNDAY 10th APRIL

House of Commons Library figures show that SNP MPs are consistently the hardest working MPs. All of the SNP MPs are in the top ten hardest working MPs in Scotland and make on average more contributions in the Chamber of the House, standing up for Scotland and their constituents, than MPs from any other political party.

Pete Wishart Alex Salmond has made more contributions in the Chamber than any other Scottish MP (including Charles Kennedy) except Father of the House Tam Dalyell MP.

Pete Wishart said: "Labour have persistently voted against Scotland's interests on Foundation Hospitals, Tuition Fees and whisky tax stamps as well as taking us into an illegal and unnecessary war in Iraq. We are proud to stand on our record, they should be ashamed of theirs.

"The SNP are the only party to stand up for Scotland. If Scotland matters to you make it matter in May and vote SNP."

SNP are top of the talks:

Constituency	MP	WPQ	OPQ	CH	EDM	TOTAL
1 Moray	Angus Robertson	2038	64	139	23	2264
3 Perth	Annabelle Ewing	1218	69	96	26	1409
6 Angus	Mike Weir	910	51	144	54	1159
7 Banff & Buchan	Alex Salmond	753	65	266	45	1129
9 North Tayside	Pete Wishart	809	46	131	45	1031

WPQ - Written Parliamentary Questions OPQ - Oral Parliamentary Questions CH - Chamber contributions as listed in Hansard EDM - Early Day Motions

Figures collected from parliamentary session 2001 - 2005 from House of Commons Polis system.

Excluding all Government Ministers and Whips.

The House of Commons Hall of Shame - the bottom ten Scottish MPs:

Constituency	MP	WPQ	OPQ	CH	EDM	TOTAL
East Lothian	Anne Picking	28	18	34	4	80
Ochil	Martin O'Neill	31	22	49	3	73
Glasgow, Kelvin	George Galloway	39	5	17	9	70
Edinburgh East	Gavin Strang	17	8	43	3	69
Paisley North	Irene Adams	46	9	13	0	68
Dundee West	Ernie Ross	13	23	27	1	64
Western Isles	Calum Macdonald	20	19	17	4	63
Cumbernauld & Kilsyth	Rosemary McKenna	16	19	18	3	56
Aberdeen Central	Frank Doran	13	5	35	2	56
Kirkcaldy	Lewis Moonie	1	0	2	0	3

Average Chamber contributions from Scottish MPs (excluding Government Whips and Ministers)

SNP 204.2
Conservatives 192
Liberal Democrats 149.4
Labour 87.3

Details are available from:

http://www.internet-outsource.co.uk/developer/snp/

Monday 11th April

Commenting on the Conservative manifesto launch today, Holyrood SNP Leader, Nicola Sturgeon MSP said:

Nicola Sturgeon "Despite the tartan trimmings the Tories remain a deeply anti-Scottish party. Already in this campaign British Tories have threatened to slash Scottish spending and attacked Scotland's parliament. And we are still waiting for an apology after a front bench Tory said Scotland was an unattractive place.

"The Tories remain a nasty party. They can have Peter Duncan masquerading in tartan but Michael Howard calls the shots and he will always put Britain before Scotland. Only 4% of people trust Michael Howard to stand up for Scotland.

"They are still the same old anti-Scottish Tories who betrayed the regiments when in power, sold out our fishermen to Brussels when they signed up to the Common Fisheries Policy and let our pensioners down by breaking the link with earnings.

"Only Scotland's Party will make Scotland matter in this campaign. Only the SNP will put Scotland first."