Holyrood

Salmond “scared of separation”

November 24, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

Iain Gray used today’s First Minister’s Questions to corner Alex Salmond over his refusal to name a date for Scotland’s referendum on independence, accusing the First Minister of being “scared of separation”.

In typical First Ministers’ Questions style, Mr Salmond responded in kind by accusing the Labour leader of being “frightened of the concept of independence.”

The Labour leader urged Mr Salmond to “steady the ship and decide a date for the referendum,” after a week of bickering between Holyrood and Westminster, which saw Finance Secretary John Swinney accuse the UK Government of “becoming ever more hysterical” over the issue of independence.

The First Minister confirmed that the referendum would take place in the second half of the SNP’s current term in parliament, as set out during the party’s election campaign earlier this year, but refused to confirm a specific date.

Mr Gray said: “The longer this goes on, the more it looks as if Alex Salmond is trying to rig the referendum to get the results he wants.

“He always puts party before principal and isn’t that why he can’t name a date?”

Mr Salmond responded by saying: “Some people in the Labour party actually recognise that they lost the election and have to accept the mandate of the Scottish people.”

He added: “Westminster should keep out of the referendum and not meddle.

“It would be insulting and contemptuous for the Scottish people for Westminster to get involved.”

The First Minister went on to say that a number of opinion polls are showing increasing and substantial support for an independent Scotland. He reminded the main chamber that the SNP were re-elected with “a massive majority” six months ago on the basis of their promise to hold a referendum.

He went on to express concerns that the UK Treasury was not keeping the Scottish Government properly informed about the impact the euro will have on the Scottish economy. The Chancellor, George Osborne, is yet to respond to John Swinney’s request that economy-boosting measures are included in the Treasury’s autumn statement, including an increase in capital spending.

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: Alex Salmond, Danny Alexander, economy, Euro, Finance Secretary, First minister, first minister's questions, George Osborne, Holyrood, Iain Gray, independence, John Swinney, Labour, Politics, Scotland, Scottish elections, separation, SNP, the Treasury, UK Government, Westminster

The week so far in Scottish politics

November 24, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

Holyrood Parliament. Image: Pete Swift

Squabbles over independence, a fight against sectarianism and donations from lottery winners:
this is the week so far in Scottish politics.

Listen here:

Check back this afternoon for a run down of the first minister’s questions.

Filed Under: All Politics, News in Brief Tagged With: Ayrshire, Holyrood, independence, Lottery, Politics, Scotland, Sectarianism

Salmond Slams Tories’ Misplaced Interests

November 17, 2011 By Alexandra Leave a Comment

By Alexandra Wingate

First Minister Alex Salmond has attacked Scottish Conservatives
for acting to aid the interests of the UK Tory party, rather than that of the Scottish people.

The comments came during today’s First Minister’s Questions after Mr Salmond was asked, no less than three times, about the number of international companies investing in Scotland. This follows Tuesday’s opening of Amazon’s distribution and customer service centres in Fife and Edinburgh respectively. These openings are expected to create more than 3,000 permanent and temporary jobs in Scotland.

Mr Salmond said: “While the success in this investment is not recognised by the opposite benches in this government, it is recognised by the Tory party in the North East of England.”

He went on to explain that Linda Arkley, Conservative mayor of North Tyneside, has been well-documented in her interest in what Mr Salmond described as “the success and firepower of Scotland in attracting thousands of jobs.” He claims that Mrs Arkley has been lobbying George Osborne in an attempt to force these investments to be moved away from Scotland and into the North East of England.

Mr Salmon continued: “The dangerous thing is that this lady, after lobbying, said, quote, ‘Ministers have agreed to look at this’, unquote. So what action have Westminster ministers got in mind to dissuade international companies?”

“I hope that at least this parliament can be united by welcoming the investment by Amazon and other companies who are expressing more confidence in Scotland than is held by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer.”

The issue of money and investment in Scotland featured highly in Mr Salmond’s answers. When Scottish Conservative David McLetchie MSP congratulated Mr Salmond’s recent success in solving the recent fossil fuel levy row with Westminster – which resulted in a windfall of £100m from the UK Treasury – Mr Salmond retorted: “They think it a tremendous triumph to get 50% of Scotland’s money. Wouldn’t it be better to get 100% of Scotland’s money?”

“The other 50% of Scotland’s money is going to help capitalise the Green Investment Bank. Is that not yet another reason for the Green Investment Bank being headquartered in Scotland?”

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: Alex Salmond, alexandra wingate, Amazon, david mcletchie, Edinburgh, fife, first minister's questions, fmqs, fossil fuel levy, George Osborne, government, green investment bank, Holyrood, international business, jobs, linda arkley, lobbying, MSP, north east of england, north tyneside, Scotland, scottish conservatives, scottish politcs, tory party, uk treasury, Westminster

Last days before dissolution

March 21, 2011 By Kirsty Tobin Leave a Comment

by Gráinne Byrne

Third session of Holyrood about to go into recess

As we approach the last official day for Holyrood MSPs before Parliamentary recess, opposing parties are marking their line in the sand ahead of tomorrow’s final questions session. This final session, before dissolution, sets the tone for a battle between the parties leading to the election on 5 May 2011.

In an attempt to engage with the public, First Minister Alex Salmond and his main opponent, Labour leader Iain Gray, will take part in various debates over the next few weeks. Key issues in the frame include higher education, the economy, the health system and, perhaps most importantly, how they will deal with the financial cuts. [Read more...]

Filed Under: All Politics, MA Monday Tagged With: Alex Salmond, Holyrood, Iain Gray, Scottish Parliament

Short-list revealed for Scottish Politician of the Year Awards

November 9, 2010 By trydcast Leave a Comment

The nominations for the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards have been declared. The awards, introduced in 1999, are for politicians from all walks of life – from local authorities to Westminster.

The annual awards are based on nine categories including the Politician of the Year, Public Campaign of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners will be announced at the Prestonfield House Hotel on November the 18th. The awards aim to encourage political performance and bring together key individuals in business and politics in Scotland. The nominees and winners are chosen by a panel of judges in what has been described, by key sponsors The Herald, as heated debates.

Running for Politician of the Year are Health Secretary and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Labour leader Iain Gray, Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott and convener of Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee Hugh Henry. Henry is the first back bencher at the Scottish Parliament to be nominated for the top award. His work attracted attention in 2010 through the Audit Committees scrutiny of senior Civil Servants and First Minister Alex Salmond’s controversial handling of the Homecoming event, the Gathering. Hugh Henry told Edinburgh Napier News:

“I’m surprised but honoured to have been nominated. I hope that this will reflect the good work done by many backbenchers over many years in the parliament”

The most popular award is the Public Campaign or Campaigner of the Year. This year’s award nominees include Tina McGeever, who’s late husband Michael Gray was denied drugs to combat cancer, and she has tried to stop the post-code lottery on new medicines in Scotland. The second campaign nominee is stalking victim Ann Moulds who has campaigned successfully to make such behaviour a crime. Finally Kelly McGee who has worked hard on mandatory sentences for knife crime after her brother Paul, a Scots Guard, was stabbed and killed outside the family home in Lochwinnoch.

One award has remained a secret and that is Lifetime Achievement. According to The Herald, two excellent candidates have been nominated but judges had difficulty coming to an agreement.

The Awards have had their share of bad behaviour. In 2004 Lord Watson of Invergowrie set fire to curtains at the Prestonfield Hotel, and in 2007 Matthew Marr, chief press aide to then Labour leader Wendy Alexander, became abusive to guests and the staff. Both men resigned from political life.

Winning, however, does not necessarily lead to success. In last years awards Steven Purcell won Councillor of the Year but stepped down from Glasgow City council in March this year due to a drugs scandal.

Last year’s Politician of the Year was won by John Swinney MSP, pictured, but the Finance Secretary could be excused for having other things on this mind with the pending budget speech to Holyrood on November the 17th.

Filed Under: All Politics Tagged With: Holyrood, Politics, Scotland

National Business Convention for Scotland

October 8, 2010 By Jamye D 1 Comment

by Jamye Drohan

The Federation for Small Businesses (FSB) and the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) today announced plans for the first National Business Convention to take place after the Holyrood elections in May 2011.

The aim of the National Business Convention will be to form a partnership between hundreds of Scottish businesses, politicians and financial experts, with a view to developing an action plan for economic growth for Scotland.

A spokesperson for the SCDI said that this announcement is an initial confirmation that this event will go ahead in Edinburgh in June 2011, with further details to be finalised early in the New Year.

The Chief Executive of SCDI, Dr. Lesley Sawers explains; “In a reduced spending environment, it is essential that Scotland’s business and civic organisations work together with our politicians to ensure the right decisions are made to secure and drive forward the recovery.”

The announcement has been met with cross- party support from MSPs.

Labour’s Andy Kerr, Shadow Finance Secretary said; “The first priority of an incoming Labour government in Scotland will be to grow the economy and defend jobs.

“I recognise that if we are to be successful we need to listen to the views of the business community and civic society.”

Derek Brownlee, Scottish Conservatives’ Finance Spokesman, supports the announcement, saying; “it is essential for the next Scottish administration to work with business in Scotland to ensure that we create a more balanced economy so increasing the private sector’s share and the number of jobs in the private sector.”

While there seems to be support behind the idea for a Business Convention, how it will achieve economic growth remains to be seen.

Filed Under: Economy and Business Tagged With: Edinburgh, FSB, Holyrood, National Business Convention, SCDI

Parliament splash out on building during economic slump

October 5, 2009 By robbo09 Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com

By Matthew Robertson

Taxpayers have once again paid the price, as it has been announced that over the last five years, they have had fork out over £4 million for maintenance costs for the Scottish Parliamentary buildings in Holyrood.

This coming off the back of numerous occasions of over expenditure demonstrated by the government, such as the 2012 London olympics, is another kick in the teeth for the general public and is another example of how this country constantly fails to keep its financial budgets in order.

MSPS are perhaps the most illustrious of names of people who have lined up to criticise the cost of the famous buildings, as they blamed the “extravagant” designs for the high costs in maintenance.However, things such as security and cleaning lead to the buildup of cash spend on this project.New figures which were recently published this year show that a bill of £1.3 million was reached last year alone. This was mainly down to unscheduled maintenance such as the varnishing of the oak poles at the front of the building, reconstruction of the elevators and the cleaning of the premises such windows and flooring.

The figures also showed that one contractor, Norland, was paid a total of £5.1m for mechanical, electrical and fabric maintenance and work on security projects.When asked whether they felt that the money was well spent, Norland replied”We, along with the parliament feel that the finances spent of maintenance were necessary and will provide the country with a building they can be proud of”.

For a building which has been open for five years now, it could be said that there are some areas for improvement. For example a Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said “Holyrood is a unique building which is used by up to 1,000 people every day as well as more than 350,000 visitors a year. Naturally this has an impact on maintenance. We constantly review and develop our maintenance plans to ensure that cost-effective solutions are delivered.”

But when times are as tough as they currently are, this particular government debacle is hardly music to the public’s ears.

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business Tagged With: Holyrood, MSPS, Olympics, Scottish Parliament

Minimum Prices for Alcohol to be set

March 16, 2009 By elizabethgorrie Leave a Comment

photo courtesy of smh.com

Pressure is increasing on the government to set minimum prices for alcohol in England, following the publication of Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson’s annual report.

This follows similar proposals made by the Scottish Government earlier this month.

According to Sir Liam: “Cheap alcohol is killing us like never before”. He hopes that setting a minimum price for alcohol could lead to over 3000 fewer alcohol related deaths and cut hospital admissions by 100,000 every year. 2007 saw 8724 alcohol related deaths in the UK alone.

If ministers at Westminster pass this proposal a minimum price of 50p could be set per unit of alcohol. This would make it illegal to sell a standard bottle of wine for less than £4.50. The price of an average six-pack of lager would increase to £6.00; almost triple the current supermarket price.

However, it is understood that Sir Liam’s proposal is likely to be rejected after it was met with strong opposition from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He is concerned over the effect minimum price setting will have on “responsible drinkers”.

Scotland’s own plans were dealt a blow over the weekend after the Scottish Whisky Association voiced concerns over the legality of setting minimum alcohol prices.

Nevertheless the Scottish Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon insists that this move is still under consideration in both Scotland and England:

“Alcohol misuse is a major problem north and south of the Border, and we welcome reports that the UK government are taking the first steps in following key aspects of the Scottish Government’s proposals. As in the ban on smoking in public places, it is clear Scotland is again ahead of the game”.

Filed Under: All Politics, Life and Society Tagged With: alcohol, England, Gordon Brown, Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland, scottish government, Scottish Whisky Association, Sir Liam Donaldson, Westminster

A triangular roundabout?

March 2, 2009 By elizabethgorrie Leave a Comment

By Elizabeth Gorrie

Over £220,000 of taxpayers’ money is being spent on a triangular roundabout to be built outside the Scottish Parliament in an effort to prevent a terrorist attack on the building.

The ’roundabout’ will be built at the entrance of the Parliament’s underground car park in Holyrood Road, reaching a height of one metre.

According to a Parliament source: “The function of the chicane is to put an obstacle in front of the building. The idea is to make it impossible for someone to drive down Holyrood Road at high speed and crash the gates”.

Despite spending £90 million bomb proofing the Parliament when construction of the building began in 1999, MI5 revealed two years ago that there were not enough measures to protect it from an attack.

Plans for a ring of steel and concrete around Holyrood were announced one month ago after The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure advised that it would be unable to withstand a suicide bomb attack.

However, many MSPs, including Margo MacDonald are unsure if this is the correct way to be spending taxpayers’ money.

“How many of these kinds of incidents have there been? If it was a regular occurrence I would be prepared to take their word for it that this is a necessary precaution. But if it’s only a ‘what if’ I think we could find better use for the money”.

Yet perhaps MacDonald ought to look at what else the taxpayers’ money is being used for before being too critical of the roundabout. This year alone £100,000 has been provided to improve the exhibition in the Parliament’s foyer and to buy new aerials, which are to enhance mobile phone reception in the building.

It was revealed by the Edinburgh Evening News last year that a new swipe-card system in the car park worth over £250,ooo had broken down. All traffic lights were left on red and guards were needed to manually wave cars through.

The roundabout and other security improvements are already underway, it is however uncertain when work will be completed.

Filed Under: Life and Society, Uncategorized Tagged With: Holyroad Road, Holyrood, Land Engineering, Margo MacDonald, MI5, Scottish Parliament, The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure, Traingular roundabout, Triangular roundabout

Holyrood defenceless against suicide attacks

February 4, 2009 By lauramclean Leave a Comment

By Laura Mclean

The Scottish Parliament is not strong enough to withstand a suicide bomb attack, despite having had £90 million spent on bomb-proofing the building, according to a report by the The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure.

A ring of steel and concrete is to be erected surrounding the Scottish Parliament , two years after MI5 warned that not enough measures were being taken to protect Holyrood.

The move comes after the terror attack on Glasgow Airport 2 years ago when a Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass terminal doors at Glasgow International Airport.

A Parliament insider said today that discussions about increasing security have been in the pipeline for years but up until now no changes have been brought about.

He said: “The existing bollards were not thought to be strong enough and the fear was that a car being driven at speed could come through the glass front and into the building.”

Over £90 million was spent bomb proofing the interior and exterior of the Scottish Parliament. But today it has been announced that a further £1.5 million is to be spent on a package of security improvements including new security gates and bollards will be erected at the entrance to the Holyrood building.

The architectural demands and safety regulations on the building were amongst the most rigorous in the construction industry in the 1990s. Consturcted from a mixture of granite, steel and glass the project was deemed as bomb-proof.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Parliament said they are taking measures to install street furniture that will fit with the surrounding area. She said: “The intention is to produce additional security measures, which are tasteful and merge with the iconic status of the Scottish Parliament building.”

Security bollards surrounding the airport entrance stopped the car from entering the terminal. MI5 say that a similar attack in Edinburgh can be prevented by erecting a further 162 bollards outside of the Scottish Parliament

City councillors have reassured local residents that no additional clutter will be made to the Canongate streets.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: airport, attack, bomb-proof, bomb-proofing, Edinburgh City Council, Glasgow, Holyrood, International, MI5, Scottish Parliament, suicide attack, suicide bombing, The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure

New job boost for Edinburgh

November 27, 2008 By pmccormack Leave a Comment

By Paul McCormack

Aquamarine Power, Britain’s only marine energy company, has this week announced that there is potential for recruitment in the industry to increase by 150 per cent.

The Scottish Parliament

The Edinburgh based organisation, which develops wave and tidal energy, believes that with the correct backing from the government, this form of energy production could eventually employ more people than the oil and gas companies based in the North Sea.

A report by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has called on the Scottish government to invest £40m to help the industry to move forward and develop their energy producing products off the coast of Orkney.

Currently employing more than 1,000 workers in Scotland, marine energy companies are aiming to expand in order to become the most efficient form of renewable energy.

Michael Berry, Communications Finance and Sustainable growth spokesman for the Scottish government said: “Scotland is leading the world in the development of marine energy. Our seas can provide 25 per cent of Europe’s tidal power and 10 per cent of its wave power – backed by significant government support, developers are investing millions in the testing and deployment of wave and tidal devices to harness that potential.”

Holyrood has called for 30 per cent of Scotland’s energy to be renewable by 2011, increasing to 50 per cent by 2020, and this source could be the ideal method for the government to reach its proposed targets.

Berry added: “£10 million is being used to support wave and tidal energy projects around Scotland and a further £2.5 million is going towards infrastructure projects at the world-leading European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. The issue of further support for the sector will be examined by the Forum for Renewable Energy Development.”

This decision will come as great news for everyone in the marine energy business and will open up the possibility of several thousand new jobs across the country.

Filed Under: All Politics, Economy and Business, Science and Technology Tagged With: Edinburgh, energy, gas, government, Holyrood, jobs, oil, orkney, parliament, Scotland

Living Streets Launch This Morning In Holyrood.

November 25, 2008 By Cara Hunter Liddle Leave a Comment

By Cara Liddle

Living Streets

National launch of Scottish charity “Living Streets” will take place this morning in Holyrood to celebrate success as government funding has allowed the organisation to open a permanent base in the capital city.
“Living Streets” is a charity campaigns for improvements to public spaces and better streets for people on foot. Using donations to fund research, lobbying, advice, changes to policy and trying to give positive solutions to pedestrians and to encourage people to make the best of the Scottish great outdoors.
The event is being hosted by MSP Alison McInnes where politicians, community activists and other professionals will hear various stories illustrating the importance of safer, cleaner streets. Anne Cairns will also give a speech on how, after suffering from a heart attack she has successfully set up a similar walking group in Stirling for others who are going through cardiac rehabilitation.
Today’s launch is designed to draw attention to the organisation and also to make the public and other bodies aware of their intentions for the near future, beginning with a three point action plan.
Living Streets also hope to help combat the issue of obesity in Scotland with their new plans. Obesity levels have risen dramatically in the past twenty years with the highest levels of overweight, obese and severely obese children found in the most deprived areas of the country.
As the popularity of gaming rapidly increases, actual physical activities outdoors like football and hill walking are becoming less and less attractive to Scotland’s youth. Living Streets hope to combat this attitude by encouraging the population to step outside. However getting people to take that first step is hard, especially when 37% of people living in more deprived areas of Scotland claim to feel unsafe walking in their neighbourhood after dark.
Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:”We firmly believe that by creating safe, attractive streets, we immediately set the scene to encourage people to get walking more. We will be working to make this a reality across Scotland and help close down the big inequalities in health, road safety, congestion and pollution, and create a healthier population.