FMQs Review

After what has felt like a number of months of FMQs being almost exclusively focused on the independence debate, opposition members turned their attention to other issues of importance to Scotland.

Johann Lamont tackled the First Minister on the issue of waiting lists, and highlighted the case of one of her constituents who had been left on a trolley at for over 8 hours. The Labour leader has often been at her strongest when presenting individual cases, and using them to reflect wider problems. Most notably over the issue of blankets in hospitals.

The First Minster pivoted to the larger questions of the NHS, arguing that people were more satisfied with the service than ever before, while at the same time funding was at its tightest in a generation. In response Lamont widened out the issue from her constituent, highlighting figures from NHS Glasgow which showed that the number of people waiting in A&E for over four hours had trebled from 10,100 to 31,700.

In a weaker performance than normal, the First Minister concentrated on the record of Labour in Wales, and the lack of commitment from the party in Scotland to secure the health budget and keep hospitals open.

While focused on health, the questioning from Lamont was really about the performance of Nicola Sturgeon in her previous role as Cabinet Secretary for Health, and her anticipated future appointment as leader of the SNP.

Ruth Davidson questioned Salmond on the issue of life sentences following a high profile case this week of a convicted murderer who was released early, and had used European legislation to allow him to apply for parole after 30 years of imprisonment. The First Minister responded that Ministers should not be able to intervene in legal matters such as sentencing, but that he would be open to hearing suggestions from the Conservative leader.

While some barbs were traded between the leaders, this was a FMQs grounded in the day to day issues facing people in Scotland.

By Robert

FMQ’s Review

With the First Minister making his apology over quoting the inaccurate figures last week, it was no surprise that Johann Lamont went on the offensive over this issue in the Chamber. In a back and forth that was neither leaders greatest moment, the accusations flew thick and fast.

For the First Minister, it was a simple mistake, having been handed incorrect data. For Scottish Labour, it was another example of Alex Salmond not taking responsibility for his actions. Lamont wanted to cast the First Minister, and by extension, the Scottish Government, as not having a grip on Scotland’s colleges.  She also raised once again the issue of whether Salmond could be trusted.

The First Minister, for his part, accepted that the mistake had been made, and  then attacked Labour for a range of promises he claimed that they had reneged on, as well as raising the issue of the Iraq War.

Somewhere in there, the issue of college funding was raised, but for the most part neither came out of the debate looking their best. Lamont overplayed her hand, while Salmond allowed himself to become too fixed on the record of Labour.

In an amusing moment, the Presiding Officer once again called Ruth Davidson, “Ruth Lamont” – something which has caused much merriment with the SNP backbenches. 

Davidson also went on the issue of the incorrect figures, but left herself open to attack when she accidentally read out the wrong numbers (although she apologised immediately).  This allowed the First Minister to demonstrate how mistakes can happen, before rounding on her for claims she had made that a range of courses at colleges had been cut, when in fact they were still available.

By Rob

This is Scotland

 

Today saw the launch of the Yes campaign for independence, which was held at a local cinema in Edinburgh. In front of the assembled national media, a goal was announced to get a million Scots sign their name to a declaration of support for independence, ahead of the vote which is expected to be held in 2014.

The event saw a range of speakers take to the podium. Alex Salmond was of course front and centre, but in an attempt to demonstrate that the campaign was not solely about the SNP, other parties, including the Greens, shared the stage. Creative figures such as Brian Cox and Alan Cumming, political elders such as Dennis Canavan and Tommy Brennan, among others, made an appeal to people to vote for independence. It was interesting to note that some of these speakers had their roots in the Labour Party.

Indeed it is becoming clear that the strategy for the Yes campaign is to appeal to non-SNP voters who may be sympathetic to the idea of an independent Scotland. However the association of the SNP to the wider independence goal may be difficult to disentangle given the shadow that Alex Salmond currently casts over the debate.

The challenge facing the campaign was made clear today as new polling suggests that only 33% of voters would back independence and, perhaps more worryingly for supporters, just 58% of people who voted for the SNP in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections would back independence.

While the launch was light on detail, it accomplished the goal of setting a tone moving forward. The Union campaign expected to be launched within the next few weeks, meaning that the Yes campaigners have a slight advantage of time on their side when putting forward their message and bridging the gap of support which currently exists.

Elsewhere, the Scottish Parliament finally voted the minimum pricing on alcohol into legislation. The policy, long in the making, has now set a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol. The price will come into effect next spring, but in the interim it is expected that there will be a legal challenge in the European courts as it breaches EU trade laws. In the Chamber all the parties voted for the Bill, bar the Labour Party who abstained due to claiming that the pricing would result in a £125 million windfall for supermarkets. However the SNP secured the support of the other parties and one Labour MSP, and as such can claim a broad political consensus on the issue.

The death of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only person ever convicted for the Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people, cast a shadow over the start of the week. Supporters of his innocence repeated their calls for a new inquiry into the attack. The Scottish Government, which granted compassionate leave to al-Megrahi three years ago, reiterated that the investigation was still “live” and that it was the position of the Crown that he did not act alone. It is unlikely that interest in this case will recede with his death.

By Rob

NATO and the SNP

The relationship between the SNP and NATO has been long and difficult. For some thirty years the party has opposed entry into the military alliance, preferring instead to propose joining, alongside countries such as Sweden, Austria and Ireland, the Partnership for Peace.

This week there have been reports emerging from the media suggesting that this longstanding policy could be reversed as part of the run up to the independence referendum.  While senior SNP members have stated that this is speculation for the moment, the prospect of such a move suggests a shift in focus for the party.

NATO has changed radically from its position thirty years ago when it served as a counter to the USSR, and the prospect of an exchange of nuclear weapons loomed large. Since that time the threat of mutually assured destruction has faded into the background. The new threats to Western Europe, are more likely to come from terrorism and individual acts of madness rather than conventional conflicts between neighbouring states. The role of NATO itself has altered as well, with the alliance recently enforcing the No-Fly zone in Libya, and protecting shipping from Somali pirates.

At home, a poll carried out by Professor James Mitchell at Strathclyde University of over 7,000 SNP members, was recently published and found 52.7% believed that joining NATO was in the best interests of Scotland. Only 22% continued to support rejecting membership.

The challenge which faces the SNP, should there be an agreement to this policy change, is squaring the circle with regard to nuclear weapons. While the Party have warmed to the alliance, there continues to be strong opposition to Trident and nuclear power, and it is unlikely this view will alter in the coming years.

It is clear that there is a growing awareness that ahead of the independence referendum, the party need to present a defence strategy that does not allow critics to accuse them of being isolationist in mind-set. However, it remains to be seen whether the SNP will even bring up the issue of NATO for internal review, let alone agree to a change in policy.

By Rob

SNP Conference

SNP Spring conference couldn’t have busier – allegedly 2000 delegates packed into the SECC in what was both a pre-local government election rally and a reaffirming of faith as we head for the campaign on independence. The contrast with the sombre moods in Dundee and Inverness was stark.

There can be little doubt why delegates were there in their droves – to hear Alex. It is interesting that he has taken on this persona as the leading nationalist light and one wonders how this might develop over the next 18 months. Alex delivered a wide ranging speech aimed at the party faithful as he took the opportunity to lambast Labour. He was in Labour’s heartland and he wanted to take the opportunity to attack them. The SNP have Glasgow firmly in their sights for May and this conference was carefully focused on providing a launch for the attack. Glasgow Councillors and MSPs were quick to take to the podium to make the case for change. For a party committed to independence, they managed to stay remarkably focused on the May elections in a way that the Labour and Lib Dem conferences had failed to do.

But there was more to conference than the local government elections. Salmond made a series of pledges – from introducing the living wage in every local authority controlled by the SNP to more money for sports facilities and volunteering opportunities for sporting events. Of course, he also used the opportunity to set out the case for independence, but here more than at any other time was a First Minister in control – in control of his party; in control policy; and in control of his country. Not a bad place to start a campaign on independence.

By Ross

Constance to tackle Youth Unemployment

Salmond has made good his promise to appoint a new Minister charged with tackling youth unemployment and, perhaps surprisingly, he has appointed former Minister for Children and Young People, Angela Constance MSP. Given the level of profile that this job was going to attract it is unsurprising that Salmond has not chosen a new MSP and Constance was previously Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning for six months before the May elections. She can therefore draw on both this experience and that of her previous role focused on young people. She will report into Michael Russell MSP.

With less fanfare was the announcement that there is now a Minister dedicated to science. Alasdair Allan MSP has had science added to his portfolio. Allan is not necessarily a natural choice given that he covers neither higher education, nor the economy. However, this is a debut for science as a specific portfolio under the SNP and the Government will be using this as a first step.

Last, but not least, the first of the new intake in 2011 to make the Ministerial line-up is Derek Mackay MSP. The former Renfrewshire leader is now the Minister for Local Government and Planning and he’ll be keen to draw on his background in local government to work with Cosla and other bodies on local government reform – and with the all-important local government elections just six months away, his role may be pivotal to the SNP’s success or otherwise. His predecessor, Aileen Campbell has been swept over to be the new Minister for Children and Young People. Not a demotion and perhaps a role better suited for her.

By Ross

SNP Conference

The SNP Party Conference took place in Inverness, which was their first meeting since their election victory in May. Therefore it was unsurprising that the Party was in good cheer. Nevertheless, Ministers remained in a sombre and business-like mood. The focus of discussions and debate centred on the proposed independence referendum.

Amongst a host of literature, donation pleas and a new slogan, “Scotland – Its Starting”, Angus Robertson MP officially unveiled the party’s roadmap for independence. The four step campaign plan seeks to galvanise the party’s base while simultaneously appealing to the wider electorate to consider all possibilities. This would be achieved through a concerted effort to, “raise confidence, optimism and understanding of the independence case” and finally a huge door step and social media campaign to persuade the public. In his keynote speech, Salmond gave the strongest indication yet that the referendum will consist of multiple options (status quo, devolution max and full independence) rather than a straight Yes or No favoured by opponents. While the Conference undoubtedly saw the first meat being applied to the bones of the referendum, it remains a long way short of opponent’s demands for clarity over the exact nature and timing of the question. The campaign was also boosted by the announcement that Scotland’s former national poet, makar Edwin Morgan bequeathed £1million to the independence cause. 

While the debate may be moving towards the campaign for independence, attacks on the UK Government continued unabated. Alex Salmond slammed the UK Governments record and warned the David Cameron not to interfere with referendum; John Swinney proclaimed that an independent Scotland would be the world’s sixth wealthiest country if it had a geographical share of its offshore resources and did not have to ‘subsidise’ the UK, while Fergus Ewing claimed that about half of the North Seas Oil and Gas reserves were as yet unclaimed contrary to recent industry reports. Many in the SNP believe that the UK Government could be goaded into committing a so-called ‘own goal’ if it were to be seen as interfering in Scottish affairs too much.

Away from the issue of independence, energy remained high on the political agenda at the conference, with a strong focus on renewables. A protest outside the conference centre and the publication of the SNH map of projected wind farm projects galvanised the debate. However, the Government made it clear time and again about its commitment to renewables. It also used the conference to reiterate its commitment to the oil industry and used this, and their disagreement with HM Treasury on oil taxation, to help stress the need for independence.

Anyone leaving Inverness could have been left with little doubt that the Party has started to move the debate away from the current Scotland Bill and towards the campaign ahead on independence. Whether the SNP are successful or not, they have indeed chosen a suitable slogan. Scotland – Its starting.

By Ross

This Week in Scotland

Former MP, John Mason has provoked a furore with a motion he has submitted to the Scottish Parliament. Motions often deal with worthy but mundane issues like charity campaigns and successes by local people. However, Mason tabled a motion on the subject of same sex marriage which reads: “While some in society approve of same-sex sexual relationships, others do not agree with them … No person or organisation should be forced to be involved in or to approve of same-sex marriages.” The motion has attracted a few signatures of support and defenders have said that Mr Mason is trying to mount a defence of religious institutions and believers rather than attack the principle of gay marriage. However, the motion has also attracted significant criticism. Unsurprisingly this has come from opposition spokespeople like Patrick Harvie for the Scottish Greens and Johann Lamont for Scottish Labour. More surprisingly has been the reaction of some SNP colleagues including Pete Wishart MP who tweeted: “John Mason’s nasty little anti-gay marriage motion is just wrong, and really disappointed that other colleagues have signed it.” It will be interesting to see if this issue could expose a genuine rift in the SNP Parliamentary Party.

Alex Salmond has been accused of trying to “seduce” Rupert Murdoch and News International after it emerged that he offered the media baron a series of gifts and has met him or his executives 25 times since becoming Scotland‘s first minister.Labour’s Scottish leader, Iain Gray, said Salmond was guilty of “highly questionable behaviour.” Defenders of the First Minister have indicated he has merely followed the examples of Labour and the Tories who have courted the backing of the News International power broker.

Finally, the final chapter of the Tommy Sheridan trial was written as the former MSP was informed he will not be given leave to appeal his perjury conviction, the Scottish Courts Service confirmed this week. Following his conviction, his lawyer lodged an appeal on the grounds that Sheridan had been denied a fair trial because of the amount of publicity generated before it began. The Scottish Courts Service has now confirmed this was rejected by three appeal judges on the grounds it was “not arguable”. Sheridan will now have to serve out the remainder of his three year sentence.

By Kenny

This Week in Scotland

Recess is in full swing.

The financial gulf between the SNP and Scottish Labour has been reaffirmed this week as figures indicate that the SNP spent £2.1million in 2010 compared with Labour’s £600,000. Although much of Scottish Labour’s income and expenditure is accounted for at a UK level, the figures show the widening gulf that exists between Scotland’s two main parties. This extra financial clout enabled the SNP to pour thousands of extra pounds into their ultimately successful re-election campaign.

The Scottish Affairs Select Committee at Westminster reported that the UK Governments policy towards immigration will have a “disproportionate effect” on Scottish Universities. The UK Government is committed to reducing immigration to 10’s of thousands per annum. Restricting visa applications for foreign students is seen as one of the easiest ways of achieving this ambition. The Committees report went on to say that Scottish circumstances had not been adequately factored in and that high quality foreign students will be put off applying to study in Scotland.

Finally, the Scottish Government has announced more than £4 million funding to improve the countries local sports facilities ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

This Week in Scotland

Alex Salmond demonstrated his stubborn bombast side this week as the hubbub surrounding the UK Supreme Court rumbled on. In an interview given to Holyrood magazine, the First Minister launched an extraordinary attack on Supreme Court judge Lord Hope, the prominent human rights lawyer Professor Tony Kelly and the Advocate General for Scotland Lord Wallace of Tankerness. During heated exchanges at FMQs, Opposition leaders lined up to slam the First Minister demanding “he grow up, own up and apologise” (Iain Gray), while branding his comments as “embarrassing for him, for this parliament and for Scotland” (Willie Rennie), and demonstrating a “sneering disregard for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law” (Annabel Goldie). Despite these calls, Alex Salmond refused to apologies or concede ground and thus the argument continues.

In other news, the UK Government announced the latest amendments to the Scotland Bill, including bring forward powers for the Scottish Government to access the bond market and removing the requirement for Scottish Ministers to absorb the first £125m of tax forecasting variation. Although these powers will see the Scottish Parliament given more financial clout with Ministers becoming more accountable for their actions, the announcement falls considerably short of the demands being voiced by Scottish Government Ministers, namely devolving Corporation Tax and control over Crown Estate revenues.

Finally, the Scottish Government announced proposals for legislation to tackle sectarianism whether in a public place or online. The Offensive Behaviour at Football & Threatening Communications Bill is a result of recent high profile sectarian incidents that continue to blight Scotland. The Bill, if passed, would see two new offences introduced and would raise the maximum jail sentence from six months to five years. The first ‘new’ offense relates to stirring up hatred at or around football matches that could result in public disorder. The second addresses the use of new technology to air prejudices. The Parliament’s Justice Committee has, however, already voiced concerns about the speed in which this legislation is being pushed through.