The Scottish Government

I've tried to post this a few times now.
Fingers crossed.
#59. It's me , yet again - Fife
Sunday, October 7, 2007 19:50

Well, bully for you, so you're that socialist?
Have you been approached yet to have a blue plaque set outside your door?

Are you one of those 'New' ones that have renounced your membership of CND, nuclear disarmament and nuclear power stations?
btw Did you watch last night's documentary on the Windscale disaster?
How Britain came within moments of becoming a charred radioactive desert just because a UK foreign minister had his pride dented by the way he was spoken down to in the USA and decided we must keep up with them in the nuclear arms race.

From information only now available after 50 years, the fact that you and I are alive today, it seems to me, was more down to luck than judgement.

Pouring water into a burning nuclear reactor fire, in a desperate failed attempt to extinguish the blaze, could reasonably have been expected to have caused an enormous atomic explosion, very similar to the near thing that almost happened at the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown 30 years later, the radioactive fallout from either of which could have rendered much of Europe uninhabitable.

Calder Hall A, the first nuclear power station, apparently actually drew more electricity from the national grid than it produced when making material for nuclear weapons.
It's primary purpose.

Likewise, were you impressed by Margaret Thatcher's 'conviction politics' and Norman Tebbit's endorsement for Gordon Brown and his 'New' Labour?

Clause 4?

My party right or wrong:
How does it feel these days to support the party our grandfathers fought to create and what do you think they'd make of what it has become now?
The phrase 'birling in their graves' comes to my mind.
Ask Denis Healey, Roy Hattersley or Tony Benn what they think the smell is, I bet it ain't coffee.

Nursery schools in Edinburgh:
I have no idea, and to be honest I can't be bothered to find out.
I suspect that it may be linked to the fact that Edinburgh is no longer as attractive to young couples who want to raise children, and an ageing demographic.

Back in April the council's Labour party education spokesman indicated that by 2011 there will be the equivalent of 20-odd schools in the Lothians with no pupils in them to teach and that by this autumn they'd have to be discussing school closures.
I'm guessing that would have to include nursery schools too.

Parents at the local village primary school down the road from here are fighting to keep it open for its four pupils, inspite of the fact that due to neglect the building has now been declared unsafe. I expect the kids are outnumbered by the staff looking after them.
The cynic might suggest that the council, rather than trying to shut down the school themselves, let it fall into disrepair so that it would be parents calling for the closure not them.

Incidentally you might also want to take a look at the City of Edinburgh Council and see who actually pulls the strings there.

Polis on the beat: Bella Goldie promised an extra 1500, look where that got the Tories. Hardly a deal breaker?
Personally, I'll give them until 2010/11 to make up my mind on that one.

For the record, I am not and never have been a member of any political party or organisation.

I was a printer in my youth back in the 70's, printing election material for all of the parties except the tories, for obvious reasons.
I learned then to regard all politicians with a healthy dose of cynicism.
Eg I met the 'committed socialist' former shop steward, turning up at the printers with his agent to pick up his election material in his new Jag and flash suit, then putting on the tatty old suit and driving on down to the hustings in an old beat up MkIV Cortina, to confirm his 'class credentials'.
These days he's a belted noble Lord.

I would like Scotland to regain her full statehood for reasons I have made clear elsewhere.
The SNP at the moment are broadly in line with my views, haven't always been and may not always be.

Last word, how about giving some constructive comments on what you want for our kids rather than banging on about what you're against?

#63

Since 1999 when the devolved parliament operated as a COALITION between Labour and the Lib – Dems. The idea that the first two parliaments were controlled by a LABOUR government is a myth. That myth exists in the minds of the SNP MSPs. By definition a government should be able to deliver on its manifesto commitments, or be held to account by the electorate. The reality is that the SNP manifesto can only be delivered by presenting those parts that will be acceptable to opposition, since they have chosen to go it alone. However, on the evidence of the last few weeks, they are unlikely to present much of their manifesto promises to parliament as they have realised they failed to cost them to start with.

Number one ‘We will cancel they Edinburgh trams, as they have been badly costed’. Costings proved to be correct so the will of the parliament was accepted. More to follow? See previous submissions.

I have already said I would support the case for independence if it can be made. I can also state that I have always supported socialist policies, so my political credentials on that front are not in question, more than can be said for the SNP. The Scottish people are entitled to have the FULL consequences of separation laid out before a decision on separation presented to them. ‘We’ the electorate are entitled to that as a minimum requirement. ‘We’ are also entitled to a commitment that a ‘NO’ vote will be accepted as the settled will of the people and left on the shelf for ever. If not, why have a referendum in the first place?

Why is it that the SNP are prepared to join with the Northern Irish and Welsh devolved assemblies to push Westminster for a bigger slice of the UK cake but is not prepared to discuss forming a partnership with fellow MSPs to work with the cash in hand to present a workable budget in the interim? I’m sure MSPs of all parties are prepared to work towards that end.

Further to that comment The Welsh Nationalists are in coalition with a Unionist party to do just that, as are the Northern Irish MIPs. After 30 or so years of conflict warring factions are in concord in that province.

It speaks volumes that the SNP are NOT prepared to follow suit. AS has nothing in common with the representatives of the other two devolved parliaments, and is clearly embarking on a process of confrontation with Westminster, the last thing Scotland needs. Maybe Jack McConnel was right after all, and Mr Salmond’s claim to have won the election on the promise of governing for Scotland, not a narrow minded nationalist programme, is wrong!!

#64 Gordon Murray

Rosyth doesn’t have the order to assemble the super carriers then? You better inform the FE centres who are gearing up to provide the craftsmen who will be engaged in the work they won’t have.

I forgot that, according to the SNP Health Secretary, the Scottish yards WON the contracts to build the individual units on merit. Did she include Polish shipyards in her assessment that we beat the opposition ‘hands down?’ (Poetic License).

Faslane /Coulport jobs in what industries? I would really like to know what they would be and how much they would contribute to the economy and well being of the citizenry of the area. Next question, why is nobody exploiting the rest of locations around the West coast available for exploitation? Maybe they are making a living already.

Your figures may be right as far as possible income is concerned but the expenditure in Scotland does not stop at the £30 billion the parliament has to cover devolved responsibilities.

I will repeat the questions I have asked in prior submissions, who will pay for the State pensions, defence costs, (Including Trident replacement as well as the super carriers above). Will we join NATO and provide personnel and equipment from our own army, navy and air force? If so how much more will that come to?

If the Scottish GDP is near enough in line with the UK’s why are the SNP only claiming to MATCH the UK by 2011?

Pride comes before a fall if promises made by an individual or organisation to gain an advantage are not delivered. Blaming a third party on personal failure is not an acceptable excuse. This country is full of individuals who made a success of their lives and created businesses that have brought work and prosperity to the country. They have achieved their success in spite (?) of being shackled to the mainland.

If the truth were to be told they would agree that the fact they were able to freely exploit the association with the UK, same business rule, common currency, same language, freedom of movement and so on, made their businesses MORE successful.

Alex Salmond should be ashamed to stand up and admit he was surprised at just how much the Scottish IT / Electronics industry contributed to the economy, (without his help obviously). Where has he been for the last 30 years? Down in Westminster for a good part of that time obviously, building up his pension? If he is unaware of Scotland’s industrial successes then he wasn’t doing his job in that place. Still trust him to make a success of Scotland?

62. Here We are Again - Fife
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 14:10
When?
The Budget.

62. Delusions of gradeur - Fife
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 14:10

Is this the Royal We or is that just what we tend to spout, with a not so silent 'p'?

We have a high opinion of one's own opinions, should we perhaps call one Mssr Ecosse?

Rosyth: An unfortunate example to choose, after Whitehall's shame over the RN's nuclear sub maintenance contract. Transferring the work to a dock at Devonport which hadn't the facilities to carry it out, leaving behind half a dozen or so rusting hulks, still waiting to this day, for their nuclear reactors to be made safe. Remember?

The reason to keep the Union is the defence of our shipbuilding jobs? Priceless!!
Just as well no Polish yards get to tender for 'grey' ships, eh?

Faslane/Coulport: Just think of the jobs that could be created along that beautifull stretch of the Firth of Clyde coast if it wasn't tied up with nuclear installations and razor wire.

The economic case for ending dependence on handouts from London?
You mean other than: We pay in more than we get out?
Even according to the accepted as under reported figures from GERS, for 2004-5 we contributed £36.4bn(add a £1bn or two for this year)to the UK Treasury.
That does not include the £10-12bn+ the Treasury in Whitehall is expecting from North Sea Oil this year.(At $65 boe for Brent Crude)

How much are we due back, a whacking great £30bn? Who gets the other £20bn?
That is £30bn a year, right?

I'd say the fact that our Barnett dole money is dependent on what Chancellor Darling does with funding on English NHS hospitals and English Schools is a pretty compelling argument for ending the link.

Even with Whitehall's admittedly dodgy figures, Scotland's GDP per person is near enough in line with the UK's.
So questions about national debt, defence and pension provision, as of today's figures, I cannot see being effected except for the better as the Scottish economy is stimulated for greater future growth.


Personally I'd go for independence even if the figures did not add up.
eg. In extremis:
During the darkest hours of WWII, when Churchill faced up to Hitler across the Channel was he thinking:"Oh dear, what if this gets too expensive, wouldn't we be better off just welcoming them on the beaches"?
Bet your life he wasn't.

YOU tell me about the daily record. who is kidding who!

the SNP ARE in power as they ARE the government. the TRUTH hurts you i know.

they can only process their polices with the goodwill of other parties you say ... well remind us all about the other parties when the SNP were in opposition, they produced a bill to rid
Scotland of the council tax but the other parties voted against it and especially the lib dems on a minute detail and menzies campbell yesterday is stating in westminster to rid us of the council tax! hyprocrcy at its worst and the unionist opposition have shown time and again their is NO goodwill to Scotland on their part, they wont even apologise for their failures 'me again'. dont think Scotland will hold its breath for them.

you say 'we' so much i thought you needed the toilet!

All these things you mention about the police, first time buyers and so on you seem desperate for an answer as we all do but remind us ... why has this not been done up until now with your beloved dependent unionist parties? after all 'WE' have been waiting 300 years have we not! so im glad to see at least you have agreed there is one heck of a mess in the unionist garden but they did tell us everything in Scotland was milk and honey but then it was maybe our oil they had designs on keeping dont you think.

we dont need to convince anyone as the SNP have OVERTOOK labour in power and it will be a long time before labour are back in power. OPEN your eyes man, cruel to be kind and all that.

You say separation yet your a socialist, get real. that would be why every time there is an election in Scotland the worlds press and media run to Scotland in the hope that WE too get our independence.

no amount of non reporting by the unionist media can supress that.

Im glad that you see that we need to do all these things to get Scotland right and then a heck of a lot more due to years of neglect by your unionist parties but if you had the guts to speak out years ago then maybe labour and the tories wouldnt have got away with the destruction they have inflicted on Scotland.

i'd rather be independent spending/saving my own money as i see fit than holding out a begging bowl to another country when i know fine well that the oil and gas that has went into another countries coffers have saved their bacon for years.

its called PRIDE and im proud to be SCOTTISH.

#60

What has reading 'The Record', got to do with Socialism?

The SNP are NOT in power, they are in GOVERNMENT! They can only process their policies with the goodwill of other parties.

Why don't they enter into discussions with other MSP's to present a properly costed budget with an assured voting majority? Because they won't give up the dream? Or because they won't listen?

Show the economic case for seperation, I am listening.

Replace the Community Charge with a local income tax? We are waiting, believe me we are ALL waiting for that one!!

£2,000 handout to first time buyers? Okay by me. WHEN

1,000 more police on the beat? Fat Chance!

£1.5 BILLION saving in running costs, as proposed by Mr Swinney. Enough to cover just about everything promised. Only problem with that one is that most of goernment spend goes on WAGES, so how many people will end up on the dole to achieve that promise.

Who pays the State pension now and who will pay it after separation?

Let's not forget the jobs created building the supercarriers until 2014 - 2016, at shipyards and Rosyth, the support staff at Faslane and Leuchars....

Before you get too carried away these are the people YOU need to convince to support you, so you do need really compelling arguments to get their votes.

We are ears.

its me yet again - Fife 59.

Are u witnessing the great leadership from Gordon at this minute? I think not. What A mess!

Yes he is a big feartie... of the polls in England with the Tories, and as Des browne of Labour (yes him again yawn) saying Salmond is the only one scared of an election! Well obviously he knows and is aware of the truth and with his comment today of all days revealing to us that they are scared of the polls in Scotland too with the SNP in power and riding high in the polls and STILL in honeymoon period in his own words! AND of course things wouldnt be complete without another cock-up from Wendy Alexander's brother Dougie that he was behind this mess with preparing and hyping up of an election just like the votes shambles he presided over recently in Scotland for Mays elections!

So what does Gordon say, it wasnt the polls that put him off!!! so insteps Jack straw and says it was the polls partly! You could not make it up folks.

Who could ever trust them??? Seemingly Gordon wanted more time for to prove his policies ... you see this is where people are saying wasnt he the one in 11 downing street who bankrolled the illegal war in Iraq? I think we all know what his priorities are having been subjected to his and tony blairs failings over foreign policy etc etc for the last TOO many years.

If he cant be trusted to tell the truth and gets in such a mess of terrible proportions then what hope is there.

I KNOW an independent Scotland can do so much better than this shambles of a labour party and just for the record Scotland has never and does NOT want a Tory government here.

The SNP with this national conversation alone have engaged with the people and allowed us our say which is the measure of Alex Salmond and co unlike Gordon's labour party who cant even play straight with the people.

Their is hope for Scotland with independence with an SNP government acting like a competent government
Lets face it, we cant be any worse than what we have and have had to date with that shower at westminster.

Independence cant come quick enough to get us away from the shambles we have had and are still witnessing.

bring it on.

So youre a socialist and dont read the record and yet your an apologist for the labour party? Aye right.
Like it or lump it, the SNP are in power now, coming from nowhere with massive swings to oust labour all over Scotland. The unionist media tried their very best, as usual, to see that labour were kept in power but this time it didnt work. Wonder why it didnt eh? The silly people didnt listen did they? Wendy even apologised down in England for us ... where is our apology for the smears , failure, lies and negativity? If she cant apologise to us, she isnt fit to hold office. It took her brother long enough to accept (kind of) responsibility for the voting chaos. what A nerve. If that is what scottish (with a small s) labour have to offer Scotland, i think it as plain as the nose on all our faces they are finished and not before time.

What did Jack McConnell say 'do more less'... what a vision eh? try - do nothing to write home about at all.

What did Lord Robertson infamously say,'devolution will kill independence stone dead'. Doesnt look like that now does it? The SNP, i repeat, are in power. Get used to it, after all Scotland has had to suffer that last inept holyrood administration called labour who overturned votes on fishing rights etc, stalling on and rejecting ridding Scotland off the council tax, ganging up with each other, wrecking bills on tiny detail and all sorts of other trickery, i think we all know the truth, weve lived it you see. Westminster even changed our fishing waters and gave them to England even before the first msps took their seats in the new scottish parliament!

The unionist parties once said that the SNP would wreck devolution. The truth is the unionist parties have been wrecking the process , theyve been rumbled by the people and this devolution settlement with very very limited powers was destined to appease the Scottish people and stop them getting more powers. It was a ploy. The unionist parties cabal is meeting behind closed doors as we speak, sums them up really. Their trouble is the people have cottoned on now, and they are seen for what they are.,

Wendy has been caught telling porky pies to parliament again last week, no mention of that from you. This time on their own letter pre election where their so called school building program proposals were non exixtent with them blaming mays election for getting in the way. Of course it was ppf where the people would have another debt and another noose round our necks for our lifetime if labour had their way. Basically i think, there are more questions for yourself than you have answers.

The coffee smells nice for a change by the way, this new SNP government are a breath of fresh air and have done more since may than the unionist parties have done in 300 years - PUT SCOTLAND FIRST.

The people here have never caved in to the media telling us who to vote for and saying we arent good enough. Fact of the matter is even more voted to put labour out. I know the truth must hurt but hey ho there is a majority wanting change and independence whether you like it or not. The union was finished years ago, and their is also a re-awakening of Englishness now over the border.

Open YOUR eyes man. Labour up here couldnt fight their way out of a paper bag,they just took us for granted as they had their media to fight for them but guess what???

Labour and the unionist media (with all the slurs they could throw at Scotland and its people) LOST!!!!

We broke their stranglehold and things wont ever be the same again.

INDEPENDENCE FOR SCOTLAND IS UNSTOPPABLE.

THATS THE REALITY.

#58 Alan B
#57 Livilion

Afraid it's that time again. I am in the majority and after the farce of your leader trying to dodge the issue of promising 1,000 more police to win the election, and your Justice Minister sweating buckets when grilled by the interviewer on 'Politics Scotland' today, I suspect we'll be in a bigger majority come 2011. Is it true that Edinburgh Council is making 300 Nursery teachers redundant? If not, why was I asked to sign a petition against it the last time I visited the capital?

Access roads to the bridge I have been advised were funded, if not in full then in part, by the tolls from the bridge. I will check.

For the record I am a socialist, don't read the Record, or swallow any spin from any politician, including your party's. Open your eyes, smell the coffee....