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Trust in short supply as SNP fails to carry out its promises



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Published Date: 24 November 2008
Government's vows on public building projects leave a lot to be desired – it's time to see some action, says ANDY KERR
TODAY, Fiona Hyslop is opening a school in Fife. Duloch Primary School and Community Campus in Dunfermline will be a fine learning establishment and provide a great environment for the children to learn and teachers to teach. The reason I can be so s...



The full article contains 833 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 23 November 2008 8:44 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

,

24/11/2008 00:31:07
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
2

Max FM,

'North Britain' 24/11/2008 00:55:10
Why does the scotsman continue to allow platform for labour MSPs to preach undebated?

Andy - your government in westminster is broke... you've broken scottish banks which, prior to Brown's rein stood for centuries.
.. maybe you should start supporting Scotland - help us take control of our own affairs and run our own country!
3

donald,

glasgow 24/11/2008 05:33:36
Who's Andy Kerr?
4

Peter Curran,

Kirkliston 24/11/2008 08:05:18
2 Max FM

I agree, MaxFM - time for a SNP minister to offer a rebuttal article and see if the Scotsman publishes it.

Conspiracy theories need to be tested. If there is bias and censorship, that's the way to confirm it - or for the Scotsman to prove their evenhandedness.
5

Martinh,

24/11/2008 08:32:58
#2 and #4. Think about it for a moment. How could a SNP spokesperson offer a rebuttal in advance of publication? Are you seriously suggesting that prior to publication that an independent newspaper should submit copy of comment to 'the other side' first for perusal? I have no doubt that a SNP representative will issue an article opposing Andy Kerr's views this week. I look forward to hearing how the SNP election promises to match Labour's school and hospital building proramme have been matched 'brick for brick' in the last 18 months. It will take a political Houdini to do so, as not one has been built by the SNP. That won't be forgotten next time the SNP make wild election promises, which are little more than Houdini illusions.
6

,

24/11/2008 08:41:53
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
7

Fortitude,

24/11/2008 08:59:06
This is a Labour rebuttal to John Swinney's article last week you muppets
8

Fortitude,

24/11/2008 09:09:56
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/opinion/We39re-investing-in-the-best.4717445.jp

For the benefit of the cybernats
9

Darien,

Panama 24/11/2008 09:48:58
Kerr - a large lump of lard with no backbone comes to mind. PFI is a disaster which the people of Scotland will be paying for well into the future because of NewLab incompetence and Broon's need to massage public spending figures over the last 11 years. People who still vote NewLab want their heads examined.
10

Martinh,

24/11/2008 10:01:48
#9. Kerr's practically anorexic compared with with Mr. potato head Salmond. Labour victories in Glenrothes, Forth and Baillieston all on the same day indicate that you will need a lot of head examiners to get through them all.Of course the other explanation is that Scots have wised up to the vacuous hyperbole of SNP broken promises, on schools, hospitals, police numbers, class sizes, increased charges for home helps, and closure of day centres.
11

Linda,

Edinburgh 24/11/2008 10:17:39
Martinh

Glenrothes, Forth and Bailleston down to Brown bounce.
As in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, Fife the current administration are having to sort out the financial mess left by Labour.

Local Authorities received 5% increase in funding (a 2.2% increase over and the above the money to cover Council Tax Freeze whereas Scottish Government received poorest ever post devolution setttlement from Westminster at 0.5% over inflation as at last year.

Scottish government's finances are under severe pressure due to inflation and higher energy costs yet Westminster refuses to hand over the £1 billion of Scotland's money lying in UK Treasury.

Scottish Government is lumbered with £1 billion a year for next 20 years to pay for existing PFI/PPP projects.

If Scottish government had normal government borrowing powers then it could easily progress building projects.
12

Darien,

Panama 24/11/2008 10:32:22
#10 Now now, you keep tugging onto Mummy Westminster's skirt, there's a good lad. Suck yer UK/BritNatz blanket, keep nice and warm and comfortable. Mummy Westminster will look efter us a' up here in chilly North Britain Shire. There there now. Wonder how much pocket money the good boys and girls in North Britain Shire will get from Mummy Westminster next time? If we behave, toe the line, dae whit we're telt, maybe we can get mair?

Get yersel some backbone!
13

Martinh,

24/11/2008 10:42:32
#11. I'm glad you said 0.5% OVER the rate of inflation at the time of this year's settlement, but omit to mention that the £30 billion allocated to the Scottish Government is twice that was available to Donald Dewars Executive at the time,but their political priorities didn't include populist give aways.

The SNP have allocated £500 million to the new Southern General Hospital project in Glasgow-fine by me, but to reject ALL private finance as an ideological principle is misguided, and not what people want which is to see their hospitals and schools built quickly. It is true that PFI projects need to be paid back over a long period of time, but there is something to be said for more than one generation of taxpayers contributing for things that benefit everyone for a long time, rather than just one lump sum from the budget. Also the cost of repair and maintenance over the period of private ownership of infrastructure is the responsibility of the contractor rather than the Government, so there are advantages too.

#12. What an embarrassment... to the SNP.

14

Darien,

Panama 24/11/2008 11:11:56
#13 Are you suggesting Westminster does not function like a comfort (or security) blanket to those Scots who don't think they have what it takes (i.e. no backbone) to govern themselves? I thought that was the basis of the Unionist/British Nation as far as a perceived weak and insignificant Scotland is concerned, which is the view paraded from those of a British Nation persuasion, such as you. Perhaps unlike you I have no political affiliation. I only know from personal experience that Westminster likes to stick it right up Scotland at every opportunity, and that Scots are easily well capable of governing the Scottish nation themselves.
15

Miss H,

24/11/2008 11:57:04
13 What nonsense you talk. The Scottish Budget doubled when Labour were in power and has now flatlined with the SNP.

Well that's the way it goes.

The issue with PFI is actually quite different. From April 1 2009 the UK Government must adopt International Financial Reporting Standards that will place PFI/PPP debt onto the public balance books for the first time. The great attraction of PFI/PPP was that it was off-balance.

estimates of the total UK PFI/PPP debt vary from £60 billion to £100 billion. If you google it you will see what a big issue it is. There are all kinds of implications - such as health boards down south looking at handing over hospitals built under PFI to 'charitable trusts' to avoid having to accept the liability.

Whatever your political affiliations the fact is that the PFI bandwagon has come grinding to a halt and everyone must realise that.
16

Peter Curran,

Kirkliston 24/11/2008 12:22:43
5 MartinH
Of course I am not advocating a rebuttal in advance of publication - time travel is still only a theory.

7 Fortitude
I missed the John Swinney article - that being so, I withdraw my observation. My only concern is for balance and objectivity in media reporting.

 

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