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Salmond 'lied' to defend schools record

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Published Date: 19 June 2009
FIRST Minister Alex Salmond has been accused of lying to defend his government's poor record on building new schools.
He defended himself from claims in First Minister's questions yesterday from Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott that it had taken the SNP two years to announce its own school building programme.

The attack followed an announcement of a £1.25 b
illion programme to build 55 schools by 2018, and two years of criticism that the SNP has failed to initiate any new school building projects.

Mr Salmond was asked when Inverurie Academy in his own constituency would be replaced.

But Mr Salmond claimed that it took the first Labour/Liberal Democrat administration until June 2002 – three years after coming to office – to start building schools.

An angry Labour education spokeswoman, Rhona Brankin, pointed to a project in Mr Salmond's own back yard, Aberdeenshire, which was started just seven months after her party and the Lib Dems formed the Scottish Executive in 2007. Four other schemes were then started between late 1999 and July 2002.

"This was an example of a bare-faced lie," said Ms Brankin.

But a spokesman for Mr Salmond said: "This is Labour trying to have it both ways.

"The point is their national programme began after three years, ours after two. They lay claim to other projects in the interim period but they reject our argument that we have been responsible for 250 school projects since we came to power."





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  • Last Updated: 18 June 2009 10:47 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Scottish National Party
 
1

Don Roberto,

19/06/2009 00:15:34
Oh look an anonymous article...Keep the scurrilous comments coming boys, one day you might just say something about Salmond that'll end up with JP coming a cropper in the libel courts...

2

Matt M,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 00:17:14
Hang on, the Labour-led scottish executive succeeded a Labour-run Scottish Office both headed by Donald Dewar. Of course they can take credit for the schools which were in the pipeline. The SNP certainly cannot. Salmond is a fantasist or a liar if he says he has lived up to his promises on schools.
3

frank mcbride,

lusitania 19/06/2009 01:18:43
#3 Matt M.

And you're deluded.

Who, if not the SNP Government, has given the go-ahead for the 250 new/refurbished schools since May 2007?
4

frank mcbride,

lusitania 19/06/2009 01:20:18
#1, AM2.

I hope that this is you winding up for the GE as you did such a good job for the SNP in 2007.
5

Jo Flo,

affording views 19/06/2009 02:23:01
Won't even read this because of the "lied" bit

Telling tales gets you into trouble
Those that tell tales get into trouble

I might read it... nope, not going to read this in protest
6

Farky,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 08:21:49
The headline should surely read Salmond accused of lying, should it not. I have not read the article, but scrolled to the bottom to leave this comment.

Typical of the Scotsman!
7

The Tin Man,

19/06/2009 08:32:00
'Our lies are bigger, better funded, and more popular, than your lies. We pledge to tell as many lies as the previous exec by 2011.'
8

mr broon,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 08:49:41
With all these headlines in today's Scotsman about the insufferable First Minister, he must be cowering in a darken room..................... absolutely gloating?

Gallus Alex, and his Nationalist separatists, get more headlines than the Westminster MPs expenses scandal, the civil unrest in Iran, Fred Goodwin's multi-million pension refund, or the line-up for the next Lions Test!

What's the old adage: "Any publicity, is good publicity"!
9

The Tin Man,

19/06/2009 08:58:00
Q. When will Inverurie Academy be replaced?

A. It took the first Labour/Liberal Democrat administration until June 2002 to start building schools.

mmmmm.... politicians.... lovely.
10

Arfur,

19/06/2009 09:19:14
What guff hootsman. Didnt even bother reading cos of the wildly anti SNP headline.
11

Matt M,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 10:33:13
# Frank McBride,

"Who, if not the SNP Government, has given the go-ahead for the 250 new/refurbished schools since May 2007?"

You're having a laugh.

All but a handful were already in the pipeline and those which weren't were traditionally procured by local authorities directly (in most cases also prior to May 2007), not the Scottish Government. Example of former: Broughton School in Edinburgh, part of PPP2 schools approved by previous Scottish Executive and administration opened to pupils in Februrary this year. Are the SNP now claiming credit for PPP schools?

They can't have it both ways. Desperate stuff from the SNP.
12

Martinh,

19/06/2009 10:33:19
#11. A typical comment by a typical NAT, can't read, won't read! The article by the Scotsman has the word lied in parentheses, indicating that this is not a statement of fact, but a quote from Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott, and Labour's education spokesperson Rhona Brankin.

Well done 'Scotsman' for your usual impartial, non partisan and accurate reporting. Only the blinkered fanatics fail to see this.
13

Canny Mann,

The Kingdom 19/06/2009 15:13:57
The SNP wanted to scrap the "Edinburgh Trams" which were unwanted by the Edinburgh people. The spending spree was foisted on the SNP by the tri party pact of Labour, Tory and LDs. Much the same as the NO REFERENDUM vote.

Had the SNP not been frogmarched to the "hole in the wall" there would unboubtedly have been funds available, for our childrens education to be improved by refurbished or new build facilities.

Had we cancelled "Son of Trident" had we not sent our young people to illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had we not had a Labour managed economic collapse in the UK banking sector, we would have had money to invest in our childrens future.

A great push is needed by the electorate to banish the union driven parties from politics in Scotland and give our children a fighting chance. Once we have independence, we can as a nation decide what is needed by who, where we can do it, how we are going to achieve it and a timetable to when it will be delivered.

As the supporters of the tri party pact who have "Home Rule" sympathies recognise there is censorship, Secrecy, corruption and above the law antics in westminster. The swing towards the SNP will increase. As the undecided see the travesty of electing an SNP ruling party, only to have it subverted by the tri party pact, the denial of democratic rights to choose between devolution, status quo or Independence. Then the general election in 2010, will see the damn break and the SNP will flood to victory.

Scotland in devolution under the SNP has benefited more than the previous 12 years under the Lab/LD pact.

Scotland has had people talking it up in the SNP not knocking it down as the people who attempt to fool us into believing we are too small, too poor and too stupid to look after ourselves.

SNP and free for me.

Alba gu brath...
14

Don Pio,

Sequim, WA, USA 19/06/2009 15:43:45
#13. Haha. Thanks. Your post gives me a chuckle every time I read it. This article is so biased, that's the only reason I came here from google news. No one else is running this story and then for that headline when he clearly didn't lie, classic.

PS. I am a typical NAT. I support continuing the independence of the US. We've done well without you.
15

Jock Tamson,

Scotland, Caledonia, Alba 19/06/2009 17:31:00
13, Martinh.

parenthesis n (plural parentheses) an explanatory comment in a sentence contained within brackets...
...the brackets themselves (). [] or {} even.

The headline using the single quotation mark on either side of the word lied ('lied'), within the context of the headline, is not as obvious a quote as "lied" would have been and it could be argued that this was done to mislead the reader.

The tragic thing about all this is the fact that the Scotsman used to pride itself on having an intelligent readership - a readership who would have seen through the present day dumbed down propaganda pap.

In case you did not realise it, the "Well done 'Scotsman' for your usual impartial, non partisan and accurate reporting. Only the blinkered fanatics fail to see this." statement you wrote only shows you up as being a dumbed down reader.

A low level handbags at dawn parliamentary spat with an attempted sensationalist headline, tabloid style, and you try to pose as an intellectual.

(hhfh)
16

Matt M,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 17:50:52
If Salmond isn't lying how does he explain the PPP1 schools projects commissioned under Donald Dewar's Executive, e.g. Edinburgh, Fife, Aberdeenshire etc. which all financially closed well before June 2002?

You're right. He can't
17

Miss H,

19/06/2009 18:27:38
1 You guys really have to do something about Rona Brankin. She is just not cutting it. She is the worst shadow minister by far. I am embarrassed by her so goodness knows how you Labourites feel.

If I were to give her a report card it would be 0 out of 10 and not simply 'must do better' - more like 'last chance saloon'.

PS: The same is true of Iain Gray.

18

Liberal for life,

Dunblane 19/06/2009 22:44:46
As usual the smoke and mirrors effect is all that the SNP really offer the people of Scotland - lets wise up one and all.
19

TheDisplacedGlaswegian,

Edinburgh 19/06/2009 23:20:15
#19, Fool for Life,
- Freezing council tax
- Cutting business rates
- phasing out prescription charges
- scrapping the graduate endowment
- saved accident and emergency units at Ayr and Monklands
- scrapped the tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges
- Well on the way to acheiving 1000 more police officers onour streets...

More than 50% of the SNP's manifesto targets were met in under 2 years. What smoke and mirrors are you gibberring about?

Oh aye, and support rising by the day. There is only one party that can take Scotland forward and it aint any of the dependency parties.


20

Brianwci,

19/06/2009 23:38:59
Salmond doesn't have to lie on behalf of the SNP Government, it's streaking ahead in the polls because of what's already been done and the 100% PRO SCOTTISH attitude of all SNP MSPs (plus Margo of course) every time they open their mouths.
21

BIG EYE,

Paisley 20/06/2009 00:32:49
What must be worrying the Unionists is that the SNP are getting stronger, attracting many new active members while the membership of the Unionist parties, particularly Labour are disappearing like snow off a dyke!

Unionism in Scotland now only exists on the TV and the newspapers it has been wiped off the streets.
22

The Scotchman,

20/06/2009 10:18:28
The SNP have all the Unionists in a blind panic. The things that are coming out all over the place is crazy.

Look for this campaign to go into overdrive like mad when the elections hit.

Amazing Brown's bleating on about Iran's democracy. It's happening right here.
23

Electric Hermit,

26/06/2009 02:26:17
1
Hagbard Celine

"There never could have been any, as they are unworkable and illegal under current legislation."

The solution is obvious. Secession from the union so that a Scottish government can enact legislation for the benefit of Scotland and its people.


 

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