As expected this week's FMQs concentrated on yesterday's pre-budget report from Alistair Darling.
The FM was at his fighting best today and offered a target by Iain Gray, the leader of the Labour Party's MSPs, Alex Salmond didn't miss. Mr Gray's questions concerned accelerated capital expenditure. When he listed the projects presently delayed, the FM was able to quote a list of successful projects and he declared Mr Gray had requested accelerated capital spending from the Treasury but it had not been forthcoming. Undaunted Iain Gray stuck to his script and pursued his claims that the government has misallocated resources. The FM continued to sweep them aside.
Alex Salmon won this round by a whisker - the whisker being his production of a copy of Iain Gray's FM questions for last week (allegedly found in Costa Coffee by a SNP sympathiser I understand), which the FM announced Mr Gray had read word for word. This valuable (well it was to Iain Gray last week) document we were told had been written by a Sarah Metcalfe. A sea of red faces silenced the labour benches and interrogations aplenty will be taking place this very minute.
Annabel Goldie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, attacked Labour and their PBR with gusto and requested the FM give details of the cuts government will be forced to make how much was Labour's cut going to cost Scotland.. The FM was able to give her exact projected figure which SPICE (the Scottish Parliament Information Centre) had published earlier today, stating the PBR would deprive Scotland of £800.14m. Ms Goldie then suggested Labour ministers should be brought before the Parliament to explain the devolved consequences of the PBR but Mr Salmond responded he would rather the entire Labour party be summoned before the people in a general election.
The LibDem leader, Tavish Scott, also homed in on Labour's cuts to Scotland with the FM insisting he wasn't prepared to go down the route of his LibDem leader in London.
Certainly, for my English readers, it's worth watching FMQs this week. You can view it on HolyroodTV, where it will stay forever, or on the BBC iPlayer where it will stay for 7 days.
Enjoy!
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11 comments:
Who summonsed The Great Goat from his slumbers?
Bugger
So here I am!
Oh dear me what a silly billy Iain Gray is.
Is this the harbinger of an anti Labour coalition?
Are the FibDums going to break ranks and continue to back the SNP?
They did it yesterday on the vote over Calman and rapid transfer of no brainer legislation.
Are we seeing the "oppostion" in Westminster terms, getting their retaliation in first?
I am awakening.
Mrs Dansk Pastry you have a fan club forming.
Aye Tavish is being forced to defrost a little and see sense I think Billy.
I particularly enjoyed the FM's comment that he would send a Christmas card to all the MSPs after the earlier idiocy on that subject.
It would be nice if Labour in Holyrood would grab themselves by the scruff of the neck, give themselves a good shake and STOP being an international joke.
"... Iain Gray's FM questions for last week (allegedly found in Costa Coffee... "
I take it that this was printed or written on paper? Come on people, get with it! Use a bloody computer, you're not likely to leave that in Costa are you?
'Alex Salmond won this round by a whisker - the whisker being his production of a copy of Iain Gray's FM questions for last week'
I'm glad you said that because that's how I saw it, too.
I just finished reading Brian Taylor's blog and he saw yesterday's FMQs as a clear victory for Salmond as far as I can see...
I was beginning to doubt my judgement.
Anyway, you have to hand it to the FM: he's bloody good at the debating game and I'm not sure anyone from Labour could really make a dent in that - unless Salmond's arrogance runs away with him.
Morning Jeanne. Problem with labour is that they may be a joke but a dangerous joke. They're destroying our country and the quicker we can get rid of them the better.
If the tories get in I have no doubt they will have some shambles to sort out.
Yes Chris, it did appear to be on paper and they all seem to use paper rather than computers. Possibly safer in case the wi-fi packed in at the crucial moment.
Haven't read Brian's blog as yet politic but will do this morning. I expect he crunched the numbers, he's good at that.
Auch aye politic, nobody can beat Salmond when he's on form. I don't think he's arrogant much of the time, I think it's confidence. But of course, depends what colour of rosette you prefer.
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