FMQs 7 May 2009

A windy Thursday in Edinburgh I believe and another FMQs in the Scottish Parliament.  The First Minister opened his answers with asking everyone to appreciate the benefit the Scottish parliament has been to Scotland over the past 10 years although he of course qualified it by saying further powers were required.

Ian Gray gave a spirited performance listing the SNP government's 'broken promises' but if he expected to land a hit on the First Minister, he was disappointed.  Alex Salmond had his own written list of successes in the past two years and it was like a game of ping-pong watching the old sound bites whisking back and forth.

Annabel Goldie (rather smart hairdo Annabel) tried hard to achieve an answer to her question which was where was the First Minister intending to make the cuts in the light of the £500m deficit imposed on Scotland from the Westminster budget.  The First Minister mentioned an all party committee had been organised but he did not give a detailed response to her question. A very difficult question this was for Alex Salmond and one which I think he has certainly discussed with John Swinney and others, although I'm sure they will not make their opinions public until it is absolutely necessary.

Tavish Scott broached the subject of al-Megrahi and the Libyan authorities request for his transfer stating he wished that al-Megrahi should serve his sentence in Scotland. As with all legal matters it was a balancing act of information, but not much of it, from the First Minister. He reiterated what he said in 2007 that it would have been "greatly preferred if the judicial processes of Scotland were allowed to take their course."  He repeated that the decision which is made by the justice secretary will not be made on economic grounds or political grounds but judicial grounds alone.

A couple of backbencher questions completed the BBC TV recording session. I really must listen to it on radio and because removing the cameras from the Chamber when there is still a third of FMQs to be heard, is becoming more and more frequent.  Why can't we just see the whole 30 minutes?  I can't see any problem.

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Does Illegal Immigration Work?

In today's Courier there's a story about a young Chinese woman who was found working in a restaurant in Dunfermline.  She is a 22 year old illegal immigrant who says she borrowed £20,000 to get into the UK in order to further her education in Britain after her mother told her she could no longer afford to support her.

Sheriff Ian Dunbar, who heard Zhou could not be deported for the time being, said the fact she paid so much showed how desperate people like her were to get into the country.  It seems she cannot be deported without a genuine travel document and although a request has been made for an emergency travel document, it is not uncommon for the Chinese government to refuse to issue this, or to take up to 18 months to issue them.

But there is a happy ending.  Because Zhou cannot be deported she plans to move to Montrose where she has an uncle, whom the court heard last month was also an illegal immigrant, before applying for asylum.

If this young woman was so desperate to further her education here why hasn't she learned any English in the past 4 months?  How on earth did a young woman like her manage to raise £20,000 to come here?  Where did she get the money to pay the £160 for the fake registration card?  Surely her uncle wouldn't have told her how easy it is to get asylum here.

Sometimes news articles create more questions than answers and this is one of them.

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Where's Gaelic?

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I received my share of the £7m swine flu leaflet yesterday morning, did you?  After glancing at the content my attention was caught by the back page.  It is an order form for more copies or alternative formats, which include Welsh, French, Polish, Bengali, Chinese, Urdu, Arabic, Punjabi, Somali, Gujarati with Portuguese, Turkish, simplified form Chinese, Farsi/Dari, Spanish and Tamil available on certain websites.

As I wondered if the £7m included translating this 'publication' into these languages, it suddenly struck me - where's Gaelic? Not a mention of Scots Gaelic to be seen anywhere.

We have a Scottish PM.  Why didn't he ensure Gaelic was included?  I'll give you a clue - he is deeply embedded into the south of England elite.  He has no interest in Scotland other than votes.

So pleased to know that Nicola Sturgeon won't be announcing one of these for Scotland.  It seems the Westminster health secretary can't do his job so has to employ someone to do it for him - at our expense of course.

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PM's Humour Deficit

My thanks to CrownBlogspot with whom I agree entirely.  The tories really need to be asking serious questions and light hearted ones like this should be left to the media.  Still it's worth watching the body language. 

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Joanna Strikes Again and the Gurkha Regiment is Threatened

Having read many accounts of Joanna Lumley's performance at the Commons home affairs select committee, even the most cynical of us must have been impressed.

Not only did she expose the air plucking abilities of the government but she did it with whispering deadliness.  It appears figures to ensure the Gurkhas are given the same status of entry to the UK as commonwealth soldiers vary from £425m - £1.6bn.

Kevin Jones, a junior Defence Minister, said the next Gurkha campaign would be a demand for equal treatment on pensions, which would require a one-off payment of £1 billion and £500 million annually.  Further financial demands could jeopardise the future of the Gurkha regiemtn he said.  "We want to ensure that we can continue to recruit to the brigade of Gurkhas.  If that becomes unjustifiable we will have to balance that against other commitments to other regiments."

Mr Jones I have a message for you.  Do not threaten the British Army or the Gurkhas any more, there has been enough upset with the loss of the Scottish regiments and if you continue to talk in this manner the public will ensure you and your masters pay dearly.

Also Mr Jones, do not mess with Ms Lumley; women of a certain age are ruthless when they're on a mission.

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Stirling University's Double Standards

Some years ago now I spent a few months studying at Stirling University.  It was just beginning to develop a name for itself and was attracting students from around the world.

Only last week I was pleased to read they were going to offer Gregory Burke, the author of the anti-war play Black Watch, an honorary degree even though he had been banned from campus while he was studying there in the 1980s following an unprovoked attack on fellow student Mark Campbell.  Well deserved I thought and again regretted I had never managed to see his efforts but I heard lots about it from friends who were lucky enough to buy tickets.  

This week's The Sunday Times reports that the university was preparing to withdraw the offer after the victim's brother Michael Campbell wrote to Christine Hallet, the principal, to register his family's "disgust".  Burke emailed the university to say he no longer wanted to accept the award to avoid causing further embarrassment.

Now the university has announced it is to honour John Reid who studied history at the university and was a former president of the student union, "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public affairs".  Students and politicians condemned the proposal, given Reid's support for the Iraq war and its aftermath which has claimed the lives of 179 British troops. Kevin McVey, president of the university's Socialist Students Society, said students planned to demonstrate when Reid receives his honour from James Naughtie, at the graduation ceremony next month.

"What John Reid did as defence minister has brought dishonour to the university and they should not be honouring him," he said.  "He was the man who famously said that troops in Afghanisan wouldn't fire a shot and we have become increasingly embroiled in a war there."   Other people, including Rose Gentle whose son was killed in Iraq, are quoted as being very much against this accolade for John Reid.

A spokesman for Stirling University said, "Dr John Reid is a graduate of the university and has been a good friend to the university over the years.  He is being recognised for his contribution to politics in the UK."

Forgive me if I'm wrong but could 'good friend' mean ' good benefactor'?  How does having a fight with another student when you're young and daft compare with someone who, as defence minister, made decisions which have been instrumental in the deaths of 149 of our soldiers in Iraq and 154 in Afghanistan?

I certainly know who I would like to be honoured, do you?  

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Security Tip for Cabinet Ministers

What is it about labour cabinet ministers that they have to carry documents in such an unprofessional manner.  In my day we had document cases or brief cases but they're certainly not de rigeur with the Westminster cabinet.

I gave up some of my valuable time to assist our heid politicians with the transportation of confidential files and found this real bargain.  They're reduced from £74 to £37 and I'm sure at that price even Ed Balls wouldn't mind his being pink. 

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NHS Outside Catering

One of my eagle-eyed reliable readers sent me the following quote from the paper edition of the current Private Eye.

'Why has Edinburgh Royal Infirmary decided to set up temporary operating surgeries in its grounds?

Surely not because the ludicrously expensive private finance initiative financed hospital doesn't have enough beds?

In addition to the PFI consortium, Lothian health board, which runs the hospital, has been forced to call for another for-profit health company, Vanguard Healthcare, to set up two "mobile surgical theatres" so the hospital can reduce its waiting list.  Brilliant!'

There's an article concerning NHS Database Abuse in the online edition which may be of interest to you too.  I found it harrowing what's going on without our consent or knowledge.

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The Quarter Million Pound Protection Racket

The woman in the photograph is Margaret Beckett but I don't have to tell any of you that. What you perhaps don't know is that she costs the taxpayers around £250,000 a year in round-the- clock police protection plus another £50,000 a year for the use of chauffeur driven cars despite being removed as foreign secretary two years ago.

The housing minister has insisted on retaining a full team of security officers and use of two government cars since 2007 when she was moved from the top diplomatic post by Gordon Brown.  Beckett's three police protection officers work in shifts to ensure her safety in London and at her Derby home.

Surely the perks disappear when the job goes but not for the present Westminster government it seems.

How does she manage when she nips away to her caravan for a few days?  I'm sure her caravanning neighbours can't be too pleased at having their every move surveyed.

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Blow Me Down with a Feather!

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I've never paid much attention to my blog statistics as they're not important to me, but this morning I was talking with another blogger and he motivated into having a look at mine for the month of April.

Truthfully I'm quite speechless and can't believe 10,937 people visited this wee blog.  So may I thank each and every one of you for your interest.  It's quite humbling to know that my ramblings are so appreciated.

Don't worry I won't be posting monthly stats - this is a one off!

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Jim Murphy - Working for Scotland?

The Secretary of State for Scotland has been found wanting according to the Herald.  Last year there was a crisis over the duty hike in whisky and no action or intervention was made by Mr Murphy.

Angus Robertson MP, through the FOI process, said Mr Murphy's inaction at a time of crisis for a major Scottish industry destroyed the myth of his as a "hyper-energetic" Scottish secretary. "This correspondence shows that the Scotland Office was not involved in the run-up to the highest increase in duty ever planned."

Mr Robertson's first FOI application was knocked back as being against the public interest but he made a follow-up request simply asking whether any meetings had taken place.  The reply stated that there was no record of any meeting with industry representatives.

Mr Robertson continued:

"We are told that the Scotland Office performs a vital function within Whitehall in standing up for Scottish interests and liaising with other Whitehall departments. We also have a hyper-energetic Secretary of State for Scotland with a high regard for his own ability.

"This is the first really concrete example of the gap between the rhetoric and the PR with the reality of what the Scotland Office or the Secretary of State actually do, especially with their burgeoning workforce and budget."

Of course a spokesman for Mr Murphy's department accused the SNP of "any number of distortions."  So now we know how hard Mr Murphy works for Scotland.

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Half of Prosecutor Fines Unpaid

More than half the fines imposed by prosecutors last year have not been paid in full and as a result more than 57,000 warning letters have been sent out.  Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill provided this information to a tory MSP who said the figures were an "absolute disgrace" and our criminal justice system is in "meltdown."

The statistics given to the MSP show penalties worth £3.7m were imposed by prosecutors last year as an alternative to court action.  Of this total, £1.3m had been collected, a further £1.2m was being paid by agreed instalments and the remaining £1.2m was in arrears.  No payments at all had been made in the case of 14,741 fines or 41% of the total, while a further 4,769 or 13% were in arrears.  More than 3,000 enforcement orders were applied but in only 754 cases were the fines deducted from benefits and there were only 40 earnings arrestments.

I agree with MSP Margaret Mitchell that these figures are a disgrace but it would have been more interesting to have details of previous years for comparison.

The amount of public money spent chasing these unpaid fines must be vast.  The cost of sending out 57,000 letters alone is possibly in the region of £100,000, including administration.  We have laws which include enforcement orders so why aren't they being used?  Fines are regarded by many continual offenders as a joke and it's long past time this matter was brought under control.

Mr MacAskill, do something about it, you have the law of the land on your side.  Stop the softly softly approach and bring a halt to this ludicrous waste of public money.

Source Sunday Times 

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Farmer Brown

Just when I think I've heard it all the Daily Mail comes up with a labour party press release, supposedly written by Gordon Brown, entitled 'It Is great to be British."  It's a toe-curling effort to appeal to middle England and therefore the underlying theme is we must all be British, stick together, show our tolerance and the duty which underpins the most important British value of all: liberty.  "Back then, there were comfortable certainties and no conflicts and few would have questioned that Britain was our home, our inheritance and our ideal."  Mr Brown, if someone had told me when I was a child that Britain was my home I would have asked them where it was, perhaps thinking it was somewhere in Edinburgh or Glasgow. My home is Scotland.

Anyway, another quote just to make your Bank Holiday Monday begin with a bang.  

"When I was growing up in Kirkcaldy, the idea of needing to have a debate about Britishness would have struck me as peculiar.  I didn't think any more about my Britishness than I did about being Scottish, or supporting Raith Rovers, or coming from a long line of Fife farmers."

So he's given up being a son of the manse now and he's acknowledging farming as being part of his heritage.  In that case Mr Brown you'll understand what I mean when I say you're talking bullsh!t.

Update:   Alex Massie has written his analysis of the same Mail article in today's Spectator.

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Twenty Answers to Twenty Questions

Young Paul Burgin, the writer of Mars Hill, invited me to take part in his 'Twenty Questions to Fellow Bloggers' recently.  My answers are here but some may be confusing to younger readers. My apologies to them.

As always any answer can be improved but it's the taking part that matters isn't it.

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Further Education American Style

Before anyone asks, no I don't know the young man in the photograph!

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Baroness Uddin and Her Unfurnished Home

This is Baroness Uddin who became Britain's first muslim peer in 1998. The Baroness lives in the East End of London.  Sounds as if that's handy because it's only four miles from the House of Lords.

She bought a two bedroomed flat in Maidstone in 2005 and of course there's nothing unusual in that because people do have homes outside London.  What is unusual is that the Baroness named the flat as her main home to claim almost £30,000 a year in accommodation expenses from the House of Lords. Unfortunately for the Baroness residents from the five other flats in the same block all say they have never seen her there.  They could see through the windows that the bedrooms were unfurnished. 

Last weekend, hours after the Sunday Times had challenged Uddin about her "main residence", the baroness's BMW 4x4 was spotted at the Maidstone flat and members of her family arrived. Yesterday she appeared at the flat but refused to prove it was furnished by showing a reporter round.  Wonder if she's claimed for furnishings via the John Lewis list.  The answer is very possibly yes.

 

She has claimed that her main residence has been outside the capital since 2001 but refuses to say where, despite repeated questions. How can she get away with such behaviour? What are the people who supposedly check expenses doing? This is theft, nothing more, nothing less.

Update:  Iain Dale has just posted about this but adding the information that the East End of London home in which the Baroness lives with her family is a Housing Association property built for low income residents and she pays a highly subsidised rent.  The woman has no shame.

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How's This For Courage?

Paraplegic Phil Packer is saluted at the mid-way

point by Beefeaters and Chelsea Pensioners

Major Phil Packer, 36, suffered catastrophic injuries during a rocket attack in Basra and lost the use of both his legs.

Yesterday he was celebrating reaching the half way stage of the London Marathon despite the race finishing last week.  Crossing London Bridge yesterday marked the symbolic halfway step for Major Packer in his bid to complete the course.  He was originally told he would never walk again, but he battled the odds and fought his way to the start line last week.  He is due to finish on May 9.

Major Packer is hoping to raise £1 million for the soldiers charity Help for Heroes.  A hero indeed.

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A Perfect Pastime for Gordon?

A Perfect Pastime for Gordon?

A Faux Cu Contribution

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BBC's Selection Process Questioned

It’s not often I read George Pitcher’s blog in the Telegraph, but this title interested me ‘Are the BBC’s top jobs a stitchup?’

It appears there is a very real fear that the BBC will appoint Aaqil Ahmed, currently commissioning editor for religion at Channel 4, to the much more demanding equivalent position of the re-structured Religion department at the Corporation.  George Pitcher repeats : ‘He is not opposed because he’s a Muslim.  He’s opposed because he’s not up to the BBC job, his woeful documentary series on the history of Christianity at Channel 4 being the most regularly cited example of his lightweightedness.’

There is more to the story as you can read In Pitcher's initial post and his post today, but I agree the History of Christianity was a poor series which I switched off when Cherie Blair appeared on the screen explaining modern Christianity.

The BBC has some questions to answer if “friends” of Ahmed have been saying the job is as good as his especially when, during its formal recruitment process for the post Michael Wakelin, formerly head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC, applied for the job and was humiliatingly rejected according to Pitcher.  This is one BBC appointment I’ll watch closely.

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Subrosa's Super Seven blogs

aangirfan -   Swine flu and Lockerbie

Craig Murray -  Holocaust Denial and Holocaust Tourism

Ideas of Civilisation -  A sickly feeling

Lallands Peat Worrier -  Nobody expects the shrieval inquisition!

Oil of Scotland -  Scotland's budget cuts

Scot-land blogspot -  Faslane, Devonport and leaks

The Lone Voice -  Lloyds TSB/HBOS

Fish Suppers to:

gigits -  breaking news MRDS

Old Holborn -  Thought Police in the UK

Spectator -  The AfPak strategy

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Something for the Weekend?

Only from your friendly local butcher 

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Tweet of the Week

Tweet of the Week

andywasleyReflecting on lost comrades in Iraq and on sacrifices yet to be made elsewhere. God speed to our returning personnel.

(Tweeted yesterday)

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Honouring the Soldiers

Yesterday, while the Westminster parliament was behaving in an extraordinary manner about MPs expenses, there was another event taking place many miles away which was dignified, solemn and momentous.  The event marked the day when, finally, British troops ended combat operations in Iraq after six years.  During these six years 179 British and 46 allied soldiers were killed, many more wounded and we must not forget the 100,000 plus Iraqis who have also lost their lives. War is such a terrible price but we presently have leaders who think little of the human cost.

Many newspapers reported on this but the most touching for me was Daniel Korski's post in Coffee Shop.  Do read it.  He quotes (from memory) the part of the address the Reverend Paschal Hanrahan gave yesterday to a few hundred soldiers standing silently in the scorching sun of the Iraqi desert when the names of their fallen comrades were read out.

"It is to the soldier to whom we owe the right to free trial, not the lawyer; it is the soldier, not the journalist, who guarantees the freedom of speech; and it is the soldier, who serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped in the flag, who gives us the right to protest, who gives even the right to protesters to burn that same flag."

A safe journey home to each and every one of you.

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Swine Flu Leaflet

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Coming through a letter box near you in the next few days.

To view the authentic leaflet please visit here.

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The Voice of Delusion

In some ways this is a sad video which was part of Channel 4 news last evening, but it does show Gordon Brown is living in another world as he doesn't appear able to remember what he says from one day to the next, even although it is on video.  

The people of this island ought to be very concerned this man is the head of the UK government.  I don't think the country is at all safe in his hands and even more so since watching this performance.  Have a look if you didn't see the original programme and make up your own mind.  Credit must be given to the interviewer who had the difficult task of not continually calling Gordon Brown a liar.

With thanks to Faux Cu for sending me the link.

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