Ian Swanson - Question of Truth

HOLYROOD is suddenly gripped by a new row and a new buzzword - veracity.
Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson took everyone by surprise yesterday when he announced at the end of First Minister's Questions that he was responding to a "growing sense of frustration" among MSPs by ordering an unprecedented inquiry into the "the veracity of members' responses and how that is best policed".
Mr Fergusson was careful not to base his statement on any specific response or any particular issue.
But it followed another exchange between Alex Salmond and Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott over whether or not the funding issue facing the Scottish Interfaith Council had been "resolved" when Mr Salmond said it had.
Labour then published a "Pinnochio file" claiming to show the First Minister had repeatedly made inaccurate statements inside and outside the chamber.
Mr Scott described the launch of the inquiry as a warning shot across Mr Salmond's bows and said he would be making a complaint against Mr Salmond under the Ministerial Code.
Last night, Mr Salmond raised the stakes, announcing he was referring the complaint - before it was even formally lodged - to the former presiding officers Sir David Steel and George Reid for adjudication under the new procedures he set up for handling such complaints.
The First Minister says he is "extremely confident" of his position and has "nothing whatsoever to fear from independent scrutiny".
Whether the inquiry by the standards committee or a ruling by the ex-presiding officers will be enough to deal with MSPs' "sense of frustration" remains to be seen.

Ian Swanson - Bridge afternoon

THE row over how to pay for the new Forth Road Bridge will take centre stage at Holyrood this afternoon.
Opposition parties called last week for a full debate on funding the new crossing after the SNP said it would go ahead with its plan for conventional procurement despite the UK Treasury's refusal of its request to borrow money from future budgets so the cost could be spread over 20 years.
The SNP said it would be "delighted" to have a debate and it was promptly scheduled for today.
There will be the predictable to-ing and fro-ing between the parties about the evils of PFI schemes, the failure of the Scottish Futures Trust to offer an alternative, the scrapping of the tolls, etc, etc.
But questions have also been raised within the past few days about the design and capacity of the new bridge - and these could also make their way into today's exchanges.
In cutting the cost from £4bn to £2bn, the government has reduced the bridge from three lanes in each direction to just two and cut back on some of the surrounding road infrastructure, as well as designating the existing bridge for public transport.
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, who is convening a meeting later this month involving both Finance Secretary John Swinney and Treasury Minister Yvette Cooper, says he wants to make sure we get "the right bridge at the right price".
Strictly speaking, the design of the bridge has nothing to do with Mr Murphy. But his comment is seen as reflecting wider concerns.
And despite the SNP's insistence the bridge will be completed "on time and on budget", Edinburgh West MSP Margaret Smith has told the Evening News today that she fears the scheme smacks of the Holyrood building project.

Ian Swanson: Budget battle postponed

IT looks as if the SNP's budget will pass its first hurdle fairly comfortably today after Labour signalled it was ready to vote in favour of it in the Stage One vote this afternoon.
Labour sources insist the party is only doing so to allow the budget process to continue - and they warn they are still prepared to vote against the SNP's package in the final vote on January 28 if they feel it is not worthy of support.
Labour says it wants to see more included in the budget to help boost jobs and training and help get the economy through the economic downturn.
But the SNP argues the budget, with its £230m of accelerated capital spending, has been drafted specifically to respond to the current problems and boost recovery.
The Liberal Democrats are almost certain to vote against the budget this afternoon, the Tories are widely expected to support it and the Greens are likely to back it or abstain. But Labour's support means Finance Secretary John Swinney can relax - at least for today.

Ian Swanson - Women-only shortlist expected

LABOUR Party bosses are due to decide today whether to have a women-only shortlist when it comes to choosing the party's candidate for Edinburgh East at the next general election, when Gavin Strang will stand down.
The local party has made clear it would prefer an open contest, but there is a widespread expectation the Labour NEC will rule in favour of women-only.
That would leave former Edinburgh Lord Provost Lesley Hinds as the frontrunner, assuming she decides to go for it.
She has so far remained silent about her intentions, but has not been shy about her support for an all-women shortlist.
She says: "We have no women MPs in Edinburgh and there are very few in Scotland. My understanding of Labour Party rules is that if a seat becomes vacant there should be a women-only shortlist unless there is some special reason. As far as I’m aware there are no special circumstances in Edinburgh East. I’m sure there would be plenty good women would be interested.”
Other women whose names have been mentioned as possible contenders include three city councillors - Norma Hart, Angela Blacklock and Maureen Child - as well as lawyer Carol Fox, sister of Scottish Socialist Party leader Colin Fox; former trade union official Lesley Sutherland; and ex-councillor Lezley Cameron.
If the NEC were to decide in favour of an open contest, constituency secretary Mike Robb, former student leader Rami Okasha and councillor Ian Murray are all expected to throw their hats in the ring.
Gavin Strang, MP for Edinburgh East since 1970, had a majority of 6202 at the last general election. But the seat is no longer viewed as safe following the SNP's victory in the equivalent constituency at the last Holyrood elections.
The Nationalists already have George Kerevan - one-time Labour councillor and now Scotsman associate editor and fellow blogger on this site - in place as their candidate.

Ian Swanson - Free parking

WHEN Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced the abolition of hospital car parking charges, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and two other PFI-operated sites were excluded from the move.
It would have cost just too much to buy out the contracts, the government explained.
But this morning Labour backbencher Paul Martin is launching a consultation on a proposed member’s bill to make it illegal to charge for parking at any NHS site, including PFI hospitals.
He doesn’t go into details about the cost or consequences of buying out contracts, but says it would be up to health boards and the Scottish Government to implement free parking.
But even before Mr Martin officially launched his proposal, SNP Lothians MSP and former GP Dr Ian McKee put out a press release accusing him of hypocrisy.
He says: “It beggars belief that Paul Martin is now calling for an end to these parking charges - it was a Labour Government who introduced them.
“The SNP has opposed PFI from the outset for this very reason. It lumbers hard working Scots with long term debt they do not want and ties them into contracts which continually to tax the public for private profit.”

Ian Swanson: Today's excitement

TODAY'S main political excitement - if that's the right word - is the publication of the Scottish Government's Budget Bill for 2009/10.
It includes £232.5m of accelerated capital spending, £90m of which will be shared between Scotland's 32 local authorities.
Finance Secretary John Swinney says the package will help Scotland weather the economic storm, protect around 4700 jobs and boost propsects of a strong recovery.
Meanwhile, he promised on the radio this morning to keep talking to other parties to secure enough votes to get the package through the Scottish Parliament.
In these difficult economic times, there's probably not a lot Mr Swinney can offer in return for support. But the Tories, Greens and Margo MacDonald are open to persuasion.
Mr Swinney said yesterday the government would have to leave office if the budget is rejected - an echo of last year's threat by Alex Salmond to quit if the budget was defeated.
No doubt there is plenty scope for bargaining and brinkmanship before MSPs finally vote on the latest package - but at the moment the resignation of the government must look unlikely.

Ian Swanson: Sentencing debate

MSPs will this afternoon debate the SNP's plans for tough community sentences to replace jail terms of six months or less.
Experts are generally agreed short prison sentences are pretty useless because they do not allow enough time for serious rehabilitation. And statistics show those jailed for six months or less are more likely to be re-convicted and sent back to prison than those given community sentences.
With Scotland's prison population at record levels, the case for a rethink on sentencing policy seems clear.
But Labour has joined the Tories in attacking the SNP plans, claiming it will mean more criminals on the streets and echoing the Conservative jibe about "soft touch Scotland".
However, former Labour First Minister Henry McLeish chaired the independent Prisons Commission on whose recommendations the SNP's plans are based. And on the radio this morning he complained there was "too much political rhetoric and not enough emphasis on practical reform".
He admitted that in his Westminster days he had wanted to prove he was tougher on these issues than other parties, but said Scotland's record of incarcerating more people than almost any other European country could not be regarded as a success.
Mr McLeish suggested a few weeks or months in jail was no deterrent for many people and work in the community offered more genuine punishment as well as an opportunity for payback and rehabilitation.
It will be interesting to see if his comments influence the attitude on the Labour benches.
But Mr McLeish also had a message for the SNP about the need for proper resourcing of the new community sentences. "The Government has to recognise this is not a cheap option," he said.

Ian Swanson - Bridge building is an expensive business

Today’s the day we should finally learn how the Scottish Government plans to finance the new Forth Road Bridge.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson is due to make a statement on the Strategic Transport Projects Review in parliament this afternoon.
The project is estimated to cost £4.2 billion - but with the scheduled opening of the new bridge eight years away, who knows what the final price will be.
Options for funding such a massive scheme are limited.
The SNP has set its face against the Private Finance Initiative.
Having abolished tolls on the existing bridge as one of their first acts in government, the Nationalists will not be reintroducing charges to help pay for the new crossing.
So the scheme is being seen as a major test for the SNP’s Scottish Futures Trust.
And in the background, there are still questions being asked about whether the new crossing is really necessary.Lawrence Marshall, former chairman of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, which looks after the bridge, claimed earlier this month the existing bridge could last for another 80 years after signs that attempts to halt the corrosion are working.

Ian Swanson - Chancellor's frustrations

Alistair Darling must experience numerous frustrations as he tries to sort out the economy - but the Chancellor also shares the day-to-day irritation of many Edinburgh residents at the delays and disruption caused by the tram works - as he makes clear in an interview in today's Evening News.
“I went to collect someone from Haymarket station a couple of weeks ago,” he recalls. “And it took me about 40 minutes to get from one end of Morrison Street to the other.
“I'm not going to be a back-seat driver, but all I can say is it must be possible to manage the roadworks better.
“As Chancellor I want people to be going into to shops any buying goods. There are all these posters up in shops in the middle of Edinburgh saying VAT's been cut and I'm keen to encourage them to go and spend their money.”

Ian Swanson - Darling's upbeat message

CHANCELLOR Alistair Darling had an upbeat message for Edinburgh business leaders when he spoke at a dinner organised by the Chamber of Commerce at the EICC last night.
He argued the financial sector would recover and with Edinburgh second only to London as a banking centre, the city had great opportunities ahead.
"Make no mistake, there is a difficult year ahead,” he said. “But the world economy will recover. It is expected by some to double over the next 20 years.
“And I am confident that, as part of the UK, the Scottish financial services sector will continue to succeed because of its capacity to innovate, safeguard investments and improve its operations. “Here in Edinburgh, it has been a world financial centre for over 300 years. It has many successful, vibrant businesses.
“Ours is an adaptable, open, cosmopolitan city. Let’s be confident that we can deal with the problems we face and let’s be confident about out future.”
Some might label Mr Darling's comments over-optimistic. But perhaps the Chancellor's analysis is worth listening to. After all, he was the one who told us in the summer we were facing the worst economic downturn in 60 years and was slated for saying so.

Ian Swanson - Taxing debate

The Scottish Parliament will be debating the SNP's plans for Local Income Tax again this morning - thanks to a Tory motion.
The Tories are urging the Scottish Government to ensure that when it introduces legislation to reform local government taxation, the scope of the Bill will be wide enough to allow members to debate and vote on all options, including reform of the council tax, a land value tax and a locally-set LIT as well as the SNP's own proposals.
Predictably, the SNP's amendment declares the council tax discredited and calls for it to be abolished in favour of LIT.
There is still some time to go before any Bill is likely to be brought forward, far less voted on and it remains to be seen whether the SNP can build a majority to get it passed.
The signs are they will probably win support from the Lib Dems by compromising on the question of councils setting their own tax rate. But the Greens, and potentially Margo MacDonald, would still be needed to get the Bill through.
The Greens' favoured local tax system is a land tax and they hope the SNP might be willing to incorporate some element of that into the new system.
Labour has said the current system of council tax must be changed, but it has yet to come up with an alternative.
Local taxation is always a vexed issue and a minefield for would-be reformers. The puzzle is why politicians want to spend so much time talking about it.

Ian Swanson - Still waiting for Calman

The Calman commission's interim report is understandably overshadowed in this morning's papers by coverage of Peter Tobin's conviction for the appalling murder of Vicky Hamilton. Indeed, given the lack of solid recommendations from Calman, it is perhaps surprising the commission has got as much attention as it has today.
Sir Kenneth and his colleagues were never going to produce firm proposals at this stage, but their comments at yesterday's press conference were even more cautious and non-commital than the report itself.
The issues seized on today are the ruling-out of full fiscal autonomy - on the grounds, first put forward by the independent group advising on tax powers, that it would not be consistent with maintaining the Union - and the hints that Scotland could lose its veto over a new generation of nuclear power stations.
The commission has listed areas it plans to examine further to see if there is a case for devolving powers to Holyrood, including broadcasting, energy policy, animal health, firearms and misuse of drugs.
But we are going to have to wait for the commission's full report sometime next year to find out what they think.

Ian Swanson - Waiting for Calman

Not long to wait now until we hear what Sir Kenneth Calman and his colleagues have to say about the future of devolution.
His commission, set up earlier this year with the backing of Labour, the Lib Dems and the Tories, is publishing its interim report at 10am.
On the radio this morning, Sir Kenneth acknowledged the report was not making any specific recommendations about more powers for Holyrood. But he said it was a “very substantial” report and would set out “priorities and where we need to go next”.
No doubt there will be warm words of support from the politicians who helped set up the commission.
But the parties still need to decide exactly where they stand on the issue of more powers, especially tax powers. The Lib Dems are strongly in favour of further devolution to Holyrood. But since Wendy Alexander’s departure it is not so clear whether Labour is still as enthusiastic. And the Tories remain divided.
Whatever Sir Kenneth might come up with when presents his final report next year, it is the parties’ positions which will be crucial in deciding what happens.

Ian Swanson - Stronger drink laws in Scotland?

The debate on more powers for the Scottish Parliament will burst into life again tomorrow with the interim report of the Calman commission.
But evidence of the increasingly divergent paths already being followed by Scotland and England under the existing level of devolution will be displayed in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday.
According to reports in some newspapers today, the UK government’s list of proposed legislation will include tougher licensing laws, including a ban on certain kinds of promotions - but not the minimum pricing for alcohol, which forms a key part of the SNP’s plans to tackle alcohol misuse here in Scotland.
It’s a fair bet the UK Government won’t be proposing a ban on under-21s buying booze from off-licences either.
We’re still waiting to hear how the Scottish Government will amend its extensive list of proposals in the light of its consultation before coming forward with a bill. The chances are there will be a compromise over the under-21 ban, but Scotland could still end up with significantly tougher laws on alcohol than south of the border.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has come in for a lot of criticism for his proposals.
But whatever you think of them, Mr MacAskill cannot be accused of populism, the charge often made against other SNP policies.