David Maddox: How much does an SNP supporter cost the taxpayer?

An interesting written answer has popped up on the list on the parliament website which shows that the SNP ministers are intent on avoiding any details getting out of how much taxpayers' cash they hand out to party supporters. Here it is:

Lord George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what costs were incurred by and reimbursements made to Elaine C Smith as a consequence of her radio recordings for Weather Wise.

John Swinney: I regret that, under the Data Protection Act 1998, Section 7 (4) and (6), I am unable to release the information requested by the member.
Ms Smith has confirmed that she will be using her fee to fund her support for a range of charities.

The reason for this question is that Ms Smith is a well known SNP supporter and chairs the Scottish Independence Convention. It seems quite a coincidence that she should get the gig to provide the tips on radio for the Scottish Government's Weather Wise campaign in the recent cold snap.
It is highly reminiscent of the row caused by another question from the noble one one the Scottish Government "kickbacks" for the SNP supporting singer Sandi Thom (the one who did a duet with Alex Salmond). Then the Scottish Government admitted to forking out almost £10,000 in expenses including £580 for a breakfast to her for performing at government events.
The incident was highly embarrassing for the SNP and this written answer on Elaine C Smith shows that they intend to avoid any repeat in terms of damaging headlines.
Ms Smith may be giving her money to charity, which is of course highly commendable, but we should be allowed to know how much of our money is being handed out to people, government party supporters or not.

David Maddox: Easy to forget the small things...

Which must be why the Scottish Government forgot to list the publication of the draft budget on Thursday in its week ahead diary. It is after all only the biggest event of the Scottish political week.

But with the tough choices ahead of him, maybe finance secretary John Swinney, who bears a vague resemblance to Homer Simpson (top right), hoped nobody would notice.

David Maddox: Recognition (of sorts) at last!

For more than two years now British government ministers and Whitehall officials have rather tiresomely referred to the Scottish Government as the old rather more demure title the Scottish Executive.

This irritating attempt to look down at Holyrood, started when UK ministers stopped their Scottish Labour counterparts from adopting the government name, has been supported by the London based press, much of which has yet to move beyond May 2007 in its approach to devolution.
But finally it appears that Alex Salmond's administration is finally on the verge of getting its due recognition in London, courtesy of a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the Number 10 briefing this morning.
He was trying to fend off questions about the statements made by the PM's best political friend Ed Balls and Mr Brown himself on whether the UK Government wanted Lockerbie bomber Megrahi freed.
In response, the premier's spokesman said: "The most important part is that this was a decision for the Scottish executive government."
"Finally!" a source very close to First Minister Alex Salmond told me a few minutes ago.

David Maddox: Emergency item for the Knesset

On 8 January this year, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, with the support of all parties bar the Tories, led an emergency debate in Holyrood on the crisis in Gaza. This was followed by a letter of protest demanding a ceasefire from the Israeli government, whose citizens were also under bombardment from Hamas missiles. No message was sent to the Palestinian Authority or Hamas and it was the second such communication from the SNP government to Israel.

And this was despite Holyrood having almost no responsibility for foreign affairs.

I wonder, as he stood by Gordon Brown yesterday and watched the British PM field questions on the international consequences of Scotland sending home a notorious Libyan mass murderer and terrorist, whether Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu thought: "We really should have an emergency debate on this in the Knesset (Israeli parliament)." And further noted: "I must send Alex Salmond a letter outlining my government's deep concerns about his government's actions in this international crisis."

For some reason I would be surprised if he did.

David Maddox: Time for the banks to show all

Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader known for once marauding with fellow Vikings through Holyrood (as pictured right), has now turned his axe on another well barred door.

He has an interesting motion down in parliament calling on banks, which are nationalised in all but name, to come under the auspices of the Freedom of Information Act.

His point being that a lack of accountability and transparency is one of the reasons that an industry that has been a source of pride for Scots for more than 300 years was laid low. Bank of Scotland is no more and furious Royal Bank shareholders who at times looked more like a linch mob declared their bank dead in all but name too at their annual general meeting today.

The FOI for banks idea is one that has already been pushed by the Lib Dems down south in Westminster, however, there is an interesting element to Mr Scott's motion. FOI is a devolved matter and the Scottish Government is currently consulting on extending it.

Therefore it is possible that nationalised or largely state owned backs based in Scotland could become subject to FOI if the Scottish Government are inclined to agree with Mr Scott.

Here is the motion:

*S3M-3827 Tavish Scott: Freedom of Information and the Banking Sector—That the Parliament reaffirms its commitment to the principles of openness and transparency that underpin freedom of information legislation; believes that the public has a right to expect transparency from public organisations and from private organisations that perform public functions; regrets that, with the taxpayer holding a majority stake in two major Scottish banks, the UK Government does not allow freedom of information legislation to cover banks that have been bailed out with public funds, and therefore calls on the UK Government to amend freedom of information legislation to include nationalised banks and banks where the taxpayer holds a majority stake.

David Maddox: Sandi Thom and the First Minister

Anybody who thought that Alex Salmond's recent performance of Caledonia with the SNP supporting pop star was cringeworthy or was outraged by the £10,000 expenses she got from his Scottish Government should read this "scrapbuke,"which some wag has constructed out of the weekend's furore.

If you are a fan of either Mr Salmond or Sandi Thom (right) you should definitely not click on to the link, unless you want your blood pressure raised further.

Needless to say the saga of the "Sandi Thom war" and those expenses continues in tomorrow's Scotsman.

David Maddox: Whitehall whitewash

If you can't beat them and joining them is even worse then the only other option is to pretend they do not exist.

This seems to have been the tactic adopted by the UK Labour government in dealing with those "pesky Nats running Scotland."

Having launched the realhelpnow.gov.uk website the UK government got its fingers slightly burnt when it realised (after the SNP pointed it out) that the real help highlighted in Scotland such as the council tax freeze was the responsibility of the SNP administration in Holyrood rather than Labour one in Westminster.

But rather than merely taking an ostrich like head in the sand view of pretending the SNP do not exist the cabinet office went a step further and actually whitewashed the Scottish Government out of existence on the website. Now the Scotland link only takes visitors to a three-week old press release from the the Scottish Office.

Maybe, as the picture (right) suggests, Gordon Brown has taken some tips from his predecessor, although, by the looks of it, Tony Blair seemed to be more interested in painting things Tory blue rather than whitewash.

David Maddox: The business of government (2)

Arrived this morning to discover an e-mail from Kevin Pringle, Alex Salmond's chief spin doctor, regarding the posting yesterday on the Scottish Cabinet watching President Obama's inauguration as part of their official cabinet meeting. Nice to know that the powers behind the throne are reading The Steamie.
In response to me asking why they weren't getting down to the business of running Scotland and sitting around watching TV instead, he had a (slightly tongue in cheek) answer.
"I detected a shared agenda between President Obama and the Scottish Government! - not least on renewable energy," he said.
Perhaps a nod too to my prediction in the blog that it wouldn't take long for our politicians to attach Obama's name to their policies. As ever, the SNP got in first.

David Maddox: The business of government

The Scottish Cabinet meeting this afternoon will be getting down to the serious business of erm... watching television, I have just been told.
Like many of us, the senior ministers want to see the inauguration of Barack Obama and particularly what he has to say in his inauguration speech. New hope, brave new world etc.
I suppose the odds are quite long on him mentioning Scotland and astronomical on him telling the world he will be accepting the new Obama tartan being offered him by the Scottish Tories.
But, while accepting that people like to share these historic moments with friends (assuming all the Scottish Cabinet like one another), if this was so important for Alex Salmond and co, you have to wonder why they did not reschedule their Cabinet meeting and get down to their own serious business of running Scotland?
One thing that is sure to happen is that the name Obama is going to be dropped into lots of speeches to justify various political positions over here with tiresome regularity.

David Maddox: Laying down the rules

This is a posting for the Scottish political train spotting class.
The morning's Scottish Government briefing to journalists has finally clarified the rules on what happens with budget votes in terms of the Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson's casting vote.
Mr Fergusson has a duty to support the status quo, which is different to convention in Westminster where the Speaker supports the government.
So if this afternoon there is a tied vote, which until yesterday's decision by Labour to not oppose the budget at this stage looked possible, Mr Fergusson would support the Scottish Government. This would be done on the basis that at this point the budget is being discussed, so he would vote to support the continued discussion.
The tricky moment for the Scottish Government comes on the third and final stage vote on January 28. This is the stage where Labour are threatening to join the Lib Dems to vote against the budget and the Greens have suggested they might vote against as well if they do not get their £1 billion free insulation scheme.
If all three parties banded together and the Tories and Independent Margo MacDonald backed the SNP there would be a tied vote- 64 each.
In these circumstances Mr Fergusson would have to vote down the budget on the basis that discussion was over and the status quo is the 2008/09 budget.
All in all it means that opposition parties are better holding their fire for as long as possible, but that their only real weapon is the political nuclear option.

Hamish Macdonell - Not much peace or goodwill

THE final bout of First Minister's Questions of the year always has a rather rowdy, end-of-term feel to it, and so it proved today.
Alex Salmond was pinned down on the Scottish Futures Trust by Labour's Iain Gray, on the lack of action on fraud by Tory Annabel Goldie and on the credit crunch by Lib Dem Tavish Scott, but he was ready.
Clutching a survey from The Big Issue, the First Minister lambasted Gray and Scott over their Christmas wish lists (each had been asked to say what they wanted for Christmas).
Salmond deflected Gray's attacks by revealing the Labour leader wanted Barrack Obama style sunglasses and that Scott wanted a seat in the House of Lords.
What Salmond did not say was that he had told the Big Issue he wanted a year's supply of Lucozade for his Christmas (what no Irn Bru?).
However, Miss Goldie was the only one to fight back, in her own inimitable way, scolding the First Minister as if he were a wayward schoolboy.
"Stop talking drivel!" she snorted.
The jousts resume in January.
ends

Hamish Macdonell - Hovercrafts

ITS nice to know that Scottish Government officials seem immune from a sense of irony.
An announcement was made today of the launch of a special, emergency Red Cross hovercraft in Moray, commissioned to help in crisis times of flooding.
"The event will take place weather permitting," said the official, without even a hint of a smile.
ends