David Maddox: For Foulkes sake (15) - aka The late late show

It seems that the First Minister may have been showing a little bit of tardiness lately if the questions he has been asked recently is anything to go by.
Any journalist who has waited for a briefing or press conference involving Alex Salmond will know this is the norm rather than the exception.
However, two questions were put down on 4 December on the subject by his fellow Hearts fan and old political adversary - Lord George Foulkes, Baron of Cumnock, First Lord of the Twittery and Labour MSP for the Lothians.
Lord Foulkes wanted to know why the FM was over two hours late for the opening of the latest stage of developments at Burns Cottage. He also asked for a list of events where Mr Salmond was late by half an hour or more.
The deadline for the answers was 18 December but, with the smallest hint of irony, the answers are late and the good lord is still waiting.

David Maddox: For Foulkes Sake (11) - aka I'm alright Jack!

How things change. Lord George Foulkes, Baron of Cumnock, MSP to the Lothians and First Lord of the Twittery (pictured right at a Hearts match) has been the bête noire to the Nationalists for many months now.

How they have railed at him over his hundreds of "pointless" written questions (more than 1,000), costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds.

But suddenly the Noble one has become a paragon of virtue in their eyes. What has changed? The answer is the target.

The SNP guns are now trained on former First Minister Jack McConnell (pictured left in his infamous Tartan Day get-up) who is being portrayed as Holyrood's laziest MSP.

Apparently in the two years to April 2009, he failed to cast his vote in 17 per cent of debates and submitted the equivalent of just one written question per fortnight. He also tabled a mere 14 parliamentary motions and did not serve on committees.

Nationalist MSPs have pointed out that other former ministers have not been so work shy. And which one did they raise as an example? Yes, you got Lord George Foulkes who has asked more than 1,000 written questions and tabled 61 parliamentary motions.

David Maddox: Many questions, double standards (2) - Just Labour paranoia?

Had a note from one of the spin doctors for the SNP parliamentary party in Holyrood about Labour's allegations of devious goings on by the Nationalists with written parliamentary questions. See yesterday's blog for details.
She is brief and to the point.
"Much as Labour's paranoia is a compliment, we have better things to do with our time," she said.

David Maddox: Many questions, double standards (2)

Just following up on my colleague Hamish Macdonell's blog earlier on the SNP and their alleged aversion to oppositon MSPs putting down written questions.
The party of Scottish Government appear, according to some in Labour, to have taken up a new tactic to nobble their opponents, particularly their would-be nemisis - Lord George Foulkes (pictured right), Baron of Cumnock, MSP for the Lothians and First Lord of the Twittery.
The SNP cunning plan supposedly is to get one of their backbenchers to put down a near identical question to one tabled say by the noble Lord George after he has submitted his for answer.
They then answer the question from afore mentioned backbencher and send the oppositon MSP an answer referring him to the answer given to the party lackey.
This means that their backbencher gets the answer 24 hours before, but, if the SNP MSP Ian McKee's press release on questions is to be believed, it also costs the tax payer almost £100 for the extra question.
An example of this is below. A question put down by Lord George on February 26 for First Minister Alex Salmond and then a near identical one put down by SNP backbencher Nigel Don (pictured left) on March 4. The answers were given by Michael Russel, the new minister for external affairs, on March 5.

S3W-21418 - George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab) (Date Lodged Thursday, February 26, 2009): To ask the Scottish Executive what engagements the First Minister undertook during his visit to the United States of America; what topics were dealt with in each case, and whether he proposes to make a statement on these matters.
Answered by Michael Russell (Thursday, March 05, 2009): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-21578 on 5 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.


S3W-21578 - Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP) (Date Lodged Wednesday, March 04, 2009): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the main outcomes of the First Minister’s recent visit to the United States of America.
Answered by Michael Russell (Thursday, March 05, 2009): The First Minister made a two day visit to Washington DC last week to raise Scotland's profile in the US; to strengthen relationships with key policymakers, particularly in the new administration, and to promote the Year of Homecoming in one of Scotland's biggest tourist markets.

The First Minister met with important figures in the new US administration. The First Minister's meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton marked the deepening friendship between our two nations and provided a good basis for further on-going dialogue in important areas of mutual interest, such as climate change and Scotland's renewable energy potential. The First Minister also met with Dr Christina Romer, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, to discuss efforts to promote economic recovery, the US stimulus package, and possible areas for future policy discussion and cooperation between the US and Scotland.

The First Minister's visit to the United States coincided with the launch of a new Scottish Caucus in the US Senate. The newly announced Caucus is one of very few in the US Senate and reflects the ability and efforts of Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia) and his colleagues. With 30 US Senators “ a third of the Senate “ now joining the 50 members of the Friends of Scotland Caucus in the House of Representatives, Scotland now has a significant asset to promote our long-term interests in the United States.

In addition, the First Minister hosted a reception to promote scotch whisky, delivered a lecture at Georgetown University, and gave the keynote address at a prestigious symposium on the life and works of Robert Burns, at the Library of Congress. He also undertook various media engagements to publicise the Year of Homecoming and to promote key Scottish industries such as renewable energy, tourism and food and drink, in an effort to spur economic recovery in Scotland.