www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Scotland

Friday, December 18, 2009

Cameron rejects early referendum on Scottish independence

McLetchie Earlier this week David McLetchie MSP was put in charge of the Conservative Party's campaign to elect eleven Scottish MPs. In reality four or five victories would delight the Tory leadership but publicly the party is hoping for more.

David Cameron is on a visit to Scotland and in various interviews has been setting out his stall to voters north of the border.

He has rejected Lord Forsyth's suggestion that a new Conservative government 'shoots the Nationalist fox' by pre-empting Alex Salmond and holding a referendum on independence soon rather than at a time of the First Minister's choosing. Mr Cameron's opposition to a speedy referendum is recorded in The Scotsman:

 "I am 100 per cent behind preserving the United Kingdom. I will not put it at risk by having a referendum we do not need. If the Scottish Parliament decides it wants a referendum, the UK can't stand in its way, but to preempt it by having a referendum without it coming from the Scottish Parliament would be tricksy and wrong."

Mr Cameron also promises more powers for the Scottish Parliament and will set out what those powers should be before the 2011 Holyrood elections. The Scottish Conservatives now insist that, in line with the Calman report, they are now so committed to devolution that they want to deepen it.

The Times notes that Mr Cameron defended the Thatcher legacy: “There was a folk memory of the Thatcher legacy — people who are 30 now think Thatcher was bad for Scotland but they actually weren’t around at the time. People will see we have changed. This is a different Conservative party and a different leader.”

MUNDELL DAVID NEW Mr Cameron has also given limited backing to the Shadow Scottish Secretary David Mundell who is seen to have been undermined by David McLetchie's promotion. Mr Mundell had a "strong and important future," he told PA. The Conservative leader, however, "did not give an assurance that the Shadow Scottish Secretary will be made Secretary of State if the Tories win the General Election next year."

The expectation is that the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland might be wrapped into one Constitutional Cabinet role as part of a Tory government's efforts to cut costs and the size of the ministerial pay roll. There is support for such a rationalisation in Wales. The current Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy is regarded as little more than a spokesman for the Labour cause north of the border.... and all at our expense.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:31 in Scotland | | Comments (105)

Monday, November 30, 2009

On St Andrew's Day, Boris wants extra investment in London as the price for the capital's subsidy of Scotland

This has been coming for sometime. Boris Johnson today launches his campaign for London to get a fairer share of the tax revenues it generates.

The Mayor of London makes the call in his Telegraph column. He insists there is nothing anti-Scottish in his demand. He declares that he loves Scots and Scotland.  "On this St Andrew's Day," he declares, "the Saltire is flying proudly outside City Hall."

But he then launches his attack on the Barnett formula - an "amazing political antiquity" - which sees money transferred from London, in particular, to Scotland and other parts of the UK:

"The English taxpayer sends about £20 billion every year to Scotland as a kind of present. This famously helps to give the Scottish parliament the financial autonomy to do some things that are deemed unaffordable in England – such as free university tuition, certain anti-cancer drugs and free nursing care for the elderly.  This system is the subject of all sorts of Scot-bashing polemics, but seems unlikely to be fundamentally reformed because, after all, we have a Union and it is right that the richer parts of that Union should help the poorer parts. The real question, and the one on which I would like our beloved Scottish Prime Minister and Chancellor to focus, is how come we can afford to pay the Barnett formula? Where does the money come from? I will tell you. It comes from London. There are only three regions of the UK that make a profit, in the sense of contributing more to the Treasury than they receive in spending, and they are London, the South East, and the East; and London is the powerhouse that drives the other two, with a net tax export estimated at £19 billion per year."

Boris stops short of calling for London's money back but he wants the Treasury to pay for infrastructure projects such as Crossrail.  A better deal for London is essential, he implies, if the capital is to continue to pay for the rest of the UK. London's Mayor calls for investment in infrastructure to be paid for by future tax revenues.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:07 in Boris Johnson (Mayor), Scotland | | Comments (145)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Scottish Tories reiterate opposition to blanket minimum pricing for alcohol

Murdo_fraser The Scottish Conservatives are today re-iterating their opposition to blanket minimum pricing for alcohol on the back of the opposition Labour group's decision finally to oppose the proposals on the issue being put forward by the SNP Government at Holyrood.

Murdo Fraser MSP, the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Tories, is suggesting that the Scottish Government's Alcohol Bill is therefore already dead in the water:

“The SNP's policy is probably illegal, penalises responsible drinkers and will cause immense damage to the Scotch whisky industry. Instead they must work with us and the other parties supporting measures on which we can all agree, like targeting tax increases on problem drinks such as alcopops and strong ciders."

Murdo Fraser explained his position on the issue in his speech in this recent debate in the Scottish Parliament. He backed the national party position as outlined by Chris Grayling at the party conference which involves targeting alcohol taxation on the drinks most associated with fuelling antisocial behaviour - rather than penalising everyone.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 10:24 in Law and order, Scotland | | Comments (36)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Scottish Tories stuck at 1997 levels of support

The very good news from the YouGov/Telegraph poll of Scotland is that support for independence is declining.  57% now oppose breaking up the UK and just 29% support doing so.

The much less good news is that the Scottish Tories remain stuck at 1997 levels of support (hat tip to Peter Hoskin for pointing that out). That's despite good work done by Annabel Goldie and other Tory MSPs in, for example, forcing the minority SNP government to put more money into policing and drug rehabilitation.

Over at the Wall Street Journal, Iain Martin is depressed about the Scottish Tories' performance:

"They’re getting absolutely nowhere, slowly. More than 12 years after they were wiped out in 1997, and 10 years since the launch of devolution (which they thought might enable them to rebuild) they are stuck down on 18%. The findings will trouble David Cameron, who has attempted to make great play of his Unionist credentials. But with a Labour government in trouble, and a fresh-faced Tory leader,  the best his Scottish wing can manage is 18%. Remember, in what will likely be a closely fought election campaign, every seat counts. For context: Thatcher secured 31% of the vote in Scotland in the 1979 election that brought her to power. Her party had 22 Scottish seats. Now it has one. On 18% it’ll be lucky to do any better than that."

Camerongoldie2 My guess is that we might pick up a handful of extra seats but it is a great shame that draft plans to give the Scottish party independence from the rest of the Conservative Party were shelved when mooted in April 2007. A separate Scottish Unionist Party (we debated various names at the time) could have developed a more distinctly Scottish identity and its own policies.  It is clear that 'the Cameron effect' - so transformational in England and Wales - has not reached north of the border.

It's now too close to a General Election to revisit the 'CDU/CSU model' but I think it's still worth reviving before the next Holyrood elections.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 18:31 in Opinion polls, Scotland | | Comments (129)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The enemies of the next Conservative government

The last 48 hours and the row over Gordon Brown's letter to Jacqui Janes have been further proof - if such proof was needed - that we live in a very hostile and unforgiving time. One of the greatest challenges David Cameron will face if he becomes Prime Minister is the management of this ungenerous and fast-moving media culture. Groups will be lining up to cause him trouble. He, like Margaret Thatcher before him, needs to pick his battles carefully. His decision, for example, to tackle the education establishment but not the NHS may, for example, be tactically wise. He also needs to do a lot more to reach out to his friends so that he has more strong allies for the big fights that lie ahead. The lack of contact between the party, the wider conservative movement and sympathetic third party groups (encapsulated in the decision to abolish CCHQ's External Relations Department) is short sighted.

Dartboard These are the likeliest enemies. Some are unavoidable but some can and should be squared off in order to avoid tension on too many fronts.

Labour and Liberal Democrats. Unavoidable opponents but not necessarily the principal threats that will shape public opinion.

The public sector trade unions. These would be my candidate for number one opponent. I don't often disagree with The Spectator's James Forsyth but I thought his recent column on how the Tories plan to work with the unions was too optimistic. If the Tories are to reduce Brown's budget deficit there'll have to be blood on the carpet. The unions are ready for the fight. The leader of the postal union leader, Billy Hayes, is already flexing his muscles and warning that he is stronger than the Arthur Scargill. The teacher unions, in particular, are certain to give a Conservative government a massive fight. Hopefully someone has a clear strategy to deal with the unions.

The Left 'netroots'. We haven't yet seen the web really take off as a political force in Britain but the Left in the widest sense will probably rebuild online. With Labour close to bankruptcy we will see a huge number of very cheap but very popular internet-based campaigns - national and very local - against Tory spending cuts. These campaigns could hurt the Conservatives but they could also hurt the Labour Party in the medium term as it is dragged to the radical left by purist internet activists. 

Continue reading "The enemies of the next Conservative government" »

Posted at 08:59 in Blogs, websites, e-etc, Environment, Fleet Street, Scotland, Strikes and unions | | Comments (185)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Scottish Tories attack the protectionist SNP over plan to ban foreigners from buying Scottish land

FraserMurdo The Sunday Times reports that at its conference this week the Scottish National Party is debating a motion which would introduce a new policy which could "ban foreigners from buying land":

"New rules could force anyone seeking to buy an estate to make Scotland their main home and commit to living here for most of the year. Landowners of holdings of 100 acres or more would require to make their identity public... The SNP is expected to agree at its conference in Inverness this week to order an investigation into the feasibility of imposing residency obligations on all overseas landowners for future land sales. Ministers are also likely to be asked to examine the practicality of banning offshore trusts and companies from owning private land in Scotland."

Apart from the restriction on those outside Britain that this would involve, given the SNP's aspiration for independence, would the description of "foreigner" extend to those of us living elsewhere in the UK??

The Scottish Conservative deputy leader, Murdo Fraser (pictured), has responded angrily:

"This reveals the true face of the SNP - insular and introverted to the core. On one hand the SNP Government speaks of the need for Scotland to attract foreign investors. But the vast majority of the party has a deep suspicion and mistrust of people outside Scotland. What happens if someone from Wales wanted to buy some properties that they could rent out and subsequently help Scottish tourism? This ridiculous and damaging idea needs to be brutally stamped on at the SNP's conference. We cannot afford to further erode Scotland's reputation as a place to do business."

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 16:04 in Scotland | | Comments (56)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

The Scottish Conservatives add to calls to Save General Election Night north of the border

SaveElectionNight graphic It's less than a week since the cross-party Save General Election Night campaign was founded on Facebook and the number of supporters of the group is now about to hit 4,000.

You can read all the posts on the subject from the last seven days by clicking here - all of which contain links to the many regional and national media hits we have secured during the week.

McLetchie Today the Scottish Conservatives have thrown their weight behind the campaign, with David McLetchie, the party's Chief Whip in the Scottish Parliament, issuing the following statement:

“The overnight count is a long-established tradition in British politics. It is one that we do not want to see disappear, either for General Elections or Scottish Parliament Elections. Overnight counting has yielded some memorable political moments from ‘did you stay up for Portillo?’ in 1997 to the moment we realised the Conservatives had won the 1992 election, when we held Basildon.

“Election night is full of drama and excitement, which is exactly what we need when there is so much public disenchantment with politics. Not only is it a tradition worth preserving, but any change would actually be a backwards step. We live in an age of instant 24 hour news and to delay proceedings would look ridiculous.

“With the exception of those few places where geography means a next-day count is necessary, an overnight count is a perfectly feasible proposition. That was certainly the view of the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee, which looked at this proposal as part of its examination of the Gould Report. People want to know what’s happening when it happens, not a day afterwards.”

The Scottish Liberal Democrat Director of Campaigns, Andrew Reeves, has already endorsed the campaign on his blog.

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 11:27 in Constitution and democracy, Scotland | | Comments (12)

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Lord Forsyth urges Cameron to hold referendum on Scottish independence at earliest opportunity

It will be interesting to see if Alex Salmond's SNP government is damaged by the growing controversy surrounding the early release of the Lockerbie bomber.  Many Unionists have long feared that Salmond's popularity might build under a Conservative government - particularly as it imposes tough spending restraint on Edinburgh.

FORSYTH MICHAEL The Sunday Times reports that former Secretary State for Scotland Michael Forsyth has renewed his call for an early referendum on Scottish independence so that Alex Salmond does not get to choose the time when he puts the referendum issue to the test:

“If we win, the first thing David Cameron should do is spirit a bill through parliament to get on with it. Otherwise we will have these bogus games where the nationalists claim Scots would be better off independent and anything difficult is blamed on being in the UK and not having their own powers. Anyone looking at the seriousness of the problems we are in can see that there are some very difficult decisions ahead and the last thing we want here is to have some smart aleck trying to turn it all into constitutional grievances. We should get on with it and put it to the people. If people want to get out of the United Kingdom so be it. Otherwise let’s get on with dealing with the enormous problems.”

In an intervention last May Lord Forsyth also called for the English to be given the opportunity to ratify the Union.

A recent ConHome survey of Tory candidates found that support for the Union was relatively weak:

6a00d83451b31c69e2011571ab4b9f970b-800wi

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 07:49 in Scotland | | Comments (118)

Friday, August 21, 2009

Cameron demands statement from Brown on release of Lockerbie bomber

"Dear Prime Minister,

The decision by the Scottish Justice Secretary to release Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds has been widely condemned, including by President Obama.

As I said yesterday, I believe that the decision to release Megrahi was wrong.  He was convicted of murdering 270 people, and I do not believe he deserved to be released on compassionate grounds, or returned to Libya.

The scenes of him receiving a rapturous welcome at Tripoli airport on his return will have distressed many people. I note that Colonel Gaddafi's son has now publicly thanked not just the Scottish authorities but the British Government for its stance, raising questions about the British Government's role.

You have not commented on the decision since it was announced yesterday. This morning your Foreign Secretary refused several requests to say what he thought of the Scottish Justice Secretary's decision.

The fact that the decision to release was taken by the Scottish Justice Secretary does not preclude you, as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from now expressing your opinion on a subject that is of great public concern, and which affects Britain's international reputation and our relations with our allies.

It is curious that while others have commented, Britain's own Prime Minister has not.

I hope you will now take the opportunity to do so.

We are entitled to know what you and your Ministers have said to the Libyan authorities on this matter, and to the Scottish Justice Secretary.

Above all, I believe that the public are entitled to know what you think of the decision to release Megrahi, and whether you consider it was right or wrong.

I hope you will now take the opportunity to make your own view clear.

David Cameron."

Congratulations to David Cameron for sending this letter.  The Lockerbie bomber's release has damaged Britain's reputation as a stalwart in the war on terror.  It is right that Britain's Prime Minister distances himself from the SNP's judgment.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 16:27 in Law and order, Scotland, War on terror | | Comments (73)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Scottish Conservatives insist that Libyan bomber should be at "death's door" before release

John_lamont(1) Following unconfirmed reports that the Libyan found guilty of the Lockerbie bomb may be released on compassionate grounds, John Lamont MSP (pictured), the Scottish Conservatives' Justice spokesman, issued this statement:

“If Mr Megrahi is released without compelling medical evidence that he is gravely ill then it would be a catastrophic decision by Alex Salmond’s Government. Mr Megrahi was found guilty of murdering 270 people in the worst terrorist atrocity this country has ever seen. If Mr Salmond’s Government releases him he will have served only two weeks for every victim of the bombing. Alex Salmond must now prove publicly that Mr Megrahi is at death’s door or he should not be released. Mr Megrahi must not be given special treatment. Justice must be the same for everyone – he must not get any special deals. Mr Salmond would be wise to remember that there are many victims of this crime, many people who lost loved ones and many people who would feel cheated by Alex Salmond’s Government if Mr Megrahi was treated as a special case.”

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 20:15 in Law and order, Scotland, War on terror | | Comments (31)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Tory MP warns that Tory government endangers Union with Scotland

Writing in the Local Government Chronicle the outgoing Tory MP, David Curry, concedes that the election of a Tory Government increases the chances of the Union breaking up:

"For Cameron now looks like the next prime minister. And if there is one thing [Alex] Salmond wants, it is a Conservative government looking and feeling culturally and politically wholly alien to Scotland. This will be especially so if Cameron feels he must curb the power of Scottish MPs at Westminster, reduce their number and revisit the spending formula that ships cash up to Scotland to fund services unavailable in England. Even if the Tories pick up a handful of Scottish seats in the general election, Salmond will feel that an independence referendum is winnable. Scotland will be able to vote for what it is against — which is how it likes it."

There is a lot of truth to what Mr Curry writes and the resentment towards 'Tory London' is going to be all the greater given the scale of public spending cuts that are going to be necessary.  David Cameron is a conviction Unionist - just witness his commitment to establishing the Conservative alliance with the UUP - but he is going to need all of his considerable political powers to thwart Salmond's ambitions.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 08:29 in Scotland | | Comments (160)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Conservatives advance in all parts of UK... except Scotland

 Tomorrow's Sunday Times suggests that the Tories remain stalled in Scotland:

"The YouGov poll of more than 1,000 Scottish voters found support for the nationalists has almost doubled from 18% to 31% since 2005, up one point from April. But the Conservatives are toiling on 17%, down four points from April and on course to take only three of Scotland’s 59 seats."

The overall UK-wide picture remains promising, however.  The Conservative lead over Labour is at 16%.  That would produce a landslide victory of nearly 100 seats:

YouGovTim Montgomerie

Posted at 22:52 in Opinion polls, Scotland | | Comments (84)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Cameron wants end to 'double jobbing' MPs/ MEPs/ MSPs etc

Clock_107c In his latest statement on getting better value for money from taxpayers' spending on politics David Cameron has written for the Belfast Telegraph about politicians sitting in two legislatures:

"Being an MP is not a part-time job. Members should be fully involved in every aspect of national governance and debate. Influence in Westminster is based on presence in Westminster. No-one, irrespective of how talented they may be, can for any significant time be a full-time representative in two places. I said in Scotland last week that one politician should not try to serve two masters, so they should only sit in one legislature. Being a Member of Parliament must be a full-time commitment — as should being a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. The public deserves nothing less. This is why I said that any Conservative MP elected to a second legislature will give up the other seat at the first available electoral opportunity. Across the UK there are 17 MPs with dual mandates, combining a seat in Westminster with a seat in a devolved institution. Of these 17 MPs, 16 are from Northern Ireland: all nine DUP MPs, all five Sinn Fein MPs and two of the SDLP's three MPs. I understand that Alex Salmond will be giving up his Westminster seat at the next election. It is recognised that dual mandates do not work — they rob voters of a real voice in Parliament."

Much of the logic of Mr Cameron's argument could also be applied to MPs with outside interests.

In terms of getting better value for taxpayers' money the most important next step for David Cameron is to strengthen his commitment to reduce the number of MPs.  He has currently pledged a 10% reduction but is being outbid by Nick Clegg and today by Polly Toynbee.  In today's Guardian she proposes a reduction of more than a third.

Tim Montgomerie

Posted at 13:18 in Constitution and democracy, Europe, Northern Ireland, Parliamentarians' duties and remuneration, Scotland, Wales | | Comments (25)

Sunday, May 10, 2009

David Cameron expands on how he would seek positive engagement with the SNP-run Scottish executive

CAMERON WITH UNION FLAG In advance of next week's Scottish Tory conference in Perth, Scotland on Sunday reports how, as Prime MInister, David Cameron would want regular engagement with the SNP administration at Holyrood.

This would be be in stark contrast to the attitude of Gordon Brown, whose personal loathing of First MInister Alex Salmond has resulted in virtually no contact between the two men or their ministers.

The contact envisaged by Mr Cameron would be as extensive as talks before Budgets and Queen's Speeches as well as a monthly meeting between Prime Minister and First Minister.

This builds on a commitment earlier in the year on the Conservative leader's part to "work constructively with any administration at Holyrood".

Mr Cameron says:

"I think we can make devolution work better. We've seen in the last year very fractious relations between the Prime Minister and the First Minister, between Westminster and Holyrood. It doesn't have to be like that. We need mutual respect and a politics which is about discussion and delivery rather than about confrontation and grievance.

"There are some institutional stresses and pressures that devolution brings and we have to acknowledge that and confront that, but also there's the egos of politicians. We need politicians to recognise that they have to work together and no one is going to thank them for grievance and confrontation rather than discussion and debate."

"To me the most important thing is keeping the United Kingdom together and I don't like the Scottish Nationalist plans to break it up. But I will be fully engaged with that bit of Alex Salmond's brain that wants to do the best thing for Scotland rather than break up the United Kingdom."

Jonathan Isaby

Posted at 09:00 in Scotland | | Comments (9)

Monday, May 04, 2009

Scotland

Click here for previous posts.

Posted at 16:24 in Scotland | | Comments (0)

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Categories

About

Archives

Subscribe to this blog's feed
Quantcast