More Lib Demmery

News hotfoots it down from Aviemore.

On that Human Trafficking motion, the person moving the motion couldn't find a seconder and no-one else wanted to speak. Welcome to farce. M'learned friend has been sending me screen-grabs of the conference as well.

Here's the entire crowd when Horlicks was speaking, the cream of the Lib Dems:

And when Jo Swinson was speaking:

Looks exciting!

Oh what a week.

And now, the weekend is near;
And so I face the Friday curtain.

Quote of the week has to be Christina McKelvie MSP during the Graduate Endowment Abolition debate when Rhona Brankin intervened and Christina replied:

I believe that Rhona Brankin is trying to engage me in a battle of wits, but I will not go into combat with someone who is unarmed.

Meanwhile it's hud me back time in Aviemore where the dynamic Dems are gathering for their spring conference. I've had a wee look at the agenda - Jings!

Motion 1 welcomes the role of Lib Dem MSPs in supporting the SNP to remove the Graduate Endowment and witters on about further spending commitments that the Scottish Government should make on education. Why didn't the Lib Dems implement those changes during their eight years in charge?

Motion 2 calls on the Government to carry on running the Justice system - it has an amendment to move a couple of bullet points to a different heading. Oh, the high drama of politics in the raw...

Each of these motions has a 40 minute debate scheduled. That will be scintillating!

Speech by Horlicks Clegg at 3 o'clock today then right back into the cut and thrust of debate -

Motion 3 calls on Government to carry on providing the services it does to victims of human trafficking. It actually has an interesting idea in it though - copying Italy's reflection period. Only a 20 minute debate - half the time given to the earlier motions and a fraction of the 55 minutes to be given to the next and very important motion on ...

Excess packaging! Motion 4 is calling for a tightening up of the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations. There are four amendments in for this motion - including one to have the Wendy Commission examine the case!

A spot of rest and recuperation is required after such an exhausting schedule before tomorrow's riveting debates following an hour's consultation with Ian Smith on Scottish Broadcasting.

Motion 5 is calling for more houses - a 45 minute debate for goodness' sake.

Woohoo! Speeches by Alistair Carmichael and Nicol Stephen.

That's all for Saturday, Sunday comes roaring out of the agenda with a stunning motion (number 6) recognising that North Sea Oil brings in a huge wodge of dosh. Back to a 20 minute debate, I see.

Motion 7 is a 50 minute debate (50 minutes? That's very nearly an armful) on the Right to Buy legislation which the Lib Dems used to defend when they were in Government. Now they want it reformed, bits of it expunged and councils given control over other bits. I'd stay up late to watch that debate.

There's a wee speech by Malcolm Bruce and then everybody goes home.

I can't understand why it isn't live on all the TV stations. I'm going to have to go to Aviemore!

Wendy Buddha Comes ...

Remember Wendy Alexander saying she applies a Buddhist doctrine to her politics - "is it true, is it necessary, and is it kind".

She called his Eckness some names in chamber today, including Fat Boab (Oor Wullie's rotund pal). I was, of course, horrified. Glad to see a new definition of good, necessary and kind, innit?

Out of the darkness ...

Poor Labour - struggling with the weight of failure, casting around for a saviour to ride to the rescue of a once-proud party, and all that appears is Paul Nolan.


With knights in shining armour of that quality, who needs enemas?

On a lighter note, I'm delighted to see that the Scottish Government has played its part, along with the National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate Gallery in securing the d'Offay collection. Mr d'Offay deserves great credit for his generosity, and the Scottish Government deserves credit for making sure the deal went through. The collection is to be shown around the country (part of the conditions), so I'm looking forward to seeing parts of it everywhere - and to having tea at the table:

Edinburgh Budget - excellent piece of work

My anonymous friend has been sending me love letters again. Rather than publishing this great praise of me as a comment, I thought I'd bring it right up front so we could all have a wee laugh together.


Here it is, a fine example of impoverished thinking:

Calum (or is it "A Voice from Scotland"?)

Sorry, this just proves you're talking total MINCE.

I assume you're referring to Appendix 2 of this report:
http://cpol.edinburgh.gov.uk/getdoc_ext.asp?DocId=108017

That's the 2008/09 resource allocations - the clue is in the title to the Appendix - and has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with any previous Labour administration. It's adjusted by the 2008/09 unringfenced monies - try reading paragraph 3.14 and 3.15 for an explanation and then blog an apology.

Now, PLEASE - stop your propaganda; take off your Party blinkers; and accept that there are some serious problems in your local colleagues Edinburgh budget - such as:
- £10K CUT from EVERY Primary School
- £50K CUT from EVERY Secondary School
-£350K CUT from Youth Services
-£850K CUT from Community Education
-over £2million CUT from Voluntary Sector Grants.

Workings shown, so please publish.
Thank you.

Oh dear - I do hope this isn't a Labour councillor or Labour is in worse trouble than I thought and we really need them to shake themselves up and become a proper opposition, no-one gains when the opposition is as weak as it is just now.


You will see that there is no justification offered for the allegations of decreased funding - the reason being that there is no diminution in resources for front-line services, there's an increase - as pointed out in Labour's budget motion (loved the signatures of the proposer and seconder, by the way). Let's look at the first four points of Labour's motion:

1. To note that the priorities of this budget is to set a sustainable budget which meets and protects the needs of vulnerable people, supports the desire of schools to maintain the level of progress achieved in the last 20 years and to provide the impetus for further economic growth including investment in key infrastructure projects.

2. That additional resources of over £21m has been provided in Children and Families, and Health and Social Care to meet various pressures including those of demand led budgets.

3. To note that Council Tax will be frozen at 2007/08 levels, Band D £1,169, which will attract funding of £6.9m from the Scottish Government in accordance with the Scottish Government/COSLA Concordat.

4. A balanced budget is shown over the three year period and unallocated general reserve at 31st March 2011 is provided at a level which is in compliance with the Reserves report from the Director of Finance. This has been achieved despite limited efficiency savings proposals provided for 2009/10 and 2010/11 by a number of departments.

See point 2? Labour acknowledging that the new administration had indicated the injection of an extra £21 million in two areas of frontline services.


Point 4 - a balanced budget with limited efficiency savings.


All of this was before the administration announced additional resources on budget day, so with Labour already impressed by the administration, and stunned by how much more efficiently a council runs when Labour is removed, more wonderfulness was brought to the table. Let's have a look at the rest of Labour's budget motion -


Point 8 noted that there was additional funding in priority areas and then called for that £1 million to buy Princes Street (hands up, the SNP does not believe that Princes Street can be bought for £1 million, but if Ewan Aitken knows how that deal can be done I'm sure there will be a queue of people offering him the resources).

Let's compare and contrast some of Labour's budget ideas with the administration's budget. The administration is made up of SNP councillors in coalition with Lib Dem councillors. These points are in the order they appeared in Labour's motion, showing Labour's priorities:


Tattoo stands - Labour said spend £3 million.
The budget said £3 million if the other funding was coming, no point in spending the money if the project wouldn't happen.


Affordable housing - Labour said an additional £1.9m.
The administration budget motion said - £3.6m for housing regeneration, £36m to increase the supply of affordable housing and £32m to upgrade existing stock.


Vulnerable people - Labour wanted to put just over £5m into various programmes.
The administration said improvements of £5.8m for vulnerable children, £6.2m for care of the elderly, and £1.3m for adults with learning difficulties.


Education (yes, after the tattoo stands in Labour's priorities) - Labour wanted £1.875m for consultation on building 5 schools, £8.75m to 'take forward the design' of those 5 schools, and £12m to refurbish and build nurseries, schools and community centres across the city.
The administration budget was - £19m for school fabric and £33m for rebuilding and refurbishing schools.


Sport and Leisure - Labour said £5.35m for Glenogle Baths (as opposed to the £6m Ewan Aitken talked about in his leaflet to community groups), £21m for Sporting Facilities including the Commonwealth Pool, £2m for parks, pitches and pavilions, £420k for the climbing centre.
The real budget said £5.3m for Glenogle, £21m for the Commonwealth Pool and Meadowbank, £5m in parks, pitches and pavilions, £.7m for supporting key events, and £3.5m for a new library at Drumbrae.


Festivals and Museums - Labour said £242,000 extra for the International Festival, and £6m for the Kings Theatre.
The real budget said £542,000 extra for the International Festival to bring total support to £2.4m, £800,000 for the Winter Festival, £200,000 for other festivals, £6m for the Kings Theatre, £115,000 additional investment in museums and arts services to reverse long-term decline and open on Sundays, £500,000 for the Assembly Rooms, £520,000 for the City Arts Centre.


Labour's budget motion also went on to reject the administration's moves to cut red tape and bureaucracy in education, planning, and social services and to ask for reports into various things like repairing roads and pavements.
The real budget presented by the administration didn't call for reports into fixing the roads in Edinburgh which were neglected for decades under Labour, it just went ahead with £60m for roads and pavements, £2.4m for cycling and walking routes and for safer streets, a further £.5m for cycling projects, £1m on supported bus routes, £.6m on Bustracker and further work on the South Suburban Line.


Before budget day, Labour sent a scaremongering leaflet out to community groups (read it here). Leaving aside the fact that Labour can't even spell coalition, let alone understand the new politics, there was an admission that they wouldn't have any provision for building new schools in this budget. It was Labour's failure to apply for funds when in power that left the school building programme in such a mess to begin with, now they are admitting that they have no idea how to go about getting schools built in Edinburgh.

Here's something else interesting, though - the difference between what Labour councillors presented to the budget and Labour was saying to community groups through its scaremongering leaflet:


Transport - in the leaflet; restore bus service support, invest in cycling, create a roads inspection team. In Labour's budget motion; nothing, absolutely nothing.


Vulnerable people - in the leaflet they promised £2.5m extra for care for the elderly, £750,000 investment in home care, £3m on respite care, and £750,000 for vulnerable young people. Care for the elderly and respite care were forgotten in Labour's budget motion and the home care investment had been turned into change management funding.


Leisure - Labour promised £2.5m for pitches and pavilions and £6m for Glenogle Baths. By the time they got into the council chamber Labour was cutting that to £2m for pitches and pavilions and had added parks into that budget line, and £5.35m for Glenogle.


Labour councillors quite obviously can't count, are not consistent, and just are not very good at being councillors. Just as well we have the SNP to make things better, isn't it?

By the way, can anybody tell me what the "Voice from Scotland" quip was about?

That superb Edinburgh budget

I've just been looking again at that fantastic Edinburgh budget. I admire those councillors who brought home the prize of a balanced budget which begins to repair the damage that Labour did, puts money back into the reserves (imagine a city the size of Edinburgh having reserves of only £37k - dangerous as well as bizarre), and continues to fund front-line services well.

Education, for example, where the council administration factored in an extra rise of £0.8million to Edinburgh schools to take account of rising fuel prices.

Add the £19m over three years for improving school buildings and the £33m over six years for the Wave 3 schools, no closures of Community Education centres, £100,000 for activities for school pupils during the holidays, and saving £2m a year in central bureaucracy to plough back into our schools.

Well done those councillors.

There's a person who keeps leaving anonymous comments about the budget - I'll do you a deal, I'll accept your anonymous posting, I appreciate that some people don't have the courage to stand up and be recognised. If you want your comments published on my blog, though, provide the evidence for them (show your working in other words). I'll give you an example of how to do this:

In the Policy and Strategy report to the budget, Appendix 2 shows how this budget amends the budget left by Labour (each budget covers three years). You will see that the first line in each year is for Children and Families. Labour's budget (passed last year) intended just under £311.9 million for C&F, the amended budget passed by the SNP with Lib Dem help (that should annoy someone) gives that budget line £346.4 million - the actual rise (using the extended figures from the budget) is £34.567 million.

That's the current administration putting 11% more into Children and Families than Labour wanted.

Easy really - all the papers are online.

Wendy Alexander playing with her donor

Anyone reading the Sunday Times yesterday would have come across a story (unfortunately not online) about Wendy Alexander and one of her donors. The donor was a company called Spark of Genius which uses public money to provide some educational services.

When the company was giving evidence to a committee on which Wendy Alexander was sitting, she failed to note her interest, in breach of the rules, and asked how government policy should be changed to give the company more public money.

Here's a clip:

As an interesting aside, today's Herald carried a follow-up with 'a spokesman for Ms Alexander' claiming that the donation had been registered. Er, no it wasn't. I do hope Simon Pia isn't offering an alternate version of the truth already.

This kind of contempt for the actualite might be why some of the eminent scribes of the Scottish political press pack have been reminiscing about the good old days just after Wendy had mislaid a couple of spinners when she borrowed staff from other Labour MSPs and thus had Kezia Dugdale and Russell Gunson working for her. As it was put to me, "at least they had the decency to look embarrassed when they tried to sell you cheese" (OK, I'm paraphrasing when I say cheese). Journalists apparently found honesty and a bit of integrity refreshing in a Labour spinner. Take a bow Kez!

A song for Europe

Now that Alyn Smith MEP has secured for us our rightful place in Europe - an entry in the Eurovision Song Contest - we really must select a champion to sing for us. I have a cunning plan!


Ireland has selected Dustin the Turkey - a fine choice:

We should select Dustin's long-lost twin, Scotland's favourite music-hall act and Lord of all he surveys - wee Geordie Foulkes:

All we need to know now is whether he can dance like Dustin:

Unintended consequences

I want to tell you a wee story about my office.

I was sitting in my office last week and, just absent-mindedly, I started singing the Loch Tay Boat Song.

From the office next door came a voice saying "hoi, there's a tune to those words, you know."

Shocked and stunned and not a little amazed, I switched to singing Now Westling Winds.

Again that wee voice "at least you knew the words to the other one."

Perfectly curfummelled by now, I fell back on singing Hermless.

No joy "help, help, there's a song being murdered here - I'm calling the police."

Fast as you can imagine, I shot back "I didn't mean it, there was no intentional wrong-doing."

There was a long pause before the voice answered "that's a watertight defence, godmamit."

SNP froze my Council Tax

Along with all the other goodness coming out of the Edinburgh budget there was the capital city's council tax freeze. After a couple of decades of Labour profligacy and poor financial management, John Swinney's deal was accepted, the council books are being balanced, and the people of Edinburgh will not see their bills rise this year.

I've been out speaking to people who are delighted to see the freeze - amazing, eh? Among the people I've met is a Primary School Head who's delighted at the idea of the cut in the bureaucracy in the education department (it will save £2m as well). Good to know people at the front end of delivering services already appreciate what the budget means - even better to know that there's a welcome for the action that's being taken.

People wonder how Edinburgh got into the Labour Party mess that the SNP Government and new council administration are now sorting out. Well, the previous Labour administration used to sell off capital assets to fund revenue programmes (a bit like selling off parts of your house to buy groceries), Labour never looked to see whether the money they were using (our money) was being used properly or being put to best effect, and Labour never had any idea of how much their madcap schemes were costing the city.

Let me give you an example of how divorced from reality Labour councillors in Edinburgh are. The most cunning wheeze they've given birth to recently is the plan to buy Princes Street from all the people who own it - a kind of mini-nationalisation of one of the world's most famous streets - for £1 million a year. Princes Street is worth £1,350 million.

Ironic that it may be an oil fund which buys Princes Street, isn't it?