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Weekly Review - A ‘Great Day for Labour’ but a Sad Day for Scottish PoliticsMuch of the political attention this week has focused on the conclusion of one of the longest by-election campaigns ever seen in Scotland with voters going to the polls in Glasgow North East. There were no surprises as to who the winners were but there was a few shockwaves that will be felt throughout the rest of Scottish politics. In what was not a happy week for First Minster Alex Salmond saw his use of official hospitality come under scrutiny after it was revealed that his dentist had been invited to a concert and a dinner at the taxpayer’s expense. In the Scottish Parliament the SNP’s plans to scarp prison sentences under 6 months were voted down by the Justice committee. The Justice Secretary had envisioned replacing short prison sentences with tougher community punishments. The Scottish economy was also under the spot light as the latest employment figures where revealed this week. Despite a rise in the number of people claiming job seekers allowance it wasn’t as bad as many had feared and the number of 18-24’s claiming dropped for the second month in a row. South of the border Peter Mandelson this week completed his political comeback when he was named Politician of the Year by the Spectator magazine. A ‘Great Day for Labour’ but a Sad Day for Scottish Politics
Labour last night claimed a comfortable win in the Glasgow North East by-election. Labour candidate, Willie Bain, took nearly 60% of the vote with 12,231. The SNP candidate, David Kerr, came a distant second with 4,120 votes. The by-election was sparked by Michael Martin’s resignation as Commons speaker following the expenses scandal at Westminster. Speaking at the count Willie Bain described the result as a “great day for Labour" adding, "This is a resounding victory for Gordon Brown and Labour. This by-election has been about many things, but, most of all, it has been about jobs and the economy.” He continued to launch an attack on Alex Salmond and David Cameron saying, "People have had their say. They have backed Gordon Brown in his efforts to secure our economic recovery; they have sent a resounding 'No' to Alex Salmond and his treatment of our great city and a resounding 'No' to David Cameron." His appraisal of the voters having sent a ‘resounding No’ to both Alex Salmond and David Cameron could be easily questioned though when the turnout is considered. Only 32.97% of people eligible to vote did so. The lowest ever recorded for a Scottish by-election. This low turnout could be seen as warning to all politicians that the majority of people are now entirely disengaged with the political system. Some of the blame for this can be attributed to the expenses scandal that has engulfed Westminster. However, not all of it can due to the poor showing of anti-sleaze candidates like former Big Brother Housemate Mikey Hughes who received only 54 votes. In another blow to Scottish politics the BNP came fourth with 1,013 votes, over double what the Lib Dems received. This level fell just short of the 5% to have their deposit returned but it was still their best showing in Scotland to date and a worrying reflection on Scottish society. Following a well ran campaign the engaging Tory candidate, Ruth Davidson, came third with 1,075. Tommy Sheridan also came ahead of the Lib Dems with nearly 800 votes.
"But it is a potential that will only be achieved through freedom." So while Willie Bain might have proclaimed that it was a ‘Great Day’ for Labour it is more likely to be reminded as a ‘Sad Day’ for Scottish politics. No Watergate But Colgate Puts Salmond In Hot Water
Alex Salmond this week has faced calls to repay public funds after he treated his dentist to official hospitality. The story, now being called ‘Colgate’, centres around the revelations that Mr Salmond’s dentist and his wife were guests of the First Minister at a Runrig Dinner in August. After dining at Scone Palace, near Perth, the couple had VIP seats for a Runrig concert in the palace grounds, staged for the Year of Homecoming. The dentist himself seems to be the most shocked at his invitation to such events. “I’m not SNP. [Salmond] is an affable chap and we just get on reasonably well. Why he invites me, I don’t know. Maybe there’s a list he goes down and he gets to 96 and he invites me, I don’t know.” Said Mr Bremner This wasn’t the first time that the Bremners had received hospitality from the First Minister either. In 2007 Mr Salmond arranged for them to join him in the Royal Box for the Millitary tattoo at Edinburgh castle followed by a £1400 dinner in Bute House. Iain Gray, Scottish Labour leader, was one of the first to condemn Mr Salmonds actions saying: “This shows the First Minister’s disregard for public money. At the very least he should pay it back.” The leader of the Scottish Tories, Annabel Goldie, added: “I think it is disgraceful he feels he can treat his dentist to a night out courtesy of the public but I’m afraid this is all too typical of Alex Salmond.” One of Mr Salmond’s senior aides was quick to jump to his defence though stating it was “absolutely normal practice under successive administrations for First Ministers, and before that Secretaries of State, to provide hospitality for a range of guests at a range of events.” He also made it clear that the Scottish Government was open about its dealings unlike their predecessors. “We proactively publish every guest list for every function involving every minister, far more information released than ever before. Labour First Ministers never published this kind of information. We do.” MSPs Reject Short Jail Terms Ban
In the Scottish Parliament this week plans to scrap short-term prison sentences in Scotland have been rejected by the Justice Committee. Under the new proposals in the Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill jail terms of six months and under would be scrapped in favour of new tough community sentences. The moves were attacked by opposition parties with it being claimed the move was an example of the “soft touch” approach taken by the SNP government towards justice in Scotland. The committee did though back the general principles of the bill, meaning it can now proceed through the Scottish Parliament. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said three-quarters of those given a prison sentence of six months or less reoffended within two years. He said short sentences did not work and it was better to punish in the community, rather than send people to jail for a few months. The proposal to impose a presumption against prison sentences of six months or less divided Holyrood's justice committee. It came down to the casting vote of the committee's convener, Tory MSP Bill Aitken. Despite the committee's conclusions, Mr MacAskill believes more and more people are agreeing with the Scottish government's position on short sentencing. "They do nothing to stop offending behaviour, and the report itself acknowledges that short sentences have a limited effect as a deterrent," he said. Scottish Unemployment Up By 4,000
This week saw the publication of another set of depressing employment statistics. The number of people unemployed in Scotland rose to 194,000 in the last quarter, 67,000 more than this time last year. The Office for National Statistics figures for the three months to September showed the Scottish jobless rate stood at 7.2%. This figure is still lower than the UK average, 7.8%, and lends some support to the SNP’s claims that their policies to help people out of the recession are working. Other data showed the number of people out of work and claiming jobseekers allowance went up by 2,200 in October to a total of 134,800. The rise though wasn’t as bad as some had feared. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said the figures were a real blow for those who had lost their jobs. He added: "While much of the talk is about the recession coming to an end, it has just started for some families who have lost their jobs." The Enterprise Minister Jim Mather said the Scottish government's recovery plan was supporting 15,000 jobs and helping those who had lost jobs back into work. He said: "We are urging the chancellor to use his pre-Budget report to let us build on the positive results of accelerating capital spending into this year." There was oen bright point in the statistics. This was the continued fall in the number of 18-24 years olds claiming job seekers allowance. This figure now stands at 37,300 which is a drop of 600 from last month and 4,500 fewer than in August. When compared to this time last year though the figure still shows an increase of 50%. Mandelson Completes Comeback (and gets another title to boot)
This week saw Peter Mandelson complete one of the most exceptional political comebacks of all time when he was named Politician of the Year by The Spectator magazine. At an awards dinner in London Spectator editor Fraser Nelson hailed Lord Mandelson as the “alpha male of the Westminster village”. He added he looked forward to handing the politician of the year award to Gordon Brown next year "rather than yet another member of the Bullingdon Club". The other big winner was Commons Leader Harriet Harman who after a difficult year scooped the parliamentarian of the year award. Harman admitted to be shocked to be receiving the award from the Spectator, which has been heavily critical off her over the past year, and used her acceptance speech to launch an attack on its writer Ron Liddle who hasn’t been afraid to abuse her in the past, "Obviously Rod Liddle does have some issues. I am offering him a crash course at my institute of political correctness". Other winners included Alastair Darling, who picked up the survivor of the year award, and Kenneth Clarke, who picked up the newcomer of the year award. |
In this issue
About Weber ShandwickWeber Shandwick Public Affairs is the leading public affairs agency in Scotland with a team of consultants bringing experience from the heart of government, political parties, the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and the private sector. Pass it onIf you know someone who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, you can easily forward up to five copies at once. |
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