The first two paragraphs below are from a statement by Wendy Alexander which I agree
with entirely.
"The decision of the Scottish Government to attempt to resell land acquired to facilitate the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) is a desperate act by an administration determined to cover its own inadequacies in handling this vital transport intervention. The cancellation cost Paisley Town Centre an estimated 700 much needed new jobs. The cancellation of GARL was a political decision of the most petty and spiteful kind. It was never fully thought through. After making the decision the Scottish Government has had to employ a raft of misinformation to justify its decision and one by one these mistruths have been exposed as fallacy. The first reaction was to claim the costs had escalated - not true. Then the scaremongering of other budgets being sacrificed was used until Network Rail stepped up to offer the finance; the business case was then falsely trashed and finally to peddle urban myths such as trains running empty or no environmental benefits. Ever since the decision last September the government machine has been working overtime in doing everything it can to vilify GARL. The myths have been exposed and the Scottish Government stands accused of ripping off Renfrewshire.
Even Renfrewshire Council decided to keep the GARL legal agreement alive so a new administration could make the project work after next May. The Scottish Government's scorched earth approach would rather write off over £40 million of public money than engage in any dialogue which may discomfit them. SNP members who purport to represent the local areas where this investment would bring real benefits to their communities should be deeply embarrassed."
The charge sheet continues to grow and it looks bad for the SNP while here in Renfrewshire it looks worse: it is now difficult to find anyone here who will admit to voting for them. They are repenting at leisure their decision to join with the Lib. Dems. Without even bothering to discuss any agreement Cllr. Mackay should have taken a step back and had a long hard look at who he was negotiaiting with, he has been a member of Renfrewshire Council long enough to know Cllr. Eileen McArtin’s character. She is enjoying being deputy leader of the council and she has Derek by the throat, she gets what she wants by threatening to pull the plug on the coalition. It is impossible to pick anyone worse to have any power over you than her: I have had the misfortune of knowing her for some 12 years and I can honestly say that I have never once seen her display any kindness or compassion for anyone or anything accept what is in her own selfish interests, and it’s all done from what she ludicrously thinks is some kind of moral high ground.
If you don’t agree you should consider why the SNP Lib. Dem. Alliance on Renfrewshire Council supported the Tory/Lib. Dem. Govt. Cuts at the last full council. Think about that one carefully, the SNP who have always claimed to hate the Westminster Govt. And all things Tory supported their vicious cuts, come on! why? ask why? The answer is simple and brutal and the brutality did not come from Mackay, he was simply told by the deputy leader McArtin that she was not prepared to vote against the Lib. Dems. Who are in coalition with the Tories in Westminster, vote against the Govt. and our little arrangement is over, Mackay of course bottled it and she is now dominant.
The faces of the SNP so called hard liners were a picture as they sat in silence and let this betrayal go through council. Perhaps the treacherous Mackay and his supporters should remember the saying “revenge is a dish best served cold” and there are some particularly vicious and underhand SNP waiters eyeing his back and waiting to serve him. Remember folks when you here about more savage cuts like child benefits and winter fuel allowance for the elderly the Renfrewshire SNP/Lib. Dem. alliance Supported them.
20 comments:
Aren,t child benefits only being cut for high earners.
I thought you would have supported that Terry.
It seems that this government are also attacking high earners and high earning tax dodgers with the same diligence as any other fraudsters such as benefit cheats.
Isn't this what you were previously whingeing about in previous posts.
Surely you most now put your hands together and applaud this new goverment for tackling the outrageous financial mess left by Labour in a fair manner.
Come on Terry. Credit where credit is due!
By Anonymous on DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS - COURTESY OF THE SNP-LIB... at 14:04
Child benefit cuts will be felt most by middle earners but they are also paving the way to go back to means testing the benefit for all: it’s a deliberate attack on one of the most popular aspects of the welfare state and it is driven by ideology not finance.
“It seems that this government are also attacking high earners and high earning tax dodgers”
B******s High earners are the least affected and the high earning tax dodgers have vanished off the radar”
“the outrageous financial mess left by Labour”
I think people started to reject this lie a while ago, if Labour did cause this mess perhaps you can explain to me why so many other countries are in a similar or worse mess. Also explain why the Tories were committed to matching Labour spending and saying nothing about an impending crisis up to 2008 not long before the world financial collapse.
Can you please explain in detail what these 700 people would be doing and for how long.
Thanks.
I look forward to your exegesis of the 'world financial collapse' Terry.
It seems you believe that it just happened. It had nothing to do with the hands-off regulatory climate championed by, among others, Big Broonie.
The Anglo/American consensus on regulation of the financial sector was the genesis of your 'world financial collapse', Terry.
All those bankers unfettered by ethical considerations and encouraged by New Labour's 'supremely relaxed' attitude to people becoming 'filthy rich'.
Truly the language of a socialist party Tel.
You must be so proud!
By voiceofourown on 08/10/10
You don’t get a cigar for this I’m afraid, I’m sure you can see the point I’m making you just can’t answer it. Lots of countries in Western Europe took the same hit as did America and no one, not the Gnats. The Tories, the Lib. Dems. The BNP nor any of the Toy Town Revolutionaries had anything to say until it happened, I exclude you of course you were probably running around trying to warn everyone about the imminent disaster and they just refused to listen.
Now you and political con artists like you are trying to stitch it to one man: Gordon Brown, not a very scientific argument is it?
Oh Terry be afraid, be very afraid the councillor McKay wants to break up the SPT, How dare he, speak for me or anybody else in Paisley, thank god he is leaving us next May and going to the Scottish Parliament but then again what damage will this young and inexperienced cllr do at a national level.
I raised this with my councillor Lorraine Cameron and she said " well it wisnae me that saad that, Derek saad that cos it meens ye can go on tha buses fa nothin" oops can't pensioners and disabled do that already.
In closing I would like to thanks councillor Cameron for her sightful comments.
Lorna & Jim Scott
Paisley.
God help Renfrewshire
God Help Scotland
Cllr Kelly -
You eulogy for Wendy Alexander has been noted. You must have been somewhat disappointed to wake up one morning and find yourself a typical example of blind, vitriolic us-&-them politics.
We get the message - it is clear from your entire blog - you are a loyal labourite. I myself am not a political partisan, but despite your protestation, it is undeniable that the banking crisis occurred after more than a decade of Labour governance. They were hand-in-glove with the financiers for years. Even if you choose to deny this to yourself, it must surely occur to you that, if they were opposed to what was going on, they proved entirely impotent in curbing it.
Or are we correct in suspecting that much of your blog's bile derives from the fact that you were once a Socialist yourself?
Poignant.
By Anonymous on 08/10/10
Cllr. Mackay is quite desperate to find a cause to help him in his bid to reach Holyrood and the SPT fits the bill.
As leader of the council he appeared at the Scrutiny Board to give evidence on the SPT enquiry despite having no locus or expertise of any kind on the subject. My colleague Jim Sharkey and I as they say in these parts “tore him up for a**e paper” He was down to speak for 20 minutes but only lasted five before flouncing out without taking questions, I doubt if he will try any more stunts like that.
By Anonymous on DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS - COURTESY OF THE SNP-LIB... on 08/10/10
Your use of the word eulogy has been noted.
“it is undeniable that the banking crisis occurred after more than a decade of Labour governance”
How many times do you have to be told, Gordon Brown did not cause the banking crisis. The banking crisis was global, honestly, it was in all the papers and news bulletins at the time, how did you miss it?
HI WHEN WILL YOU BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION
Can you please explain in detail what these 700 people would be doing and for how long.
Thanks.
Because the effects of the economic crash were widespread Tel, doesn't mean it just happened.
Encouraging the city to carry on creating and selling derivatives that could never realise their cumulative value was a con-trick played on the public Terry.
It allowed Brown to claim that the UK share in the global upturn was due to his enlightened 'hands off' regulation.
So he wants the glory for the upturn but then, when the entire sorry edifice is exposed as a con, suddenly it's a global problem and nobody is to blame.
London became the world epicentre of derivatives trading Terry. And all due to the party you so tribally support.
That's right Tel - look up tribalist in the dictionary - there's a picture of you there.
By Anonymous on 10/10/10
I’m not going to do that it’s not necessary but, if you care to look up a Parliamentary question put to the Scottish Government on Friday 23rd April 2010 by Labour MSP Wendy Alexander, you will find an answer which includes the following by the Scottish Govt. Minister Stewart Stevenson.
“650 jobs over a 10 year period (or 65 jobs per annum) within Glasgow, and through development opportunities within Paisley town centre, of an office market, 675-700 jobs over a three to four year period”
These figures are the result of a report commissioned by SPT, they are still on the Parliament’s Web Site and they have never been challenged by the Scottish SNP Govt.
Anonymity is a great comfort to some people isn’t it.
By Anonymous on 10/10/10
“It allowed Brown to claim that the UK share in the global upturn was due to his enlightened 'hands off' regulation”
It allowed Gordon Brown to spend billions helping the less well off members of society.
“So he wants the glory for the upturn”
So that’s why Gordon Brown is in politics is it? He’s in it for the glory! Well what can I say: what can anyone say? He’s in it for the glory,
I hope you haven’t put too much work into this and please don’t think I’m unappreciative of your efforts but can I ask if you are going to continue repeating yourself? anonymity is best for some folk isn’t it.
Re the 700 jobs. I don't really care who said it. Anyone, Labour or SNP, who thinks building this multi million pound white elephant would generate this level of jobs is off their nut.
Even you must see that this is a made up number. You might as well pick any number between 10 and say 2,000 or 3,000.
Given that SPT's cost estimates were also out by a very very long way this fantasy economics does no one any good.
Thank you for addressing the substantive points in my comment, Terry.
Your definitive take on the 'world financial collapse' demonstrates your deep understanding of the issues and shows, yet again, the characteristic integrity of a true free-thinker.
One thing you are not Terry, is a tribalistic nonentity.
By Anonymous on 11/10/10
“Given that SPT's cost estimates were also out by a very very long way this fantasy economics does no one any good”
These are not SPT’s figures they were compiled by a firm called (Roger Tym and Partners) who were commissioned by SPT to carry out a study of possible benefits of the new rail link. I suggest you now come out of hiding and put your money where your mouth is and accuse this company of “making up numbers” and let them answer your accusations.
At the last count there were 5 different political parties at Holyrood and none of them have challenged these figures. Could you now stop wasting my time and making a fool of yourself.
By Anonymous on 11/10/10
I used to be impressed by this kind of florid writing but I’m 61 now and I get a mental picture of the writer who is trying desperately to impress and it’s not flattering in the least.
This argument is futile and we will not make any progress, you clearly will not change your mind and I’m afraid I find it impossible to take you seriously.
You consider my comment 'florid' Terry (the tribalist)?
Oh dear.
Tell you what Terry (the tribalist), for your benefit here is a simply worded request.
Please address the points people make rather than indulging in ad hominem abuse. It just makes you look like you don't know what you're talking about Terry (the tribalist).
Does this post qualify as ad hominem abuse?
You wrote "Does this post qualify as ad hominem abuse?"
You saw that then? Well done Tel old boy!
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