SNP Westminster candidate Calum Cashley has posted sketchy details of a few Labour Party donations juxtaposed with coincident facts which presumably he thinks make them look dodgy.Whether groundless or not, such veiled accusations can give the impression of squeaky cleanness on the part of the accuser, and therein lies their primary purpose (cf. Angus MacNeil).
It won’t wash. For example, in a January 2000 article about Clause 28 for the Sunday Mail, Peter Tatchell wrote: “Brian Souter, millionaire boss of Stagecoach, wants to buy political influence”.
He may very well say that. I couldn’t possibly comment!
The SNP’s 2003 Holyrood manifesto (196Kb PDF) included an unequivocal commitment to “bring forward legislation to allow the regulation of buses”. And a motion passed at the SNP’s conference in October 2006 said that “the SNP recognises the failures of bus deregulation across Scotland and reiterates its support for re-regulation of Scotland's buses”.
Just five months later, on 17 March 2007, Brian Souter (pictured above) donated £300,000 to the SNP. Souter is of course a vociferous critic of bus re-regulation, but the following day SNP deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said that his donation had come “with no strings attached”. On 8 April, a further £200,000 donation was registered with the Electoral Commission.
Then when the SNP’s Holyrood manifesto was published on 12 April, their re-regulation policy was unexpectedly and very noticeably absent.
The Sunday Herald reported on 22 April that “an SNP source close to party leader Alex Salmond” said the policy had been dropped at some point during the preceding “few months”.
Mark Ballard, Green Party speaker on Transport, said at the time: “I'm very concerned that when Brian Souter's cash appeared in the SNP bank account, the commitment to re-regulating the bus network almost immediately disappeared from their manifesto. At best this is a downgrading of a vital policy. At worst it could be cash for policies.”
Again, his words, not mine. But perhaps Mr Cashley could add this little episode to his list.
I tell you what, if there's one topic that I constantly hear lots about down the pub, it's bus de-regulation policies in Scotland.
They can't get enough of the stuff.
Wish I'd bought some shares at 25p!
Oh aye, its right up there with the Russian/Georgia situation!
Unfortunately, this is just the usually politics mumbo-jumbo nonsense which all political parties partake in.
I do hear lot down the pub about the snp being the home of the 'shootist'him with AK4-47
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2436902.0.0.php
"The revelations were made worse after it emerged that Hanif had passed the weapon to several of his children, including a daughter who was five at the time."
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill
http://www.snp.org/node/7872
He said:
"The figures today, and the recent incident in Blantyre, are a stark reminder of the growing threat which firearms pose to many of our communities.
But its ok for a snp politician to behave in a way which kenny would totally condemn in a unionist eh kenny?
Bit off-topic there, but I let it through as I think a post about Mr Hanif is overdue. Give me a few minutes...
Bus re-regulation is far from being the only policy that vanished between the publications of the 2003 and 2007 manifestos. The 2003 manifesto was like a blooming encyclopedia of 'good things we will do'. The 2007 manifesto on the other hand was fairly limited in terms of what was promised and as SU is all to keen to point out it is not proving a stroll in the park delivering even on those commitments!
Indy: I agree with your remarks about the 2003 manifesto. But the SNP's 2007 manifesto pledges were costed by both the Labour Party and the Herald. Both found them to be well in excess of the available funds. Hence the various broken promises.