But Nanette Milne, Conservative MSP for North East Scotland, recently tabled this written question:
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will allocate to the new entrants scheme for farmers in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.In reply, Richard Lochhead, the SNP’s Minister for Rural Affairs, admitted:
Funding for measures within the Scotland rural development programme is allocated over the life of the programme (2007 to 2013) and not on an annual basis. The indicative financial breakdown includes £10 million for the new entrants measure.So the headline figure is now to be spread over six years, which is equivalent to only £1.7 million annually, and which over the same period represents a full £50 million less than was promised.
Would that be the Nanette Milne who finished a distant third in the Gordon constituency behind Alex Salmond and Nora Radcliffe?
I seem to remember her bringing up this story back in July, has it got a new dimension?
Much as you might like to excuse the inexcusable, neither the constituency result nor the month in which the broken promise was first noted are mitigating factors.
Just strikes me that you're raking over old coals. No new news to comment on? How about Glenrothes?