To: conf@snp.org
Subject: ELECTION ALERT Help us secure investment and jobs for Scotland
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:28:14 -0500
Last night, Labour, LibDem and Green MSPs voted against the Scottish Budget.
Without a budget in place, local councils and health boards are now unable to plan for the coming year, putting at risk the council tax freeze, more funding for the NHS, and much more besides.
The Scottish Government have re-tabled the Budget Bill, which will now be fast-tracked through parliament. Alex and his team are of course committed to keeping Scotland moving forward.
The rest of us can play our part. We can pile on the pressure on those opposition parties who have put narrow political interest before the Scottish interest - putting 35,000 jobs at risk.
In the weeks ahead, the Government will attempt to secure a Parliamentary majority for the Budget. But as you will have seen from press reports, Alex believes that the SNP could not remain in office if the Budget is not passed on the second attempt. The SNP Government would be forced to resign, and Parliament will then be given 28 days to elect a new First Minister. Failing agreement, an election will be called. In a statement last night, he explained: "I believe that people in Scotland might like themselves to decide who governs the country in an election. For that reason I think it's wise and sensible to put the SNP on an election footing. I don't think it's a good idea to have an election in the middle of a recession when we're battling economic circumstances. But equally a government can't stay in office unless it gets its budget through. We're facing our responsibilities by taking the decision to resubmit the budget, by making another attempt to build consensus, by appealing to the Parliament for that sense of responsibility that will get the budget through. "
So, here's what you can do to help Alex and our ministerial team:
1. Write to your local Labour, Liberal or Green MSP's urging them to act responsibly and to back the Scottish Budget when it returns to Parliament. Find their details here: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/MSPAddressPostcodeFinder.htm
2. Write to your local paper highlighting the funding which Labour, Liberals and the Greens have placed in jeopardy.
Here are some examples of what could be lost:
- £1.8 billion in additional expenditure - the equivalent of 35,000 jobs.
- Funding to freeze the council tax - household bills could now go up a whopping £250 on average!
- £650 million from NHS budgets.
- 1,000 police officers.
- Additional funding to cut business rates - 150,000 small businesses will lose out.
- 5,000 jobs expected from investment in public infrastructure.
- Further reductions to Prescription Charges planned for this April.
3. Our election appeal is now open. Donate at https://www.snp.org/donate_form
4. Keep up to date with news and parliamentary developments at our website http://www.snp.org/
5. Participate in 'phone in programmes such as Morning Extra to support the Government's bid to pass the budget and secure that extra £1.8bn of spending.
Please do what you can to help.
Kind regards
Peter
PETER MURRELL
Chief Executive
Scottish National Party, 107 McDonald Road, Edinburgh EH7 4NW.
Tel 0800 633 5432 Fax 0131 525 8901
Email peter.murrell@snp.org Web www.snp.org
£1.8 billion in additional expenditure - the equivalent of 35,000 jobs.
- Funding to freeze the council tax - household bills could now go up a whopping £250 on average!
- £650 million from NHS budgets.
- 1,000 police officers.
- Additional funding to cut business rates - 150,000 small businesses will lose out.
- 5,000 jobs expected from investment in public infrastructure.
- Further reductions to Prescription Charges planned for this April.
That's almost the same list that was on the leaflets being handed out by the Tories this morning.
This must be a tricky one for you because let's face it the SNP and Tories are pretty much working in partnership on this one.
What is your take on that? Does it bother you? Time was I think it would have bothered SNP activists to be on the same side as the Tories on any issue but not now and obvioulsy not on this issue.
Changing days.
It isn't in the least tricky, I don't have a take and it doesn't bother me in any way. The point of this post is that the SNP is actively encouraging its activists to use newspaper letter columns and radio phone ins as party political broadcasts.
Indy, aye, you're right - sounds like the SNP and Tories are singing from the same hymnsheet, comparing this from Holyrood magazine:
"The Labour Party has demanded that the Scottish Conservatives withdraw a leaflet about the Scottish budget vote, claiming it contains a number of "blatant lies".
"Distributed at railway stations across the country this morning, the leaflet produced by the Conservatives claims that Labour's blocking of the Scottish budget will result in average council tax rising by £350, health budgets being cut by £650 million and fewer police on the streets."
Strange bedfellows indeed, but all's fair in love and politics!
However, the Tories have trumped the SNP by claiming that the average council tax would go up by £350 - not a mere £250! - but surely this is a shamelessly exaggerated claim, even looked at in isolation and outwith the context of the other claims.
Aye, it would be much more effective to have the support of the journalists on these papers, like the Unionist activists do.
I like the remarks, presumably straight-faced by the Labourite in the magazine "There is no room for this type of falsehood in modern politics"
He failed to explain which type of falsehood he considered desirable. Dodgy dossiers, perhaps??
'The point of this post is that the SNP is actively encouraging its activists to use newspaper letter columns and radio phone ins as party political broadcasts.'
Welcome to politics, Scottish Unionist.
Every party does this. It's called briefing.
Brownlie: Which magazine? And is your assumption that we should know which magazine you're talking about a tacit admission that you are, in fact, a Holyrood insider?
Indy: It's called "briefing" when party workers openly brief journalists, not when Anonymous from Auchterteuchter devotes half his life to writing letters and phoning radio programmes in order to give the impression that his minority preoccupation represents the zeitgeist!
Like I said welcome to politics. Are you so sure you are any different? After all what are you doing if not trying to influence people? The problem is you are trying to influence the wrong people and you don't do it very well.
Indy
That comment merely indicates that you have no idea as to the purpose of this blog.
I'm far more interested in serving as a catalyst for pan-unionist cohesion than for influencing anyone of a nationalist persuasion, and so far the feedback in that regard has been overwhelmingly positive.
Why do you think I decline to comment on non-constitutional issues and remain so resolutely aloof, if not quite equidistant, from the unionist parties?
A further blow for Team GB
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article5616660.ece
Have you nothing better to do with your time, Wardog?
Sir Alex Ferguson says he won't take charge of British football team at the 2012 London Olympics because he'll be 70 and he reckons that's too old for international management.
Hardly a blow to Team GB!
Personally, I find it hilarious that the nats need to do this sort of thing.
Are they so unsure of their own message that they have to manipulate the airwaves and internet - just so they can hear what they want to hear?
Does the phrase 'rent-a-crowd' mean nothing to them?
Quite effective though, wasn't it Spoonsy?
By what definition, Indy?
The SNP still make concessions to the other parties to get the budget through.
They didn't just get the Budget through Spoonsy - every MSP other than the 2 Greens voted FOR the Budget, no abstensions.