The Scottish Government

Finance and Sustainable Growth Secretary John Swinney

Friday, November 30, 2007

For too long Scotland's economy has underperformed. Not only does our historically low growth rate compare poorly with the UK, but we are left standing by successful small independent countries like Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

For too long politicians have sat complacently while young bright and mobile Scots have left this country to seek better opportunities elsewhere. The world is full of successful Scots. We want to create the opportunities to enable our talented people to build a successful Scotland.

Ours is a government of ambition. That is why we are determined to match or exceed the UK's growth rate by 2011. We will create the conditions for successful business and through them make Scotland wealthier. And we want to see more Scots sharing in that wealth.

We want Scots to benefit from the learning process on a lifelong basis - we want people to go to university or college to improve their chances of a good job, or to improve their performance in the job they are in and so to contribute ever more to the economic growth of our nation.

We can make a good start with the powers currently available to the parliament. With greater powers we could do so much more - more to attract and retain business activity, for example, and ensure that the additional wealth they create helps to fund the front-line services we need to make our country more productive, more competitive, and just.

With over 1,500 responses in two weeks I am delighted at the overwhelming response to the national conversation. I welcome the debate it has generated across all sectors of Scottish society on ways to make our country more successful, wealthier and fairer.

This blog is now closed to further comments.

Comments

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• 111. Honest Politics Humbug - Fife

  Thursday, November 15, 2007 22:37

  Well the chickens have come home to roost!!
  
  How about answering the questions that were posed following your budget?
  
  Did you know what the settlement would be BEFORE the election?
  
  If 'NO' how could make the manifesto commitments you made to the Scottish people?
  
  If 'YES', how could make the manifesto commitments you made to the Scottish people?
  
  The answer is 'YES' so you are misleading the electorate when you try to pass the buck!
  Hoist by your own pitard!!
  
  £2,000 for first home buyers. Easy, peasy, just ban the 'Right to buy' for new tenants, and ignore the rest.
  
  18 maximum class sizes for primary, 1,2,3, give a handout to the local authority to freeze the Community charge, then blame them for failing to meet YOUR promise. 'We are in discussion' does not cut the mustard, Mr Swinney. We will remember it was YOUR promise not the councillors.
  
  Funding free scholl meals, WHO said that?
  
  Abolish Community Charges WHO said that.
  
  150 new police recruits is 850 short of the promise. 2,300 retiring police in four years leaves you 1,800 short of YOUR target.
  
  How do Universties now compete with the rest of the UK? Have you told Fiona that her lob is on a shaky nail.
  
  

• 112. Gordon Murray - Livingston

  Saturday, November 17, 2007 15:32

  111. Honest Politics Humbug - Fife
  Thursday, November 15, 2007 22:37
  
  What an annoying, disagreeable, whining, wee get you sound.
  
  Do you have any positive contribution to make at all?
  
  You don't even seem to have a full grasp on the facts, eg the right to buy 'New Homes'is being removed, not the right to buy for 'new' home buyers.
  
  In other words councils are not to be forced to sell off newly built properies for rediculously discounted prices at less than they cost to build.
  
  If you still want to buy your 20 year old council house nae problem. Personally I'd make you pay the full market value since the council has maintained your home and paid the upkeep for you all those years, but then that's not my shout.
  
  This was in fact Labour policy before Thatcher came to power, it is how my parents bought their council house in the late 70's.
  They had the option of a % of their monthly rent going towards buying the property or they could approach a bank for a mortguage.
  They chose the latter and 25 years later in 2001 paid off their mortguage.
  
  Unfortunately, now being 'landed' home owners they were then encouraged to indulge in the stock market, buying UK utility shares during the 80's.
  That's how they lost most of their life savings.
  
  btw Who are the 'we' you keep refering to?
  Are you of the Blood Royal, an elected head of state or a close relation of Margaret Thatcher perchance?
  
  We are not impressed.

• 113. Madge - Edinburgh

  Saturday, November 17, 2007 17:45

  Going against the trend here but Im againt Independence. There seems to be alot of harp about how Scotlands growth rate should move more in line with Irelands. I moved here from Ireland 5 years ago. Everything costs an arm and a leg and I couldnt afford any kind of a social life.
  I was earning 50% more in Dublin than what I earn in Edinburgh, but my money goes alot further in Scotland. Taking one point as an example - Ireland has no NHS. You pay EUR 50 every time you go to the doctor. The majority of the population have medical insurance. SNP want free prescriptions. How will this be paid for?
  As mentioned by another comment poster - the SNP also need to convince me how independence will be more economically viable.
  

• 114. Whining wee git - Fife

  Sunday, November 18, 2007 16:43

  #112
  
  Under Labour sitting tenants could ask to buy their house as sitting tenants and the council could agree to sell, but were not obliged to. Under Thatcher the councils could no longer refuse to sell to a sitting tenant. Spot the difference?
  
  Under Thatcher everybody listed in a house over the age of schooling had a bill to pay, called 'The Poll Tax'. This led to many citizens being disenfranchised by the simple expedient of not putting themselves on the electoral roll.
  
  When the SNP eventually replace the Community Tax with a local income tax EVERY wage earner in a house will have to contribute to the Community costs at source. This despite the fact that they are paying tax already and the taxation system uses these taxes to pay 80% of the council expenditure! The POLL tax under a different guise?
  
  I will continue to make submissions on similar themes until the SNP get on with the job of government and stop whinging about how badly treated they are by the Westminster mob!!
  
  

• 115. Lydia Reid - Edinburgh

  Thursday, November 22, 2007 21:36

  We hear so many comments about Scotland being supported by the English. If this is true why do they want to keep us. I have never heard one person actually ask that question.

• 116. Gordon Murray - Livingston

  Saturday, November 24, 2007 18:59

  114. Still girning-Fife
  Sunday, November 18, 2007 16:43
  
  ""...ban the 'Right to buy' for new tenants, and ignore the rest...""
  v's
  Banning the sale of 'new' council houses.
  
  Spotted the difference yet?
  
  I take it that coming from Methil you are more inclined to be on the Left of the political spectrum?
  
  If that is indeed so, I am surprised indeed to hear you argueing for financial support to local authorities founded on rateable values of property rather than on the ability of individual local citizens to be able to pay, council tax bills rising by the order of 60% with no similar rise in the incomes of those on fixed incomes?
  
  I also take it that you'll be disappointed in the permanent right shift of the governing party in London and the recent re-affirmation of the popularity of Reganomics and Thatcherism at No.10 Downing street?
  best Roads, Transport, Medical attention, Education, etc - for those that can afford it?
  
  From your comments I presume you are idealogically opposed to income tax on the grounds that it is a form of poll tax?
  Or is that only when you add the prefix 'local'?
  
  
  
  
  
  

• 117. Right to buy, that will be right - Methill

  Wednesday, November 28, 2007 14:25

  #116
  
  Sorry Gordon you appear to be a bit slow on the uptake.
  
  Promise in manifesto: - We will provide £2,000 subsidy to first time buyers.
  
  Action in Government: - We will stop the 'Right to Buy' for new tenants in council houses.
  
  A bit like 'We will put 1,000 NEW police on the streets'. Problem is when? 2017?

• 118. Gordon Murray - Livingston

  Sunday, December 9, 2007 19:38

  #117. Right to buy, that will be right - Methill
  Wednesday, November 28, 2007 14:25
  
  I checked the 2007 SNP manifesto.
  Here's what it actually said
  Quote:
  ""...We have already announced plans to introduce a first time buyers’ grant of
  £2,000, to help with the costs and outlays of buying their first home.
  
  We will provide additional support with the creation of a Scottish Housing Support Fund to work in partnership with lenders to provide loans to first time buyers on a shared equity basis.
  
  The Scottish Housing Support Fund will assist over a thousand additional first time buyers into the housing market each year. By reinvesting the returns made on the loans it gives to assist future first time buyers it will become self financing over time...
  
  ...We will expect that a minimum of 25 per cent of all new housing developments are reserved for affordable
  housing.
  We will review current right to buy legislation – while protecting the rights of existing tenants – to make it more responsive to local needs.
  We will ensure that any new build community housing is not sold for less than the valuation placed on it by a District Valuer..."" End Quote.
  
  Now, which part of this is it you're having difficulty comprehending?
  
  
  >>>A bit like 'We will put 1,000 NEW police on the streets'. Problem is when? 2017?<<<
  
  Quote:
  ""...Visible policing plays a vital role in reducing the fear of crime, which can be as destructive as
  the level of crime, which is why we are putting the emphasis on front line police..."" End Quote.
  
  To continue as previous administrations have over the last eight years would mean recruiting an additional 17000 police cadets to put 1000 new bobbies on the beat by the time the fourth session of the Holyrood parliament took it's seats.
  
  My information is that as things stand today Scotland only has of the order of 1000 bobbies on the beat at any given time.
  
  Are you therefore suggesting we recruit an additional 1000 cadets in order to increase the police presence on the streets of Scotland by between 50 to 70 trained police officers by 2011?
  or; That we double the size our current police force?
  If the latter, where would you:
  a)recruit them?
  b)train them?
  c)post them?
  d)build the new police stations you'd need for them?
  e)find the money to finance all of this?
  
  Frankly I believe this government's stated aim of increasing the percentage of frontline police officers from the desultory 5 to 7% of the total strength as it has been, is more realistic and responds to what I for one would like to see.

• 119. I made no promises the SNP did - Fife

  Wednesday, December 12, 2007 23:49

  #118
  
  The First Minister did not deny that the promise to give £2,000 to first time house buyers was an SNP promise, and he freely admitted that his conversion from promising 1,000 NEW police officers on the streets to the 'equivalence' of 1,000 police officers on the streets would be seen as 'Weasel words'. He is right! Still got on your rose coloured glasses?
  
  Its a bit rich to accuse Labour of promising what they felt they could deliver, and boast that the SNP couldn't deliver what they promised, but really wanted to!!!
  
  
  btw the promise of 1,000 'equivalence is not dated and the promise of 500 police recruits in training after 4 years still falls short of the target, especially since 2,500 + officers are due for retiral in the same time span.
  
  I don't expect miracles, just honesty.

• 120. Gordon Murray - Livingston

  Tuesday, December 18, 2007 01:04

  119. I made no promises the SNP did - Fife
  Wednesday, December 12, 2007 23:49
  
  Well I take my hat off to you, I can't imagine anyone but the 'Rainman' who might be able to write without being able to also read. Maybe its an attention span thing?
  
  But anyway here goes one more time:
  Try reading the post @ #118, use your finger to keep the place if it helps, then using your apparent cornucopia of human wisdom, explain how YOU would actually double the 1000 bobbies currently on the beat in Scotland.
  
  MSPs read these bloggs, consider it your civic duty to assist them to deliver safer streets in Scotland.
  
  btw Where was it you read that police recruitment in Scotland is to be capped at 500 for the next four years?
  
  To my knowledge Tulliallan, which trains about 75% of all new police recruits in Scotland, turned out nearly 2500 probationer police officers last year(2006/7) alone, which although down by about 25% over the last few years hardly merits your desire for miracles.
  
  I'll let you find out for yourself how many of those actually found their way onto the beat in Scotland.
  
  If it's honesty you are after, howsabout showing the rest of us some yourself?

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