The Scottish National Party has welcomed reports Labour now intend to vote with the SNP against the UK government’s fiscal charter this week, but have called for absolute clarity from the party and a commitment that all Labour MPs will oppose the charter. Nicola Sturgeon challenged Labour at the weekend to join the SNP in the vote against austerity as she published a set of alternative proposals.  Labour’s shadow Chancellor had previously said Labour would vote for Osborne’s charter. The SNP condemned Labour for considering voting with the Tories – committing to further austerity and unnecessary ideologically driven cuts. SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson MPRead More →

The SNP has today [Tuesday] called for the unelected, undemocratic House of Lords to be scrapped. The move comes on the back of reports that David Cameron is to press ahead with the appointment of around 200 new peers, bringing the total to over 1000. Commenting, SNP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Pete Wishart MP said: “The House of Lords has never been held in such contempt by the Scottish people who see it as nothing other than a repository for the cronies and donors of the UK parties. With its Lords, Ladies, Baronets and Earls it can only be described as the mostRead More →

The House of Commons has already spent taxpayer money on measures to ensure that Scots MPs’ will be locked out of House of Commons votes, despite the Tory measures not even being approved by Westminster, the SNP has learned. In contrast to the Scottish Parliament – where the legislators vote electronically on a key pad on their Holyrood desks – MPs’ in the House of Commons still vote by funnelling down ‘Aye’ or ‘Nay’ lobbies, with their votes being counted manually. However, in a bid to modernise the Parliament the House of Commons decided to spend £5000 on developing software to count the MPs electronically,Read More →

Commenting on the vote on the second reading of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in the House of Commons tonight (Monday), which passed by 308 to 124 – with the Labour Group abstaining, while some 48 Labour MPs rebelled to vote with the SNP against the Bill – the SNP said that Labour’s failure to oppose it would haunt them through next year’s Scottish Parliament election and beyond. Commenting, SNP Fair Work and Employment spokesperson Hannah Bardell MP said: “The Tories’ cruel welfare cuts damage the working poor and vulnerable people, and had to be opposed. “Labour had the perfect opportunity to join the SNP in a progressiveRead More →

I was delighted to see on facebook today a link to the Scottish Affairs Committee page at Westminster. Not only was it openly being shared but it invites us, the people who elected them, to have a say in their programme for the current term of government. I have not seen this level of openness from Westminster before. Could it be that what we practice at Holyrood is being shared with the good people of Westminster? I have a feeling that this may be the case as this committee is being chaired by Pete Wishart of the S.N.P. Hopefully the example may be followed byRead More →

We often hear media pundits talking about the advantages of public figures having what they refer to as “Hinterland”. Of having a real working life before and outside of politics. One definition of hinterland is “An area lying beyond what is visible or known: the strange hinterland where life begins and ends”. For me it is that indefinable yet unmistakable quality that someone has when they have lived life properly, lived or worked in different places and fields and among real people with real lives. Found a few paths less travelled and emerged as their own person. And in this last week this has beenRead More →

Commenting on reports that UK military personnel have been involved in conducting air strikes in Syria, Scottish National Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Alex Salmond MP said: “This action clearly flouts the democratic decision taken by the House of Commons two years ago for the UK not to take part in a bombing campaign in Syria. “And just as inexcusable, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon led a Commons debate on Syria only this month – before which he briefed about the likelihood of the UK bombing in Syria in the future – yet he didn’t say a word about UK military personnel already sent into action.Read More →

The SNP is today highlighting further expert evidence on the ‘devastating’ impacts of sanctions on women – amidst further backing for powers over the sanctions regime to be in Scotland’s hands rather than Westminster’s. Ahead of this week’s meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee, a series of expert submissions have underlined the appalling impact of sanctions on single mothers, survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, disabled women and refugees in particular. Close the Gap, One Parent Families Scotland, the Fawcett Society, Inclusion Scotland, the Scottish Refugee Council, Child Poverty Action Group and the Scottish Women’s Convention all submitted written evidence highly critical ofRead More →

Ahead of the Queen’s Speech, the SNP has made clear that it will fight the Tories’ plans for £12bn in welfare cuts ‘every step of the way’ – and that promoting an alternative to continued cuts will be the party’s key priority at Westminster. The Tory’s commitment to further welfare cuts comes as new statistics published last week show that around a third of the UK population experienced poverty in at least one year between 2010 and 2013 – higher than the EU average of 25 per cent. During the General Election campaign, the SNP promoted an end to austerity with modest increases in publicRead More →

Commenting on the appointment of David Mundell as Secretary of State for Scotland, SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “The Tories’ share of the vote in Scotland at the General Election – at under 15 per cent – was the lowest they have ever had, while the SNP achieved 56 of Scotland’s 59 seats. The days of business as usual are over, so it is a pity that David Cameron did not take the opportunity to scrap the post-devolution anomaly that is the Scotland Office, and invest the £7 million that is spent on it on public services instead. “David Mundell is the sole representative ofRead More →