MAKE UP YOUR MIND DEAREST DARLING

Alistair Darling, who is the leader of the Tory-Liberal anti independence movement, has been left facing accusations of hypocrisy after he attacked George Osborne over the state of the UK economy.

In the Daily Record  Darling attacked the chancellor because of stalled growth, the economy bumping along the bottom and the number out of work growing.

Kenneth Gibson MSP, said this was hypocritical of Darling who is trying to convince the people of Scotland they are ‘better together’ with a Tory finance minister like George Osborne than making decisions in their own parliament in Edinburgh.

Gibson said that one minute Alistair Darling was telling us that Scotland is better with Westminster making the decisions, the next he was attacking the damage being done by that self same Westminster.

He went on: “He can't have it both ways - but it is not surprising as we know this hypocrisy sums up the No campaign’s arguments.

“Anti-independence politicians are happy to attack the record of Westminster - but are still perpetuating the myth that Scotland is better with a Tory Westminster government that we didn't vote for.

“Scotland’s finances are consistently stronger than the UK's, over half of the North Sea tax revenues are still to come, and our oil and gas assets are worth £1.5 trillion or even more.

"With our abundant resources, only a Yes vote next September gives Scotland the powers to create the fairer and wealthier society we all want to live in.”

Not for the first time does Alistair get a bit muddled in his thinking...

Gibson has a point. If Westminster is all that Better Together (or apart or whatever they are these days) cracks it up to be, why on earth is the leader of Better Together so critical of Westminster?

It doesn't add up, but then our experience of Alistair Darling is that nothing he does, from being Finance Minister to filling in his expenses, actually does add up!

PFI HOSPITALS: THE DEBT THAT KEEPS ON COSTING

The SNP has released figures showing the horrific costs that our NHS will have to repay for Labour’s disastrous PFI. Over £1 billion will be taken out of the health budget in the next five years.

Over the next five years more money will leave the NHS in repayments for the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw General and Hairmyres Hospitals than the capital cost of the projects themselves – with more payments in years after that as a result of Labour’s PFI and PPP deals.

Between 2010-11 and 2014-15

• NHS Lothian will pay £228 million for Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary – despite the capital cost of the hospital being only £206 million overall.

• NHS Lanarkshire will pay £136 million for Wishaw General – a project worth £121 million and

• £106 million for Hairmyres, worth only £68 million.

So, when we warned them that this was a completely mad scheme, that the companies which had agreed to be involved in the it were laughing all the way to the bank, and that a 10 year old kid of average intelligence could see that it was madness, we were right.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson said:


“These new figures from the Scottish Parliament, based on information from the Treasury show the legacy Labour has left for Scotland.

“Over a billion of repayments in the next five years is a devastating hit to the NHS budget – particularly at a time when budgets will be under increasing pressure as a result of Labour’s economic mismanagement.

“PFI is typical of Labour’s irresponsible buy now, pay later approach to public spending.

“The NHS will pay more to banks in repayments over the next five years for three hospitals than those hospitals are actually worth. That is an example of the profligacy and incompetence that characterised Labour’s financial management and that Scotland’s public services are now paying for.

“After taking out repayment policies like this Labour has no credibility left on public spending and must answer to NHS staff and patients who are left facing up to Labour’s outrageous debts."

Pics of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Wishaw and Hairmyers Hospitals from the air.

LABOURS PFI HAS LEFT US A LEGACY OF DEBT

The legacy of Labour’s use of the Private Finance Initiative is estimated to cost the Scottish Government a total of £27.7 billion from 2010-11 financial year. The figure was confirmed in a parliamentary answer from SNP Finance Secretary John Swinney.

The SNP has also released figures on the annual repayments (as estimated in 2009) and the level of repayments to be made by local authorities over the next two years. SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson has branded the £27.7 billion figure a “disgraceful legacy of Labour” with the repayments being made to banks and finance firms at the same time as both Labour and the Tories propose cuts to Scotland’s budget.

Mr Gibson said: “This is the disgraceful £27.7 billion legacy that Labour has left Scotland. While the SNP is working hard to put new money into building schools, hospitals, homes and delivering public services Labour’s love of debt sees councils, the NHS and the Government being stripped of funds to make excessive repayments.

“While the SNP is building public services, Labour built debts. As we face tighter budgets in coming years as a result of Labour’s mismanagement we will be repaying billions to banks and finance firms to meet Labour’s debt legacy. All across Scotland's public sector it is not just Labour's cuts that are affecting public services but Labour's legacy as well.

“PFI repayments are now approaching the same level as Scotland’s annual budget. Labour’s refusal to recognise the problems of PFI and the better deal for taxpayers being delivered by the SNP in Government leaves them in a ludicrous position.”